FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The SLC is designed for a diverse audience that includes anyone interested in increasing their understanding of what works to ensure successful and sustainable scale up. The main intended audience includes global health and development professionals from a diverse range of sectors and technical areas. SLC learners will become acquainted with guidance tools and resources that help scale-up work, even from the earliest stages of pilot research, to proceed more systematically and effectively, rather than in an ad hoc way. The SLC curriculum can benefit a wide range of professionals, including: governmental and ministerial policy makers, program managers and staff; representatives of national and international NGOs; donors and funders; civil society; faith- and community-based organizations; academics; researchers – and anyone else with an interest in learning more about successful scale up of evidence-based initiatives. 

While there are no prerequisites for the SLC curriculum, familiarity with program implementation in a global health or development subject area is highly useful. This is because while the SLC is written generically to be useful for a wide range of learners, it is most helpful to have some practical experience to reflect upon while going through the curriculum. The reading level of the curriculum is generally aimed at university- or postgraduate-level learners. 

While ExpandNet/WHO’s guidance tools were initially developed to support scaling of global health interventions, over the last decade plus, these tools have been applied across many other sectors, including education, natural resource conservation, food security/sustainable agriculture, water and sanitation and others. These applications have validated the applicability of ExpandNet/WHO’s framework across diverse development areas and we therefore feel confident that professionals from across global health and development sectors can benefit from engaging with the SLC. Furthermore, the SLC content has been intentionally designed to be as versatile and generic as possible. Even while you may hear about health sector examples more frequently, the principles, concepts and lessons presented are applicable across a broad array of sectors and activities. 

For the majority of learners, the SLC curriculum allows you to register and begin your studies at your convenience, without specific start- or ending dates. This enables you to progress at your preferred pace and adapt your studies to your schedule and commitments. Of course if you will be working through the Team Track with colleagues, there will likely be a need for your team to agree on a timeline for moving through sections of the curriculum together. Write to the Secretariat to receive advice on how to maximize the Team Track at secretariat@expandnet.net.

The SLC is composed of an introductory module and three core modules, each corresponding to a phase of ExpandNet’s systematic approach to scale up. Within each module, you will find diverse resources including videos, transcripts, readings, publications, guidance tools, example narratives, agendas, presentation templates, exercises, and real-life case examples from around the world. These resources are intended to provide insights and deepen your understanding and proficiency in working effectively on scaling up and in turn to help you share the learning with your collaborators. You will benefit from hearing about the practical experience of scaling implementers from various parts of the world. At the end of each module, an assessment is available to gauge comprehension and reinforce your understanding of key concepts covered.

The SLC is designed with the following learning objectives:

1. Define the concept of scaling up and understand why it is important for achieving impact
   Understand what is meant by a systematic approach to scale up and its importance to ensure sustainability and scale up success
2. Become familiar and skilled in using the available guidance tools from ExpandNet/WHO and understand their appropriate application throughout the scale-up process
3. Analyze case studies of scaling-up initiatives using ExpandNet guidance

Upon registering as an SLC learner, you will immediately gain access to the entire curriculum. This gives you the freedom to explore and engage with all the modules, materials, and resources according to your pace and interests. Our goal is to empower you with a comprehensive learning experience right from the start, allowing you to engage with the content most meaningful to you at any time. That said, we do encourage Certificate learners to progress through the curriculum in the order presented, since they are designed as a progression.

Each module in the SLC is designed as a standalone resource to support you and your colleagues with your scaling journey. We expect that most Self-Guided- and Team-Track learners may wish to work through only the module(s) most relevant to them at that point in time, although we hope they will come back to complete the entire curriculum as time allows. 

We hope that all SLC learners will be motivated to study the entire curriculum at some point to gain a wider foundation of systematic scale up that can inform future scale-up work. Team Track learners are encouraged to be in touch with the ExpandNet Secretariat to benefit from advice on how to make the most effective use of the platform. 

The length of time required to complete the entire curriculum will vary based on which learning track you select and how much time you can dedicate to your learning. All SLC learners have the flexibility to progress at their individual pace, and to delve as deeply as you like into each module. On the other hand, completion time for learners in the Team Track depends on the pace set by the team. However, since the Teams track does not require completion of all modules, the choice whether to pursue a Certificate will be up to the individuals within the team. 

While your access to the SLC will not expire, once you register as an SLC Certificate (or Mentor) Track learner, you will have one year to successfully complete the entire curriculum. This timeframe is in place to encourage consistent engagement. We encourage you to work through the content within this year, but if additional time is needed, feel free to contact the ExpandNet Secretariat to request an extension. We are fully committed to supporting your efforts and ensuring you can successfully obtain your certificate.

As of late 2023 we do not offer professional development credit, continuing medical education or continuing education unit credits for completing the SLC curriculum, though this may available be an offering in the future. If you have completed your certificate and would like to be notified if and when this service becomes available, please inform the ExpandNet Secretariat at secretariat@expandnet.net. 

While the first version of the SLC was developed in English, we envision future versions will soon follow in French, Spanish, and hopefully even Portuguese and Arabic. ExpandNet members live in many countries and speak many languages and we plan to work collaboratively to ensure that the SLC is broadly useful across the globe so that capacity to use a systematic approach to scale up is spread as widely as possible across different language and learning needs. If you would like to be notified when certain language offerings become available, send a note to SLC@expandnet.net or keep checking back.