About this course
A course instructing the methodologies required to conduct a rigorous impact evaluation of a development policy, programme, or intervention. The course aims to enable participants to understand how to quantify the causal effect of interventions by carefully understanding attribution and the practical applications of methodologies. Participants will be introduced to the quantitative techniques of impact evaluation and learn about their weakness and strengths and appropriateness to a real life scenario.
The course will offer online lectures, online discussion boards, assignments, weekly tutorial meetings to discuss readings and assignments, and an oral exam at the end of the course.
The course is well-designed to give students and researchers a strong background on impact evaluation methodologies and their practical applications. [...] The course has been quite beneficial to me as a researcher.
Learning Goals
Having knowledge of:
- The pathways of change underlying the causal relationship (linking the intervention to the outcomes).
- Randomised designs and quasi-experimental designs.
- Software code that can be applied in analysis.
Understanding:
- How to formulate evaluation questions.
- How to choose a good comparison group that approximates the counterfactual given real-life scenarios.
- The strengths and weaknesses of each methodology and when to choose each methodology.
Key Concepts
- Theory of Change.
- Understanding the Counterfactual.
- Choosing an impact evaluation design and how to execute.
Prerequisites
A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Social Sciences.
Cost
Individual enrolment: 600 EUR
Group-based enrolment: 500 EUR
Estimated Workload
- The course exists in 4 units.
- Each unit has a workload of about 10-15 hours.
- The course includes an assignment with oral exam, estimated to take 10-15 hours.
Duration: 10 weeks
- 1 week to access the platform and become familiar with the material
- 4 weeks of coursework
- 1 week to submit the final assignment and
- 2 weeks for potential resits.
ECTS equivalent
Participants will earn 2 ECTS credits and receive certification via an online educational badge.
Application Process
You can apply for each course by using the online application form.
During the application process, you will need to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
- A copy of your (valid) passport (PDF or JPEG)
After completing the application, you will receive a confirmation email along with the payment information. Once we receive the payment, we will register you as a participant for the course, and the Online Courses Administration Team will contact you. The administrative process typically takes an average of 5-10 working days.
If you have any questions regarding the application documents or the application process or if there are any clarifications you need before applying, please feel free to reach out to the Capacity Development Office at the email address: onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu.