Taking an M&E Course : Reflections from a recent student

Ticking off a major goal on my resolution list! Let's talk about it!

One of my educational goals for the past few years since undergrad was to do a "stand-alone" Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) course. A little background here - I did a monitoring and evaluation course in my undergraduate studies. The undergraduate course was my introduction to the field and I instantly knew that this was a key area I wanted to learn more about and practice post-undergrad! Fast tracking a few years later, still not having this goal completed because of time and cost limitations, I saw an opportunity on LinkedIn where an organization was offering a few individuals the sponsored opportunity to take part in a 10-week M&E course via distance learning. I eagerly applied the same day and crossed my fingers that I would get selected, - which I did (WOOHOOO)! Let me tell you how it went.

This course comprised of weekly asynchronous lectures, weekly quizzes and written assignments, discussion forums and live tutorials. We covered a wide-range of topics beginning with the basics such as the differences between monitoring and evaluation, and then spreading our breath and depth to areas such as the M&E programme cycle, programme theories, M&E plans, data collection and analysis, and ethics. I can say the topics were far reaching and even though the course could not go in depth with some aspects, it definitely made an effort to ensure we at least touched all the bases. Going through these topics for 10- weeks was quite the commitment but what did I get from it if anything?? Let me tell you in 5 C's.

1. Clarity

   Of course I was familiar with M&E terms prior to taking the course. However, this course not only introduced me to new terminology but gave me much more clarity on terms I took for granted I knew about. When I say clarity, I mean not only on what the terms meant, but also how to apply them. It also gave me a clearer view on processes in M&E. One of the things I use to find confusing is how a M&E plan is developed. In theory, there was typically a fairly linear way to develop the plan and the steps seemed pretty cookie cutter, but in practice when I would be a part of M&E projects, the steps almost never seem to be in that order. This course not only reinforced what I just said but was able to provide a guide and a bit of what to do when faced with these gaps. The course allowed me to test my understanding through the quiz and assignments, which showed me what I had grasped and what were my gaps in understanding.

   
   

2. Content

   INFORMATION! The key to anyone building a skillset. Taking this course provided me with content whether through lecture notes, articles, links to useful websites, topic specific dictionaries, templates, software, and the list goes on. I not only received access to content via the course provider but I was also made aware of resources through classmates. Having access to content compiled specifically for M&E studies was a tangible benefit for me! Being able to know I can go back and use the notes and even employ some of the templates in my day to day work in M&E really made it feel worth it!

3. Community

   Although my course was via distance learning with asynchronous lectures, engaging with my classmates through the live tutorials and discussion posts made the course feel a bit more alive. My classmates were people from my country (Jamaica), my region (Caribbean) and other countries across the world. Getting to hear my classmates' backgrounds, the reasons they were taking the course, the lessons they gained, challenges faced and questions asked, was comforting because I shared some of those same reasons and concerns. Doing a course via distance learning, although convenient, can feel isolating. Therefore, I appreciated the sections that enabled me to see, learn and engage with others.

   
   

4. Certification

   Taking this course was a career-oriented goal, therefore, having something to "show" at the end of the day that I did work, can help with validating the experience. This course required that you completed all assignments with a certain grade and that you attended a certain number of tutorials in order to gain the certification (I went to all LOL).Overall, my main aim was to ensure I accessed all the content but being able to put it on my resume to validate my experience and background in the field is certainly the icing on the cake, and I do hope it will count for something in future applications!

   
   

5. Confidence

   This was one of those emotional benefits I gained. I guess people would say taking a course is not that deep, but trust when you feel like you don't know what you're doing or just generally unprepared, it breeds insecurity. This insecurity drives me to try and ensure I know what to do in the future. Taking this course, made me feel like I could talk to anyone about M&E and while I am no expert for sure, I know a thing or two and can do a thing two when it comes to M&E.

   
   

That's it! My 5 C's!

I am grateful for this experience, those 10-weeks were demanding but I got through them and happy to report I passed! Thank God! and while I was glad to do it, I am glad to be done with it. This is not the end all of my M&E education but I am hoping that my next teacher will be EXPERIENCE!

In my opinion, it was helpful for me to take this course and I would definitely encourage others to do so if they are interested. If you do though, there are a few things to consider first:- the time, cost, the modality of study, the course offering (institution offering it and course content), and most of all your rationale for doing it! Once you have decided on these factors for sure you're on your way to making a decision suitable for you if you choose.

Thanks for reflecting with me! If you're interested in opportunities like the one I got, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook where we share opportunities like this, and M&E content overall!