INTRODUCTION

MEAL (monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning) are essential to the success of every program and are a regular aspect of program management. The technical quality of MEAL is crucial for a variety of projects. Without a strong MEAL system, we wouldn't be able to monitor our progress, make changes, identify unintended program effects, or assess the effects of our work on the people we are collaborating with.

Through information sharing and the creation of a complaints or feedback process, a MEAL system also assists individuals and teams in being accountable to stakeholders, which can help to direct program implementation. Participants are introduced to MEAL principles and procedures throughout this course. It will inspire concepts for creating and implementing monitoring and evaluation procedures that increase accountability and learning and, as a result, foster the effectiveness of projects, programs, and strategies.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The participants will be able to at the end of this course:

• Develop a grasp of the fundamental MEAL principles
• Design and implement MEAL strategies, systems, and frameworks
• Develop and support the use of MEAL tools and practices in program development.
• Support the creation of MEAL work pieces like program baselines, midterm reviews, and end lines.
• Equip participants with knowledge of the main tools and best practices used in MEAL.
• Provide participants with practical guidelines and a framework to address methodological issues in MEAL.
• Collect data, ensure data quality management, and ensure data integrity.

DURATION

10 days

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This general training is intended for a variety of program staff, management team members, thematic staff, project management officials, government officials, program managers, policy makers, and program implementers, as well as practitioners and activists in the field of development and members of NGO and CSOs.,

COURSE 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
• 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

GENERAL NOTES

• Our seasoned instructors, who have years of experience as seasoned professionals in their respective fields of work, will be teaching this course. A combination of practical exercises, theory, group projects, and case studies are used to teach the course.
• The participants receive training manuals and supplementary reading materials.
• Participants who complete this course successfully will receive a certificate.
• We can also create a course specifically for your organization to match your needs. To learn more, get in touch with us at training@dealsontrainers.org.
• The training will take place at DEALSON TRAINERS IN NAIROBI, KENYA in Nairobi, Kenya.
• The training fee includes lunch, course materials, and lodging for the training session. Upon request, we may arrange for our participants' lodging and transportation to the airport.
• Payment must be made to our bank account before the training begins, and documentation of payment should be emailed to training@dealsontrainers.org