Monitoring & Evaluating, Accountability and LearningTraining

INTRODUCTION
Monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) are part of everyday programme management and are critical to the success of all programmes. MEAL technical quality is very important across a portfolio of projects. Without an effective MEAL system we would be unable to track progress, make adjustments, discover unplanned effects of programmes, or judge the impact that we have made on the lives of those with whom we are working. A MEAL system also helps individuals and teams to be accountable to stakeholders through information sharing and developing a complaints or feedback mechanism which can help to guide programme implementation. This training introduces participants to MEAL concepts and practices. It will stimulate ideas on how to design and implement monitoring and evaluation processes that strengthen accountability and learning, and so promote project, programme and strategy effectiveness.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This is a general training is targeting variety of programme staff, management team members and thematic staff, Project Management Officials, government officials, programme managers; policy makers and programme implementers; development practitioners and activists and NGO and CSO members,
DURATION
10 days
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
The training will enable participants to;
Develop an understanding about the basic principles underlying MEAL
Design and implement MEAL strategies, systems and frameworks
Develop and support the use of MEAL tools and practices in program development
Supporting the development of MEAL work pieces such as program baselines, mid-term reviews and endlines
Equip participants with an understanding of the major tools and best practices involved in MEAL
Provide participants effective rules of thumb and a framework to approach methodological issues in MEAL
Collect data, ensure data quality management and analyses the data
Understand project reporting by using MEAL
TRAINING CONTENTS
Module 1: Introduction Monitoring & Evaluation

M&E and the project/programme cycle
Importance of M&E
Purposes and uses of M&E
Identifying gaps in M&E
Barriers to effective M&E
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) overview

Introduction to MEAL
MEAL Components
Purposes and functions of MEAL
MEAL approach
How MEAL changes M&E
Challenges to MEAL
Module 2: Frameworks and MEAL Cycle

Frameworks and approaches informing MEAL
The language used in MEAL
The MEAL cycle
Exploring key elements of a MEAL plan
Defining indicators
Designing, implementation and management of a MEAL framework
Module 3: MEAL Planning and Budgeting

        MEAL planning

Planning and budgeting of MEAL
Planning and Budgeting relationship.
Tools for planned monitoring and evaluation activities
How do I get started?- Practical’s and application
Identifying project/programme goals.
Identifying project/programme indicators and targets.
Selecting data collection methods and data sources for prioritised indicators in your MEAL plan
Decide upon your data analysis, quality assurance/validation and management strategy.
Identify your strategy for reporting and disseminating data.
MEAL Budgeting

Activities based MEAL budgeting
Components of the Budget
Exercise: MEAL Plan and corresponding budget
Module 4: Accountability and Learning

Meaning of accountability mean in practice
Aspects of accountability.
Importance of Accountability
Information sharing
Participation
Handling Complains
Learning and its role
Exercise: Incorporating Accountability and Learning in Projects
Module 5: Baseline and evaluation design and management

The purpose and use of baselines and evaluations
Purpose and use of needs assessments, situation analysis,
Baselines, evaluations and real-time reviews
Importance of baseline for monitoring and evaluation
Steps in planning and undertaking baselines and evaluations
Module 6: Survey Planning and Implementation Types of surveys

The survey design and process
Methods of survey sampling and determining the Sample size
Data collection techniques and tools
Designing survey questionnaires
Pretesting research tools for Validity and Reliability
Conducting the survey
After the survey
Exercise: Planning for a survey
Module 7: MEAL Data Collection: Mobile Based Data Collection (ODK)

Introduction to mobile phone data collection
Advantages and challenges of Mobile Applications
Components of Open Data Kit (ODK)
Install ODK Collect into mobile devices
Designing and creating Forms
ODK Aggregate Server
Exercise: Mobile Based Data Collection using ODK
Module 8: Data quality Management, Tabulation and graphical presentation of data (SPSS/Stata/R)

Data quality Management

Types of variables (Numerical, discrete variables, dummy variables,
Entering categorical and continuous data
Defining and labeling variables
Validation and Sorting variables
Transforming, recoding and computing variables
Tabulation and graphical presentation of data

Descriptive Statistics
Frequency tables
Tables for categorical data
Graphs and charts
Exercise: Data Management, Graphing and Tabulations
Module 9: Data analysis and interpretation and use (SPSS/Stata/R)
Hypothesis testing
Comparing Means.
Regression and Correlation analysis
Interpreting the data
Introduction to analyzing qualitative data and qualitative data analysis softwares
Exercise: Data Analysis and interpretation
Module 10: Project reporting through MEAL

Use of MEAL data in Reporting
Communication activities to partners and stakeholders
Lessons learned
Decisions making
Recap

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