The Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Site

Welcome to the site dedicated to the Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DME) course series. This Canvas site has been designed as a hub of information about the DME course series, the broader DME field, and the substantive areas covered within the series; peacebuilding, development and anti-corruption. Course information and opportunities such as internships and conferences as identified by Professor Scharbatke-Church may be found on this site. It is not a replacement for the individual course sites which registered students will have access to once they commence.

In this Canvas site, you can find:
Files: Past DME Series syllabi, tips for internships in evaluation, DME Related Courses, DME Related Websites, and profiles of DME Series alumni.
Discussions: Frequently asked questions and capstone topics.
Office Hours: http://bit.ly/PSCOfficeHours

The DME Course Series

The DME Series is a three-part course series that progressively advances concepts and practice. Starting with Introduction to DME taught in the fall semester (Session B), the Advanced Evaluation and Learning in International Organisations module follows in the spring term. The Evaluation Colloquium tops it off with student-led deep dives into DME topics of their choosing. The series must be taken sequentially as each course builds on the knowledge of concepts learned in the first module.

Notice to students considering taking 2020 Intro to DME: This course is offered in Session B and will have classes Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri for the 7 week duration. The cumulative nature of DME works well with the intensive Sessional format. However students are advised that the workload in this course is significant and consistently spread throughout the duration. It is highly recommended that students select courses with an eye to balancing out workload and do not attempt to take three courses.

1.) DHP P225: Introduction to Design, Monitoring and Evaluation of Peacebuilding and Development

The course explores core components of the program cycle, beginning with peacebuilding theories that underpin program design, moving to monitoring for decision making and ending with program evaluation. The DME core concepts will be applied primarily to international development and peacebuilding programming and are oriented to those who wish to be practitioners or donors. For those wishing to specialize in M&E, further course work is required. The course requires a consistent and significant engagement by students throughout the semester.

This course is taught in the fall term only.

2.) DHP P228m: Advanced Evaluation and Learning in International Organizations

This advanced module is key for students who wish to develop the full-package of skills and concepts expected of professionals working in development and peacebuilding. At the end of this class students will have a working knowledge of the key evaluation designs, approaches and tools; the ability to evaluate existing evaluations for adequacy of the design and quality; a clear picture of the link between evaluation and learning; and an overview of the latest strategies and challenges in creating learning organizations.

This module is taught as a virtual half-semester course in the Spring Semester.

3.) The Evaluation Colloquium

The evaluation colloquium is a collaborative set of independent studies convened by Professor Scharbatke-Church on a select number of advanced or emerging DME topics each fall semester. In alignment with the DME Series, the colloquium will seek to generate evaluation knowledge whilst developing a repertoire of professional competencies. The colloquium will be tailored to individual student interests while at the same time offering collaborative opportunities for learning. Students will work independently (or in pairs of their choosing) on an agreed set of deliverables worthy of 1 credits (1/2 credit is possible). Alignment to capstone work is encouraged, but optional. In addition, students will come together to engage collaboratively on each topic so that learning occurs on process and substance.

Students who have completed the Introduction to DME and Advanced Evaluation are eligible to apply to the Colloquium. In rare instances students who are in the process of completing the Series may be admitted at the Professor’s discretion.

This module is taught as a virtual course in the Spring Semester for a half or full credit.

Additional courses related to Analysis, Design, M&E, Learning and Research offered at Fletcher, Tufts, Harvard and MIT are compiled into this recently updated guide "DME Related Courses 2021", listed under the Files tab.