What's your strategy for staying current with program monitoring and evaluation trends?

2 Follow thought leaders

Another way to stay current with M&E trends is to follow thought leaders who are experts, innovators, or influencers in the field. You can follow them on social media, subscribe to their newsletters, or read their books and articles. Some examples of thought leaders in M&E are Michael Quinn Patton, who coined the term developmental evaluation; Patricia Rogers, who developed the better evaluation framework; and Zenda Ofir, who advocates for evaluation in the global south. Following thought leaders can help you gain insights, perspectives, and tips from their experiences and research.

3 Attend online courses and events

A third way to stay current with M&E trends is to attend online courses and events that can enhance your skills and knowledge. You can find free or low-cost courses on platforms like Coursera, EdX, or Udemy that cover topics like M&E fundamentals, data analysis, data visualization, or impact evaluation. You can also find online events like conferences, workshops, or seminars that offer opportunities to learn from experts, peers, and practitioners. For example, you can attend the MERL Tech conference, which explores the intersection of M&E and technology, or the EvalFest, which showcases innovative and participatory approaches to evaluation.

4 Experiment with new tools and methods

A fourth way to stay current with M&E trends is to experiment with new tools and methods that can improve your M&E practice. You can find online tools that can help you with different aspects of M&E, such as data collection, data management, data analysis, data visualization, or reporting. For example, you can use tools like Kobo Toolbox, SurveyCTO, or ODK Collect for data collection; tools like Excel, R, or Stata for data analysis; or tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Datawrapper for data visualization. You can also try new methods that can help you address complex or emerging issues in your programs, such as systems thinking, adaptive management, or contribution analysis.

5 Seek feedback and collaboration

A fifth way to stay current with M&E trends is to seek feedback and collaboration from your stakeholders, colleagues, and beneficiaries. You can use feedback mechanisms like surveys, interviews, focus groups, or feedback boxes to collect and respond to the opinions and suggestions of your stakeholders. You can also collaborate with your colleagues and beneficiaries to co-create, co-implement, and co-evaluate your programs. This can help you foster a culture of learning, accountability, and improvement in your M&E practice.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?