What is Monitoring and Evaluation?
Monitoring is a continuous process of collecting and analyzing information to determine how well a project or program is performing against expected results.*
Evaluation is a systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or completed project/program to determine its relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and fulfillment of its objectives.2
Impact Evaluation is a special type of evaluation that assesses the changes in the wellbeing of individuals (students), households, or communities that can be attributed to an intervention, project or program.*
Benefits of Monitoring and Evaluation
- Generates evidence about project/program’s effectiveness.
- Identifies what is and what is not working in a project/program and provides a base for improvement.
- Justifies investment made in the project/program and supports requests for further investment.
- Builds knowledge in the relevance of specific interventions for specific target groups of program participants.
- Enhances the credibility and the reputation of the program implementing organization.
Best Practices
- Every program must have a solid monitoring system to be able to continuously track implementation progress and results, regardless of whether the project will be evaluated or not.
- Only impact evaluations can prove whether a program has been successful and bring forward knowledge that can be generalized beyond the intervention itself.
- Since the impact evaluations tend to be costly, complex and time-consuming, they should be planned and implemented selectively.
- It is critical that evaluation’s findings be disseminated widely, even when negative.
- Negative evaluations are not necessarily bad – knowing what does not work can improve operations.
- When evaluating a program, it is important to consider and respect the cultural background and individuality of program participants.
- Evaluations that are incorporated into ongoing program operations provide optimum benefits for managers, staff and participants.
Types of Evaluations*
What are the main questions answered by this type of evaluation?
Performance Evaluation
Do programs have clear objectives?
Is the program design appropriate to achieve the objective?
To what extent have program objectives been achieved?
Do priorities need to be changed?
Process Evaluation
Are adequate resources and systems in place?
Is the program being implemented per design?
What are the actual steps and activities involved in delivering a product or service?
What do beneficiaries or other stakeholders know or think about the program?
Impact Evaluation
How have participants’ well-being changed as a result of the intervention?
Are there any unintended consequences, positive or negative, on program participants?
Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit Analyses Evaluation
Are program costs justified when compared to similar interventions?
Are aggregate program costs justified in terms of benefits achieved?
Examples of Monitoring and Evaluating DDT Programs
“Opening Doors: more Guidance – Better Results? Three-year effects of an enhanced student services program at two community colleges,” is a study that examines the impact of the Opening Doors program at Lorain County Community College and Owens Community College in Ohio, Unites States, using a randomized control trial.
“Advance Manufacturing Education (AME) Alliance Evaluation: Final Evaluation Report,” is a example of the summarized findings of an evaluation study.
Economic Mobility Corporation conducted a multi-year evaluation of the Year Up program in the United States. Their results have been published in a series of reports, including “Sustained Gains: Year Up’s Continued Impact on Young Adults’ Earnings” and “A Promising Start: Year Up’s Initial Impacts on Low-Income Young Adults’ Careers”