Monitoring & Evaluation
GOALS:
The aim of this course is to create an understanding and provide toolsfor management personnel to enable them adopt a MER system for:
• Assessing their organizational capacity;
• Judging the effectiveness of their project;
• Judge the quality of project outcomes.
The goal of this training course is to present MER in its most basic anduseable form. It is geared towards those managing projects and alreadyunder pressure to meet the increase in demand for program results.
CONTENT:
1. Principles of monitoring, evaluation and reporting
_ Define the terms monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER),as well as other key terms
_ Identify the benefits and purposes of tracking
2. Performance, measuring results and reporting the progress
_ The essential elements in developing a successful MER system
3. Results based MER
_ Levels of results
_ Refining strategic plan elements
4. Indicators
_ Identifying, selecting and assessing indicators
5. Monitoring tools
_ Identify monitoring tools useful to management
6. Evaluation
_ Discuss various evaluation tools and determine who should beinvolved in the evaluation process
7. Review of what should be included in the organization’s MER Plan
Course Outline
• Definitions, Principles and types of monitoring and evaluation activities
• Programme Management Cycle
• Monitoring & Evaluation Cycles
• Logical framework for planning
• Writing KPI & SOP & Balance Scorecards
• Practical/Group work: Preparing a plan
• Steps of Terms of Reference (TOR) or Proposal for Monitoring & Evaluation activities
• Practical/Group work: Preparing a Terms of Reference (TOR)
• Monitoring and Evaluation Methods: Methods of Programme Review, Supervision andEvaluation
• Basic quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques
• Bias in data collection: definition, sources and control
• Data Processing: analysis, interpret and presentation of routine programme data
• Structure of a technical report: understanding observation, interpretation, conclusion andrecommendation
• Practical/Group work: Preparing an evidence‐based report
Course Outcomes
After successful completion of this short course participants should be able to:
1. Contextualise different approaches to and theories of monitoring and evaluation in a particularorganisation
2. Demonstrate understanding of research design and methodology for monitoring and evaluationan organisation or programme in a specific context
3. Design a monitoring and evaluation plan for a specific context
4. Collect appropriate data aligned to specific indicators in a monitoring and evaluation plan
5. Analyse and interpret collated data
6. Present the findings and recommendations of a monitoring and evaluation project or plan
Assessment Criteria
1. Contextualise different approaches to and theories of monitoring and evaluation in a particularorganisation
• Different approaches and theories are compared with reference to their effectiveness inmeasuring the success of an intervention
• Approaches and theories are evaluated in terms of their relevance for a specific sector ororganisation.
• Monitoring and evaluation concepts are explained with reference to the relationship
• between the concepts and activities and processes in a particular plan
2. Demonstrate understanding of research design and methodology for monitoring and evaluationan organisation or programme in a specific context
• Different research design options are analysed in order to select an appropriate researchdesign that links a perceived problem to monitoring and evaluation goals
• Research tools are discussed with reference to the purpose and application in a specificcontext
3. Design a monitoring and evaluation plan for a specific context
• Situational analysis is conducted in order to understand the nature of an identifiedproblem
• A research design process is applied to develop a monitoring and evaluation plan for anintervention
4. Collect appropriate data aligned to specific indicators in a monitoring and evaluation plan
• The difference between primary and secondary data sources is discussed with reference topurpose, use and application of triangulation to verify collected data
• Appropriate data sources are identified with reference to the specific indicators
• Data is collected according to the indicators and managed according to a data managementplan
5. Analyse and interpret collated data
• Qualitative and quantitative approaches to data analysis are explained with reference tothe purpose and use
• A data set is critically analysed and triangulated to identify similarities and differences,trends and how an intervention contributed to the achievement of goals and the solution ofthe problem.
6. Present the findings and recommendations of a monitoring and evaluation project or plan
• Findings are presented in a written report
• Findings are presented orally for different audiences and purposes
Target Group
Managers, Supervisors and Practitioners responsible for effective performance of monitoring andevaluation processes, including data collection, processing and reporting at that needs monitoring andevaluation training at a supervisor level & above.
