The MEAL DPro On-line Course is designed for the active professionals who want to learn MEAL via a process that is virtual, social and mobile-ready.

As you go through the course, you will interact with facilitators and other learners, exploring ideas and participating in conversations about the different skills and tools of project management.  Learning activities include completing course readings, watching instructional videos, competing complete e-learning modules and submitting examples of work.

Everything about the course design is flexible!  The learning platform is accessible when you want – day or night.  As you go through the course, modules will unlock – as long as you are doing the work! The platform allows you to go back and review what others are saying. If you need to take a break, you can catch up. The course is also mobile-ready, so you continue to learn when you are on-the-go.

For best results, we recommend that you develop a learning plan that allocates approximately 4-5 hours each week for study.  In order to progress through the course, you will need to complete  the learning activities. You will also be expected to join in course discussions, contributing to discussions and responding to your classmates comments! The more you do, the more you learn  and the faster you progress through the course. We hope that this creates an interesting learning and sharing experience.

The course approaches MEAL as a puzzle made up of four pieces. Each piece—monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning—has its unique place and purpose, but the MEAL system is only effective when the pieces are aligned, connected and working together.

Week 1:    Introducing MEAL

• Define the components and purpose of MEAL
• Explain the benefits of a strong MEAL system
• Describe the relationship between MEAL and project management
• Identify the five phases of MEAL
• Describe the ethical standards and principles relevant to MEAL

Week 2:   Logic Models

• Describe how project logic models contribute to establishing a strong foundation for MEAL
• Compare and contrast the components, structure and purpose of the Theory of Change, Results Framework and the Logical Framework
• Explain the purpose of identifying assumptions in project logic models
• Interpret the vertical and horizontal logic of the Logical Framework
• Understand the characteristics of a SMART indicator
• Identify the most common measurement methods and when they are used.

Week 3    MEAL Planning Tools

• Identify and describe the purpose, process, and content of key MEAL planning tools, including
  • Performance Monitoring Plans
  • Indicator Performance Tracking Table
  • Evaluation Summary Table
  • Evaluation Terms of Reference
  • Feedback Response Mechanisms
• Discuss the various types of evaluation and the data required for each

Week 4    Collecting and analyzing MEAL data

• Explain the 5 elements of data quality
• Describe the components of a basic data collection tool, including questionnaires, surveys, interviews and focus groups
• Explain the basic principles of sampling
• Describe key steps in preparing to implement data collection tools
• Identify generally accepted protocols and standards for responsible data management
• Describe the purpose and processes of quantitative data analysis
• Describe the purpose and processes of qualitative data analysis