Our comprehensive five-day training will enable you to improve your monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems / processes, using participatory and adaptive practice.
Using complexity-aware, learning-based approaches to design and drive your M&E will deepen your understanding of how change actually happens, in real time and in complex social change contexts.
Participatory processes can provide you with key insights into how the change you are seeking unfolds through the experiences of those engaged directly in the change processes – often marginalised and hard to reach populations. Unlike linear M&E systems whose indicators tend to speak largely to upward accountability demand, participatory and systemic methods are widely recognised for their ability to deeply engage stakeholders at all levels.
The course features frontier methods for quality implementation of participatory processes at scale (with large numbers of people and across broader geographical space) to support learning focused and complexity-aware M&E systems.
Watch this short video filmed by Isabel Soloaga, a past participant, for a real glimpse into the training—capturing the energy in the room, the group work, and collaborative spirit that define the course.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Understand where participatory and learning based approaches to M&E fit within broader approaches to evaluation and adaptive programming having explored major debates around accountability, learning, causation and methodological rigour.
Apply specific participatory methods to M&E processes having studied at least six key methods using case studies.
Critically interrogate and analyse methods, identify their strengths and weaknesses and understand how to adapt and contextualise their use. You will be aware of issues of rigour, ethics, scaleability, and ease of engagement particularly when using these methods with marginalised people.
Integrate methods in M&E design through a process of systematising and identifying opportunities to adapt participatory methods to address particular M&E challenges you are facing.
Develop a coherent plan to take back to your organisation which you will receive support in doing both during and after the training.
This training course is delivered through a partnership between IDS, Voices That Count and Independent Network of Evaluators Serbia (an informal network of experts interested in the practical and theoretical aspects of the policy, program and project evaluations).
Marina Apgar is co-director of the Centre for Development Impact and has led evaluation research in a number of large participatory research programmes. She is a human ecologist and interdisciplinary researcher, with expertise in complexity theory and action research methodologies. Marina has over two decades of experience working in South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific with marginalised communities and civil society organisations.
Steff Deprez is the co-founder of Voices That Count. For over 20 years, Steff has supported international development programmes at national, regional and global levels in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. His work centres around providing technical and strategic guidance to organisations for the design of learning-oriented M&E systems for social change and sustainable development initiatives, particularly in the areas of education, value chain development, inclusive business, gender equality and women & youth empowerment. Voices That Count is a collaborative network of expert and practitioners supporting organisations to understand and communicate about their social impact.
This course brings together the extensive historical experience with participatory approaches and methods that IDS has pioneered, with the rich experience of Voices that Count in building and using participatory and narrative-based M&E systems.
This course was designed for mid and senior-level M&E specialists, programme managers and commissioners of evaluation working across the development, humanitarian and peacebuilding sectors in government, NGO or community-based organisations.
It is essential that you have some M&E and learning experience and have a personal or organisational goal to build more participatory and adaptive practices.
Past participants have come from organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF, the Asia Foundation, GIZ, the British Red Cross, Save the Children, Bernard van Leer Foundation, The FRIDA fund and many national and local organisations.
This course is interactive, inclusive, participatory and applied.
You will first be introduced to foundational approaches to participatory and adaptive practices for learning-oriented evaluation systems.
Practitioners with experiences of methods in a range of contexts will share case studies from their own work to illustrate the qualities of particular methods. You will then explore how the methods can be applied in your own organisation or project and will work individually and in peer-support groups to develop your own participatory M&E design.
The unique learning process is designed to enable you to learn from your peers as well as the facilitators through interactive sessions. It is an opportunity to bring your own challenges and experiences relating to your work for discussion. We will also take time to have fun and get to know each other throughout the week, allowing you to grow your professional network.
You will leave the course with a coherent plan to take back to your organisation.
Venue details:
The course will be held at the Belgrade Art Hotel – a member of Radisson Individuals – in Belgrade, Serbia. Participants have the option to stay at the hotel during the training at a discounted rate of €115 per night for a standard single room (bed and breakfast), with an additional €15 per night for a standard double room. If you have any questions about room fees and discounts, please contact our short courses team at [email protected].
Address:
Kneza Mihaila 27, Beograd 11000, Serbia.
Isabel Soloaga
Consultant for multiple nonprofit organisations
The main takeaways from this course are the professional relationships that I built. Meeting professionals from around the world and discussing our shared challenges and strategies gave me new tools and commitment to the work of participatory M&E.
It is essential that participants have M&E and learning experience and have a personal or organisational goal to build more participatory and adaptive practices.
The course is taught in English. To derive the maximum benefit from the course, you should be proficient in English and able to take an active part in discussions. Your English needs to be of an intermediate standard or higher. Ideally you will have an International English Language Test System (IELTS)score of 6.5 or above, or a Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) score of B2 or above.
Course fees start from £1,193.5 per person.
Fees are as follows (see ‘discounts’ section for more information):
Discount Type
Discount Amount
Discounted Fee
Small non profits + group booking
30%
£1,193.5
Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) income under £10 million
20%
£1,364
Alumni (IDS, short course, University of Sussex)
20%
£1,364
Small non profits (income under £10 million)
20%
£1,364
Early bird discount
10%
£1,534.5
Group discount (three-five places)
10%
£1,534.5
The full course fee is £1,705 for five days.
Fees include lunches and refreshments, an evening group dinner, and course materials. It does not include accommodation, flights etc.
Once you have received confirmation that your application has been approved, the fee must be paid in full to secure your place on the course.
Non-profits discount
A 20% discount on course fees is offered to participants from small not-for-profit organisations (income under £10 million). Please indicate in your application if you wish to be considered for this discount. There is a limited number of this discount offered, at the discretion of the course convenor.
Low- and middle-income countries
A 20% discount on course fees is offered to participants from low and middle income countries (income under £10 million). Please indicate in your application if you wish to be considered for this discount. There is a limited number of this discount offered, at the discretion of the course convenor.
IDS & Sussex Alumni discount
A 20% discount on course fees is offered to participants who have studied with IDS and the University of Sussex, including both postgraduate and short courses.
Group discount
Groups of three to five participants from one organisation will be offered a 10% discount on the total fee. (This discount can be used in conjunction with other discounts. i.e. a small non-profit booking three places qualifies for a 30% discount).
Early bird discount
We offer a 10% early bird discount for anyone who is accepted and makes payment within two of months of the course being advertised.
Please note the maximum discount is 30%.
This course runs regularly. To register your interest in future iterations, or to enquire about bespoke versions that can be delivered online, in person, or in-country for specific institutions or partners, please contact Marina Apgar
