Training on Monitoring, Evaluating, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

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 prioritized 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 Complaints
• 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, recording 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 software
• 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