INTRAC Advanced Monitoring and Evaluation course

This course builds on participants’ understanding and skills of how to develop sustainable and cost effective monitoring and evaluation processes and practices within their own projects, programmes and organisations. It is also relevant for those trying to improve and enhance current monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, or supporting partners to develop and implement effective M&E. The course provides an overview of all aspects of M&E from planning to M&E and impact assessment, with a focus on ensuring that M&E contributes towards improving organisational learning and accountability.

1 Objectives of the course

By the end of the training participants will:
• Have developed a deeper understanding of the characteristics of effective M&E and M&E systems
• Have reviewed approaches to planning for M&E, including Theory of Change, and explored some of the challenges with these
• Be able to select and use appropriate data collection methods and tools effectively and explored debates around newer qualitative and participatory approaches
• Have considered principles and steps in data analysis and the issue of quality of evidence
• Have explored ways to address issues around impact assessment and the M&E of outcomes and impact
• Have considered their own role in bringing about improved M&E within their projects, programmes and organisations.

2 Intended audience

This course is intended for those with some experience of monitoring and evaluation. It has been designed to build on and enhance participant’s skills and understanding of M&E and work through some of the complex challenges in doing M&E, alongside other experienced practitioners.

3 Core content areas

• Clarifying M&E terminology and the uses of M&E
• Introducing a structure for addressing practical issues and challenges in M&E
• The components of an effective M&E system
• Indicators and how to identify them
• Overview of planning tools to help understand the logic of an intervention and provide a foundation for good M&E
• Strengths, weaknesses and applications of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and tools
• Introducing more complex tools and methodologies for collecting outcomes and impact data including e.g. RCTs, contribution analysis, outcome mapping, process tracing, most significant change etc.
• Issues to consider when designing and managing an effective evaluation process, and how to close the learning loop and ensure results are used for improvement
• Steps in analysing quantitative and qualitative data, and what makes good quality evidence
• Incorporating learning into M&E – strategies for encouraging results of M&E to be valued and used
The course will use case studies and practical examples from the trainers and participants to illustrate and explore issues. The course will be interactive and participatory, with a balance between trainer inputs and group work. There will be focussed time and a structure for participants to reflect on and apply learning to a practical M&E challenge or issue they are facing and to think through what needs to happen on their return to work, in order to build on the learning from the training. In order to support this, a follow up one-to-one remote mentoring session is included for each participant, post-training.

4 Course format and costs

This course has two parts: a 5 day face to face course which will take place in Oxford, UK; and a 50 minute one-to-one coaching session after the course (via Skype) with the course trainer, focusing specifically on your needs.

This individual, tailored coaching will support the individual to apply the learning from the course to their work, and offer the opportunity to work through current challenges, difficulties and opportunities with a highly experienced practitioner. The available dates and times for coaching will be provided by the trainers in advance of the course. Coaching terms and conditions will be provided upon application.
The cost of this course is £1165 non-residential (includes training materials, 50-minute individual coaching session, lunch and refreshments) or £1445 residential (includes training materials, 50-minute individual coaching session, meals and accommodation for duration of course).