Monitoring and Evaluation in Development (DEVT90035)

The importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the management of projects and programs has been widely recognised within the development sector. Effective M&E acts as an anchor to keep the program moving in the right direction towards the goals and targets set at the planning stage. Historically, M&E was seen exclusively as a tool to make development organisations accountable to donors and conducted by foreign consultants who were largely unfamiliar with the context where development interventions took place. This approach has hampered development agencies’ efforts to obtain the right kind of information for effective M&E and project management.

Within the new M&E paradigms emerging since the 1990s, an emphasis is placed on not only accountability but also learning, empowerment and capacity building of local communities. This subject aims to offer comparative insights into different M&E approaches in development as well as to impart practical skills to students so they may develop the technical proficiency in project/program M&E. The subject focuses on development projects and programs rather than policies or public sector management. Practical exercises will be an essential part of the subject.