Monitoring & Evaluation expert and Certificate Director Dr. Beverly Peters explains how to use observation and participant observation as data collection tools to monitor and evaluate international development projects.
Dr. Peters has more than fifteen years of experience teaching, conducting qualitative research, and managing community development, microcredit, infrastructure, and democratization projects in several countries in Africa. As a consultant, Dr. Peters worked on EU and USAID funded infrastructure, education, and microcredit projects in South Africa and Mozambique, and conceptualized programming targeting women survivors of violence in Darfur. A democracy and governance expert, Dr. Peters has managed elections, legislative strengthening, political party, and citizen participation programming, funded by USAID, NED, UNDP, and DFID, in several countries in West Africa.
This webinar is a chance for you to get to know our online Graduate Certificate in Monitoring & Evaluation expert faculty and get a feel for the type of education you will receive in this program.
Topic: How to Use Observation and Participant Observation for M&E
Host: Program Director Dr. Beverly Peters
Date: Friday, August 7th, 2015
Supporting Courses
The second course in the Certificate Program, Qualitative Methods in M&E teaches the skills necessary to carry out qualitative data collection methods in M&E. The course analyzes the strengths, weaknesses and uses of qualitative data, toward helping students assess when they would use qualitative methods and why. Working with an academic practitioner, students will learn how to use qualitative data collection techniques including observation, participant observation, participatory methods and open-ended, semi-structured and focus group interviews.
One unit within the course focuses on observation and participant observation in particular. After students learn about observation and participant observation, students will have the chance to practice these methods with a nongovernmental organization in their local community.
The outcomes of the unit on observation and participant observation include:
- Summarize the roles, advantages, and disadvantages of observation and participant observation in M&E
- Compare and contrast types of data that can be collected via observation and participant observation
- Explain how to gain access to observation and participant observation sites
- Discuss validity and reliability as they relate to observation and participant observation
- Practice observation and participant observation
To learn more about American University’s online Certificate in Project Management and Evaluation, request more information or call us toll free at 855-725-7614.
