Date: 15th to 17th December 2009
Venue: Cardiff, UK
There are many different ways to collect and analyse data as part of an evaluation. Each has their merits, and each has their weaknesses. Recently there has been an increased recognition that quantitative analysis (using numbers) may not always be appropriate, or give us the full picture. As Einstein said “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”. The importance of stakeholder participation in evaluation has also gained prominence. A new suite of qualitative evaluation tools have emerged in response to this, the Most Significant Change (MSC) story approach possibly having the greatest prominence.
MSC is a qualitative, participatory, approach to monitoring and evaluation which supports discussions between stakeholders about the actual impacts of the activity (both positive and negative). It facilitates change management and organisational learning. It is one approach which helps capture the uncountable things that count!
This hands-on training will allow you to plan and implement MSC as one tool in an evaluation. You will discover the situations in which MSC is and is not appropriate.
The Lead Trainer:
Fiona Kotvojs has 20 years experience in evaluation, starting in environmental evaluations with a focus on quantitative methods. Over time, she has introduced more qualitative methods. Today Fiona’s evaluations are characterised by a combination of a range of qualitative and quantitative methods chosen to best meet the needs of the client. Fiona has used MSC as part of all evaluations she designed or implemented over the past five years. This includes evaluations of development assistance programs in Indonesia, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
Fiona is a highly qualified and experienced trainer. She has trained teams who have then successfully implemented MSC on a number of programs. She has also trained trainers in MSC who now train others in this approach in developing countries.
What the Training will Cover
The two day training program will cover:
• Planning MSC,
• Implementing MSC (this includes collecting stories, selection panels, feedback, story verification),
• Reporting to clients,
• Issues associated with introducing MSC in a development context,
• When MSC is and is not an appropriate tool for evaluation,
• Challenges in implementing MSC, and
• An introduction to secondary analysis.
There will be an optional third day which will
address:
• Planning an evaluation,
• Where MSC fits within the overall evaluation, and
• Secondary analysis in more detail.
We will demonstrate a computer program we use to manage the MSC data and show how it can be used as a tool to support secondary analysis of the MSC stories.
The first two days (15 and 16 December 2009) are designed for those who want to be able to make an informed decision about whether MSC is an appropriate tool to use in an evaluation, and then plan and implement MSC well.
The optional third day (17 December 2009) is designed for those who aren’t confident with planning M&E, those interested in secondary analysis of MSC data, or those who are keen to find a simple way to effectively manage the volume of data collected through MSC.
Approach
The training will be practical based. We will use real data from Indonesia, Fiji and Solomon Islands and data we collect in Cardiff. Over the two days you will implement the MSC approach several times. At the end, you should have the confidence to plan and implement MSC yourself.
Logistics
When: Tuesday 15th
and Wednesday 16th
December 2009 (Thursday 17th optional)
Where: Cardiff
Course size: Maximum of 20 participants.
Cost: Day 1 and 2: ?500 for employed and options negotiated for students and unemployed. ?75 for the optional third day.
Presented by: Kurrajong Hill Pty Ltd (development and M&E specialists) and; Clear Intent (specialists in web based software development).
Applications: Please contact Fiona Kotvojs at evaluators@bigpond.com
Other contact details
Fiona Kotvojs
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Kurrajong Hill Pty Ltd
Dignams Creek
Narooma 2546
Australia
Email: fiona.kotvojs@bigpond.com
Phone: +61 2 64936080
In need of this trainings to enhance caoacity building