Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Course.
The purpose of this professional short course Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning is to equip/impart participants with knowledge and skills to enable them to develop and apply practical methods, tools and approaches for result-based monitoring and evaluation systems for their projects, programs and institutions using Information management systems. The ‘Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Certification’ training program is a comprehensive course that covers the processes and implementation of a Results-based Monitoring and Evaluation system for donor funded projects. This course endows participants with competences in setting up and implementing results-based monitoring and evaluation systems involving data management, analysis, and reporting.
Course Objectives
Program Managers and officers attending the M&E workshop will get hands on skills in the following areas;
✓ Project Initiation, Planning, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation
✓ Designing project using logical frameworks
✓ Use indicators and targets to measure success
✓ Monitor and track performance indicators over the life of the project
✓ Designing M&E Plan Developing M&E systems
✓ Formulating Result based M&E
✓ Develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan
✓ Monitoring tools, methods and procedures
✓ Performance tracking / monitoring and evaluation Monitoring & Evaluation specialized M&E System
✓ Applications of MIS Management information system tools Information access and governmental
transparency Application of MIS in developmental evaluation
✓ Application of Geographical Information System (GIS) in projects
✓ Data collection and analysis
✓ Utilize data analysis software
✓ Use of project management information software (PMIS)
✓ (Baseline, Mid- term, Summative and Ex-post evaluations.)
✓ How to monitor compliance and audit the function
Who Should Attend?
The course is recommended for the following; Departmental heads
✓ Project or Departmental managers Project officers
✓ Staffs involved in making informed decision
✓ Anyone involved in development projects
✓ Anyone who aspires to be a good manager
✓ M&E Consultants
Training Main Modules
✓ Demonstrate understanding of key terminologies in Monitoring and Evaluation
✓ Fundamentals of Results-Based Management
✓ Why is RBM important?
✓ Results based management vs traditional projects management
✓ RBM Lifecycle (seven phases)
✓ Areas of focus of RBM
Project Analysis
✓ Situation Analysis
✓ Needs Assessment
✓ Strategy Analysis
Designing indicators
✓ Indicators definition
✓ Indicator metrics
✓ Linking indicators to results
✓ Indicator matrix
✓ Tracking of indicator
✓ Designing indicators reference sheets (IRS)
Logical Framework Approach
✓ LFA – Analysis and Planning phase
✓ Design of log frame
✓ Risk rating in log frame
✓ Horizontal and vertical logic in log frame
✓ Using log frame to create Activity and Budget schedules
✓ Using log frame as a project management tool
✓ Explain the role of M&E in institutional management
✓ Integrate M&E in the project management
✓ Impact, outcomes, outputs and activities
✓ Results framework
✓ M&E causal pathway
✓ Standards in planning, monitoring and evaluating for results
✓ Develop and implement key components of an M&E system
✓ Develop and implement performance plans
✓ Apply cost management approaches
✓ Use project management information software
✓ Communicate M&E results effectively
Discourse on Theory of change
✓ Overview of theory of change
✓ Developing a theory of change
✓ Theory of Change vs Log Frame
✓ Case study: Theory of change
M&E Planning
✓ Importance of an M&E Plan
✓ Documenting M&E System in the M&E Plan
✓ M&E Plan
✓ M&E plan vs Performance Management Plan (PMP)
Conducting Baseline Surveys in RBM
✓ Importance of baseline studies
✓ Process of conducting baseline studies
✓ Baseline study vs evaluation
Project Performance Evaluation
✓ Process and progress evaluations
✓ Evaluation research design
✓ Evaluation questions
✓ Evaluation report Dissemination
M&E Data Management
✓ Different sources of M&E data
✓ Qualitative data collection methods
✓ Quantitative data collection methods
✓ Participatory methods of data collection
✓ Data Quality Assessment
Data Quality
✓ What is data quality?
✓ Why data quality?
✓ Data quality standards
✓ Data flow and data quality
✓ Data Quality Assessments
✓ M&E system design for data quality
M&E Results use and dissemination
✓ Stakeholder’s information needs
✓ Usage of M&E results to enhance and boost projects
✓ M&E lessons learnt and best practices
✓ Organization knowledge champions
✓ M&E reporting format
✓ M&E results in communication strategies
Gender perspective in M&E
✓ Importance of gender in M&E
✓ Integrating gender into program logic
✓ Setting gender-sensitive indicators
✓ Collecting gender-disaggregated data
✓ Analysing M&E data from a gender perspective
✓ Appraisal of projects from a gender perspective
Impact Assessment
✓ Introduction to impact evaluation
✓ Attribution in impact evaluation
✓ Estimation of counterfactual
✓ Impact evaluation methods: Double difference, Propensity score matching
Data Collection Tools and Techniques
✓ Sources of M&E data – primary and secondary
✓ Sampling during data collection
✓ Qualitative data collection methods
✓ Quantitative data collection methods
✓ Participatory data collection methods
✓ Introduction to data triangulation
ICT in Monitoring and Evaluation
✓ Mobile-based data collection using ODK
✓ Data visualization – infographics and dashboards
✓ Using the latest tools and technologies for real-time monitoring and evaluation
Qualitative Data Analysis
✓ Principles of qualitative data analysis
✓ Data preparation for qualitative analysis
✓ Linking and integrating multiple data sets in different forms
✓ Thematic analysis for qualitative data
✓ Content analysis for qualitative data
✓ Manipulation and analysis of data using NVivo
Quantitative Data Analysis – (using SPSS/STATA)
✓ Introduction to statistical concepts
✓ Creating variables and data entry
✓ Data reconstruction
✓ Variables manipulation
✓ Descriptive statistics
✓ Understanding data weighting
✓ Inferential statistics: hypothesis testing, T-test, ANOVA, regression analysis
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in M&E
✓ Introduction to GIS in M&E
✓ Application of (GIS)
✓ GIS analysis and mapping techniques
✓ Data preparation for geospatial analysis
✓ Geospatial analysis using GIS software (QGIS)
M&E Consultancies
✓ Set up and implement M&E consultancies
✓ Engaging in M&E Consultancies.
Way forward After the Training
Participants will develop a work plan through the help of facilitators that stipulates application of skills
acquired in improving their organizations. ASPM will monitor implementation progress after the training.
Training Evaluation:
Participants will undertake a simple assessment before the training to gauge project monitoring & Evaluation knowledge, another assessment will be done after the training in-order to demonstrate knowledge gained through the training.
