Fellowship Experience Map Interview

Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders:

Prompts for the Fellowship Experience Maps Interviews

Internal Notes **FOR ECA/EVALUATION TEAM USE ONLY**

Scope: The Fellowship Experience Map interviews are separate from other U.S.-based surveys and interview questions; it is an additional data collection instrument. The purpose of these interviews are to support the development of six special case studies called Fellowship Experience Maps that focus on the program’s impact on Mandela Washington Fellows and American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni.

This instrument illustrates the types of questions that could be asked of each stakeholder group, but interviewees will not be asked all questions. The Evaluation Team will only ask questions that are relevant to that individual and their experience with a particular Fellow or American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni. These questions are designed to be open-ended to elicit in-depth responses from interviewees. We anticipate these interviews will range from 60 minutes.

Sampling/Selection: Individuals within each stakeholder group will be selected through a review of their survey responses as well as an analysis of the survey/interview responses of the Fellow and their ability to speak to the experience of Fellow X of whom the case study is the focus.

Structure: To gather data for these maps, the Evaluation Team will speak to a small set of U.S.-based interviewees. Most of these interviews will be conducted by phone, however some may be in person, depending on location, convenience and timing for the interviews. The exact number of individuals will depend on the Fellow or Alumni’s experience, but the Evaluation Team will strive to mitigate any time burden on U.S.-based individuals. These interviewees will be selected over the course of the overall data collection period based on their relationship to selected Mandela Washington Fellows or American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni. They will be selected from the following groups of stakeholders:

• Academic and Leadership Institute Staff

• U.S. Community Members (home stay families, peer mentors, community/site visit organizations, etc.)

• Professional Development Experience hosts

• Reciprocal Exchange Awardees

• Members of Reciprocal Exchange Alumni’s community and/or professional work place

In some cases, two or more of the above categories of stakeholders may overlap. For example, a Reciprocal Exchange Awardee may have met a Fellow through the Professional Development Experience or a site visit organized as part of the Academic and Leadership Institute. In such cases, the interviewer will ask questions related to each category that maps to key informant’s experience with the Fellow or Reciprocal Exchange Awardee (i.e. ask two sets of questions, customized for the particular experience).

Interview Instructions **FOR INTERVIEWER USE ONLY**

• Introduction: The interviewer will read the introduction and ask the key informant the “Consent to Participate” question prior to beginning the interview to reaffirm willingness and consent to participate in this discussion, which will have been determined with the participant through the communication setting up the interview.

  • If the key informant declines to consent to the interview, the interviewer should thank the participant for their time and end the interview.

• Interview Questions and Style: Because the format for Fellowship Experience Map interviews is meant to be conversational, the exact number of questions will vary. The questions in this instrument are illustrative (not all questions will be asked) – the interviewer should use their discretion to determine which questions and prompts are necessary.

• Incorporating Survey Responses: If relevant or necessary for the discussion, the interviewer may choose to insert information from the respondent’s survey contributions into the designated interview questions.

Introduction

Thank you for your time today. You have been selected for an interview based on your important role and engagement with [Mandela Washington Fellow/ American Reciprocal Exchange Alumnus name]. The purpose of this discussion is to review the Fellowship’s effectiveness in meeting its goals and objectives, assess the Fellowship’s impact on Alumni and other stakeholders, and determine areas for improvement and growth.

As part of our overall evaluation process, Guidehouse is developing special case studies called Fellowship Experience Maps that focus on the impact the program had on Mandela Washington Fellows and American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni. Your interview responses will help us construct the stories of how the individuals impacted by the program went on to influence their larger communities. It is anticipated that the interview will take approximately 60 minutes.

In today’s interview I will be asking you questions about [INSERT NAME – Fellow or American RE Alum], who participated in [INSERT – the Mandela Washington Fellowship or Reciprocal Exchange] in [INSERT LOCATION] in [INSERT YEAR].

Your participation in this interview is voluntary. You may opt to withdraw from the interview at any time or choose not to answer select questions. For your awareness:

• Aggregated responses or qualitative insights (without names) from open-ended questions may be included in the Fellowship Experience Maps resulting from the evaluation.

• Qualitative data files will be submitted to ECA at the completion of the evaluation.

• The information you provide may be re-analyzed at a later date for a follow-up study or other purpose approved by ECA.

Your contributions will be used in the development of Fellowship Experience Maps that highlight the experience of selected Mandela Washington Fellows or American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni. If you agree to participate, you may choose to include your name in the case study. Including your name will provide a more holistic view of the Fellow’s experience throughout the Fellowship. If you prefer we not use your name, we can refer to you by your relationship to the Fellow on whom this map is focused. If you have any questions or concerns about this interview or the evaluation more broadly, please let me know so we can discuss before we proceed with the interview.

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE

Do you consent to participate in this interview and have your contribution included in the Fellowship Experience Map?

