Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning - NFP
In 2012 the course is also organised in French
Improving learning and accountability
Development processes are complex. Systematically monitoring and evaluating these processes helps you to improve your development projects, programmes and organisation. This course provides quantitative indicator-based M&E as well as more qualitative tools (Outcome Mapping and Most Significant Change). The course is proactive and participatory.
Participants
You are involved with formulating, managing, or monitoring development interventions. You prepare, supervise, use or participate in evaluations. You work as a desk officer, programme manager, task manager for a national or a local government, for an international donor agency, or for a non-governmental organisation. You want to further improve your monitoring and evaluation abilities and your M&E system.
Course objectives
In this course you will learn how to monitor and evaluate projects, programmes and organisations.
At the end of the course you will adept to ask and answer typical M&E questions, such as: Which data do we need to understand the context, outputs, outcome and impact? Who collects, analyses and processes these data, when and how?
Furthermore you will experience how monitoring and evaluation can be turned into (participative) learning. At the end of the course you will be able to design, organise and steer evaluations in such a way that they contribute to accountability and stimulate learning by all stakeholders.
Course outline
| Week 1 | Monitoring • M&E concepts; tasks, responsibilities and interests • Planning as a reference for M&E • Role of stakeholders • Information needs and questions • Information flow • Monitoring plan • Outcome mapping • Monitoring in intervention chains • Monitoring processes • Field visit • Reporting • Monitoring organisations • Learning organisations |
| Week 2 | Evaluation • Steps in the evaluation process • Performance indicators • Tor for an evaluation • Selection of evaluators • Most Significant Change • Appreciative Inquiry • Impact evaluation • Capacity evaluation • Field visit and practical exercise • Appraising an evaluation report • Learning from evaluations • Challenges |
Funding
There is funding available for this course in 2011 and 2012 through the Nuffic Fellowship Programme (NFP).
For the rules and regulations governing fellowships from the NFP and application forms, go to the Nuffic website: www.nuffic.nl/nfp< or contact the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of your country. Please note that you should allow sufficient time for processing your application, well in advance of the programme.
Application deadline
1 October 2011 - for the course taking place from 21 May - 1 June 2012
1 May 2012 - for the course that takes place from 3 - 14 December 2012
2 October 2012 - for the course that takes place from 27 May - 7 June 2013
Challenge of the Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning Course
Navigating between Accountability and Learning and between Structure and Process, turning M&E of project/programme and organisational performance into a learning experience. Combines MfDR, LFA, Outcome Mapping and Most Significant Change. The course-approach is participatory with a focus on practical application.
In development management a paradigm-shift is announcing itself. Alongside Results-Based Management (whereby outputs, outcomes and even impact are pre-defined), Complexity and Process thinking are gaining momentum. These latter two are non-linear models in which outcomes are non-predictable.
In both approaches the major M&E functions remain Accountability and Learning.
Above, for analytical reasons, we have presented management models and M&E functions opposition-wise in a matrix. The result are four squares, see figure below:
- Combining Results-Based management and Accountability: the one follows logically from the other; their linkage is strong (++++).
- Combining Results-Based management and Learning. Their linkage is not automatic - e.g. using the LF as a learning tool is seldomly done (+); the learning should be reinforced.
- Combining Complexity thinking and Learning: their link is almost automatic as outcomes are open and surprises/unpredictability are welcomed (++++).
- Combining Complexity thinking, stories etc. and Accountability: their link is not always evident unless extra efforts are done (+).
It is our dream that these axes and its squares will one day overlap, see figure above, representing an ideal Managing for Development Results (MfDR) model in which learning occupies an important place. However, for the time being, let us seeow we can reinforce the M&E functions in the various management systems.
That is the major challenge of the M&E-L course in 2010. The course (in workshop-form) is not academic and is meant for M&E practitioners working in the field of development cooperation for various kinds of bilateral, multilateral or civilateral (NGO) organisations, either in desk-functions or in field-functions. The exchange in such multi-stakeholders groups has been applauded by former participants.
Some comments from the December 2009-course:
- Before I was focused on the LogFrame. After I learnt about Outcome Mapping and Most Significant Change I am focused on people". "Needs and stories: you can not find them on paper or in the office.
- This course meant a mindset-change: the linking of m&e and learning - I think I can introduce this link in my organization. I acquired new knowledge.
- The concept of learning organization will be my starting point. Many things we already know but do not use.
- I am from the World Bank and I am impressed by the participants from NGOs. I realize we at the WB "participate" internally, but do not do so with partners. Very important also is the "learning inventory" after evaluations. It adds to accountability and peer learning.
- I learned more about theory of change: how change is going to happen.
- In this course we looked under the skin. The very vague became measurable.
- I learned the questions you have to ask yourself ("how to swim in muddy waters").
- I now have the overview of PME, and know how to connect loose wires.
- If you don't know where you are, you don't know where to go". We have to improve in tracking outcomes, and to keep an eye on the overall context of change.
