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Impact Assessment in International Development

Facilitator: Dr. Ian Patrick
Dates: 21 - 22 June (Mon - Tue) 2010

Early Bird Registration: By 10 May (Mon) 2010

Who is it for?

The course is suitable for development practitioners working in international aid and development organisations, and on specific projects and programs. The course is also suitable for students of International and/or Community Development. Some understanding and experience of monitoring and evaluation, and implementation of development projects, either through work experience or tertiary studies is assumed.

Course Description

This two day course will build the capacity of participants to assess the impact of development work, particularly in the context of development projects and programs, but also at the organisational level. The course responds to mounting pressures for development organisations to account for their work, in a climate of growing competition for funding and a need for organisations to maintain a high public profile in relation to the work they are undertaking and its results. Despite considerable attention by development organisations and evaluation specialists, there is widely perceived to be an ‘impact knowledge gap’ resulting from lack of attention to impact assessment, and insufficient skills and knowledge in the practice of impact assessment. This course will assist in bridging this gap.

The course will provide participants with a conceptual framework, methodology and tools to undertake impact assessment, as well as exploring how impact assessment is undertaken in a range of organisational and sectoral contexts. The course will build on some assumed prior background in monitoring and evaluation, and explore specific approaches and tools for measuring impact. Impact will be considered to be change, particularly longer-term and more sustainable change resulting from a development initiative.

Course Content

Understanding impact and how this relates to change;
Exploring impact assessment and its history;
Relating impact assessment to evaluation and the logframe;
Identifying major approaches and methods for impact assessment including participatory approaches, experimental designs, and indicator free methods;
Identifying ways of gathering information;
Exploring impact assessment in various sectoral and thematic contexts, depending on the interests of participants, such as:
- assessing the impact of humanitarian interventions
- impact assessment and advocacy
- gender and impact assessment
Planning an impact assessment;
Assessing impact at the organisational level.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

Define impact and impact assessment, and understand how impact assessment relates to the practice of monitoring and evaluation;
Understand major approaches to impact assessment, including participatory approaches;
Appreciate good practice principles that characterise effective impact assessment;
Appreciate how the practice of impact assessment is adapted in different thematic, sectoral and organisational contexts;
Understand the variety of tools that can be used to gather information for impact assessment;
Develop a plan for an impact assessment;
Apply the learning from the course to case studies, and appreciate how the learning can be applied to participants’ own work/practice environment.

Course Fees

	Early Bird Fee	Regular Fee
Full Fee	AU$725.00	AU$825.00
Staff from ACFID member organisations	AU$675.00	AU$775.00
RMIT University students (with assessment)	AU$650.00	AU$700.00

The above course fees are applicable for participants based within Australia only. All course fees are inclusive of GST and they cover registration, course materials and meals during the course delivery.
To qualify for Early Bird registration fees, course fees must be paid to IDSS within the early bird registration deadline. Beyond that the regular fee will be applicable to all registrations including the existing ones which were not paid within the deadline.
Overseas participants will incur an additional fee of AU$40.00 (inclusive of GST) to cover the additional cost of processing overseas payments and registration. Please click here for further information relevant to overseas participants.
The assessment task is included within the course fees for students of RMIT University who are currently enrolled in academic programs relevant to the course and are going to claim advanced standing/Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) status. Participants who are willing to complete similar follow-up assessment task are requested to contact IDSS directly before submitting their enrolment request. An additional fee of AU$110.00 (inclusive of GST) will be applicable.

Venue

IDSS Pty Ltd

Level 12, 60 Albert Road

SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205

AUSTRALIA

Registration:

Participants are requested to read the IDSS Training Policy before applying for registration/enrolment.

To register/enrol, download the Enrolment Form here and email your completed form through to training@idss.com.au

For additional information please contact:

Ruth Garner

Phone: + 61 8 8919 9767
Fax: + 61 8 8919 9750
Email: training@idss.com.au

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