☐ Yes, I consent to participate

☐ Yes, I consent to using my name

☐ No, I prefer my name is not used

☐ No, I do not consent to participate

Attendees

Key informant name

Evaluation team attendees

Questions – Fellowship Experience Maps on Fellows

Questions for Fellowship Experience Maps on Mandela Washington Fellows

Academic Leadership Institute Faculty and/or Staff

• Please describe your experience with Fellow X.

  • What did you learn from Fellow X?

  • How did Fellow X influence you?

  • How did you benefit/what did you gain from your interactions with Fellow X?

• Did they influence your perception of Sub-Saharan Africa? If so, how?

• How did Fellow X change your perspective or mindset?

• How did they add value to the Institute experience?

  • To staff/the university?

  • To the cohort experience?

  • To the local community?

  • Were any changes made to Institute components as a result of Fellow X’s time at your Institute?

• How did Fellow X influence others (other Fellows, Institute staff, larger university community, local community, etc.)?

Did you see any visible change (behavioral or otherwise) in any individuals Fellow X interacted with?

• Were any new projects or ideas launched as a result of Fellow X’s time at your Institute?

Can you share a story illustrating their impact on you and/or others? What three words would you use to describe the impact of the Institute on Fellow X?

What three words would you use to describe the impact Fellow X had on the local community?

U.S. Host Community (may include but not limited to: peer mentors, host families, site/service org hosts)

• How did you meet Fellow X?

• What drove you to become as a peer mentor/host family/site/service organization host for the Mandela Washington Fellows?

• What did you learn from them?

• How did Fellow X influence you?

  • How did you benefit/what did you gain from your interactions with Fellow X?

• Did they influence your perception of Sub-Saharan Africa? If so, how?

• How did Fellow X change your perspective or mindset?

• How did they contribute to your family/organization/community?

  • What value did they bring?

  • How did that influence translate to others?

  • Can you share a story illustrating their impact on you, /family/organization and /or community?

Professional Development Experience Colleagues and/or Supervisor

• How did you meet Fellow X (colleague/non-supervisory)?

• What drove/led your organization to become a PDE host?

• What about Fellow X seemed to be a good match for your organization?

• What did you learn from Fellow X?

• How did Fellow X influence you personally?

  • Did Fellow X change your perspective or mindset (on your work, Africa, etc.)? If so, how?

• How did Fellow X contribute to your team/unit/group?

• How did Fellow X contribute to your organization?

  • What value did they bring?

  • How did that influence translate to others?

  • Were any new ideas launched as a result of Fellow X’s time at your organizations?

• Can you share a story illustrating their impact on you/your team/unit/group/organization?

• What three words would you use to describe your organization’s impact on Fellow X?

• What three words would you use to describe the Fellow X’s impact on your organization?

Reciprocal Exchange Partners

• How did you meet Fellow X?

• Please describe your Reciprocal Exchange project.

  • How did this project idea come about?

  • What made you decide to pursue this project idea?

  • Was this your first time in Sub-Saharan Africa?

• What did you learn from Fellow X?

  • How did Fellow X change your perspective or mindset (on your work, Africa, etc.)? If so, how?

  • How did Fellow X influence you?

• How did they influence your professional trajectory?

• How did that influence translate to others (Fellows, RE recipients on your project, at your organization, etc.)?

• Can you share a story or an example illustrating their impact on you and/or others in the community? Community is defined here as where RE partner met Fellow(s).

• What three words would you use to describe your Reciprocal Exchange project’s impact on Fellow X?

• What three words would you use to describe your Reciprocal Exchange project’s impact on you? On your local community?

Questions – Fellowship Experience Maps on RE Alumni

Questions for Fellowship Experience Maps on American Reciprocal Exchange Alumni

Reciprocal Exchange Alumni (whom the Fellowship Experience Map is focused on)

• How did you first meet the Mandela Washington Fellow(s) for your Reciprocal Exchange project?

  • Were you a peer mentor to this Fellow?

    • If so, what motivated you to become a peer mentor?

  • Were you and this Fellow PDE colleagues?

    • If so, what led to your organization to become a PDE host?

• Please describe your Reciprocal Exchange project:

Follow-up questions:

• How did this project idea come about?

• What made you decide to pursue this project idea?

• What was the length of your Reciprocal Exchange project?

• How long did you stay in [insert country name]?

• Had you ever been to Sub-Saharan Africa before?

• How has your awareness of Sub-Saharan Africa or [insert country name] changed as a result of this experience?

• How was your experience working there?

• Was there anything that struck you about working in that context?

• If the experience changed you, how did it change you?

• What did you learn from the community in [insert country name] you stayed in?

• What did you learn from the [insert country name] beneficiary population that you worked with?

• What do you value most about that experience?

• What were some of the challenges?

• What were some of the successes?

• What were the lessons learned about your work?

• What role (if any) did the ALI staff play in the development/execution of the Reciprocal Exchange project?

• What role (if any) did the following groups play in the development/execution of the Reciprocal Exchange project:

  • Family/home community

  • Academic professors/mentors

  • Peers

  • Religious community (if applicable)

  • Professional colleagues/supervisors

• What have you learned from your Reciprocal Exchange partner(s)? This can include any Americans and/or Mandela Washington Fellows that you worked with on the project.

• How has this experience contributed to your interests and goals (professional or otherwise) in the U.S.?

Follow-up questions:

• Did the experience contribute to and/or expand your professional network? If so, how?

• Did the experience change the way you go about your work? If so, how?

• Have you been able to apply anything that you learned through the RE project to your work/department/organization?

• Has the experience led to any further collaborations between you and with any of your RE partner(s)?

• If your experience influenced your community (work colleagues, peer network family members, and/or community involvement), please describe how. Can you share a story or an example illustrating their impact on you and/or community?

• Are there individuals in your community (work colleagues, peer network family members, and/or community involvement) who can speak to this impact and that we should talk to?

• What three words would you use to describe your Reciprocal Exchange project’s impact on the Fellow you worked with?

• What three words would you use to describe your Reciprocal Exchange project’s impact on you? On your local community?

Academic Leadership Institute Faculty and/or Staff

• Did you know RE Alumnus X prior to their participation in the RE project?

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

• How has (if at all) the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you or others in the community (ALI leadership/staff and/or wider university community including staff, students, etc.)?

  • How did the RE Alumnus change your perspective or mindset?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

  • What impact (if any) has the RE Alumnus X had on the community? (ALI leadership/staff and/or subsequent Mandela Washington Fellowship cohorts)

  • What (if any) impact have you seen?

  • Can you share a story or example illustrating how they have influenced or impacted you or others in the community (other ALI staff, university, etc.)?

Work Colleagues and/or Supervisor of RE Alumnus

• How long have you worked with/been the supervisor for RE Alumnus X?

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

  • Have you observed any changes in the way they do their work/how they approach problems?

  • Have you observed/heard of any new/additional collaborations between the RE Alumnus X and other fellow(s)?

• How (if at all) has the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you or others in your team/department/division/organization?

  • How did the RE Alumnus change your perspective or mindset?

• What (if any) impact has the RE Alumnus’ experience with the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (including the Reciprocal Exchange and any other roles) had on colleagues and/or your organization?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

Members of RE Alumnus’ Religious Community (if applicable)

• How long have you known RE Alumnus X?

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

  • Have you observed any changes in them?

  • Have you observed/heard of any new/additional collaborations between the RE Alumnus X and other fellow(s)?

• How (if at all) has the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you and/or your peers?

  • What impact has the RE Alumnus’ experience with the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (RE and any other) had on colleagues and/or your community?

  • How did the RE Alumnus change your perspective or mindset?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

  • Can you share a story or example illustrating how they have influenced or impacted you or others in the community?

Peers of RE Alumnus

• How long have you known RE Alumnus X?

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

  • Have you observed any changes in them?

  • Have you observed/heard of any new/additional collaborations between the RE Alumnus X and other fellow(s)?

• How (if at all) has the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you and/or your peers?

  • How (if at all) did the RE Alumnus X change your perspective or mindset?

  • What impact has the RE Alumnus X’ experience with the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (RE and any other) had on you and/or your peers?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

  • Can you share a story or example illustrating how they have influenced or impacted you or others in the community?

Academic Professors/Mentors

• How long have you been RE Alumnus X’s professor/mentor?

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

  • Have you observed any changes in the way they pursue their studies/research?

  • Have you observed/heard of any new/additional collaborations between the RE Alumnus X and other fellow(s)?

• How has (if at all) the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you and/or other professors/mentors?

  • How (if at all) did the RE Alumnus X change your perspective or mindset?

  • What impact has the RE Alumnus’ experience with the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (RE and any other) had on you and/or others in the academic community?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

  • Can you share a story or example illustrating how they have influenced or impacted you or others in the community?

Family/Home of Origin Community Members

• How long have you known RE Alumnus X? (ask only if non-family member)

• What (if any) change have you observed in the RE Alumnus X since they returned from their travel for their RE project?

  • Have you observed any changes in the way them since their return?

  • Have you observed/heard of any new/additional collaborations/follow-on projects between the RE Alumnus X and other fellow(s)?

• How has (if at all) the RE Alumnus shared their experience from the RE with you and/or other in your community?

  • Has your knowledge or perspective changed as a result of their experience? If so, how?

  • What impact has the RE Alumnus’ experience with the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (RE and any other) had on your and/or other members of your family and/or community?

  • Has their influence/experience inspired others? If so, how?

  • Can you share a story or example illustrating how they have influenced or impacted you or others in the community?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to these Fellowship Experience Map questions. If you have any further questions about this interview or if you think of anything else you would like to add to what we’ve discussed today, please reach out to the Evaluation Team at fellowshipevaluation@guidehouse.com.

OMB Control Number: 1405-XXXX Burden Estimate:  60 minutes Expiration Date: XX-XX-XXXX

PRA Statement Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including time required for searching existing data sources, gathering the necessary documentation, providing the information and/or documents required, and reviewing the final collection.  You do not have to supply this information unless this collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.  If you have comments on the accuracy of this burden estimate and/or recommendations for reducing it, please send them to: ecaevaluation@state.gov.