Assignments+version+3


 * Assignment 1: **

For the first assignment, you are asked to identify a development project or programme that you will use as the basis for the remaining assignments. This will be the case study that you use for later assignments. In selecting a programme to use as your case study, you should consider the following criteria: If you are unsure if your programme is appropriate, please contact Paul. If you are not currently working on a development project or programme or your programme does not meet the criteria noted above, you may instead choose to focus on one of the following case studies which have been developed for the purposes of this course based on real FAO projects: Please indicate your selection in your discussion forum posting.
 * 1) __In the planning stage__: Ideally, the selected programme will be one that is currently in the design stage or has been approved but not executed. This will allow you to design an impact evaluation for the programme that will be implemented along with the programme.
 * 2) __Clearly identifiable beneficiaries__: Since the focus of this course is on assessing the impact on targeted beneficiaries, you should choose a programme that has a component that has clearly identifiable beneficiaries—that is, which undertakes activities that provide direct support to the poor, food insecure, etc.
 * 3) __Limited set of activities:__ Many of you may be managing national programmes with multiple components and multiple sets of activities. While all of these may be amenable to impact assessment, for the purpose of this course it is best to focus on one component with clearly identifiable beneficiaries.
 * Cambodia: FAO-EC Urban and Peri-Urban Food Security Project or
 * Sudan: Sustainable Food Security Through Community-Based Livelihood Development.

Instructions Please write a brief summary of 1-2 single spaced pages of the key aspects of the programme, including: In order to submit your file (you may submit the assignment in a Word or PDF document), scroll down to the end of the page and use the browse button to select the file in your computer and then click on the "Upload this file button".
 * 1) the development problem the programme addresses
 * 2) the objectives of the programme
 * 3) the targeted investments envisioned in the programme to bring about the programme objectives,
 * 4) the component(s) of the programme you will focus on, and
 * 5) the targeted beneficiary population of the component(s).


 * Assignment 2: **

For the second assignment, you are asked to identify the key indicators of impact for your selected project or programme and determine the sources of information for those indicators. Note that you can and should focus on the primary component or components that you have decided to focus on for the assignments.

As noted in the two sessions that you completed for this week, this requires considering the theory of change of the programme, developing evaluation questions and going through the programme logic or results chain. The assignment requires that you do this for your selected project or programme.

Since the focus is on Impact Assessment, you will be focusing on the higher-order indicators including short and medium-term outcomes, long-term outcomes and impact. In order to identify these indicators, it is critical that you are familiar with progamme activities and outputs, but the assignment does not require you to identify indicators for these stages.

Instructions

You are asked to complete the first two sections of an Impact Assessment Plan for your chosen case study. These sections are the Main Evaluation Questions and the Key Indicators. The information required in these sections and what you should include in your assignment is noted below.


 * 1. Main Evaluation Question**

This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * The main objective and components of the programme (the basic background needed for the theory of change)
 * The theory of change for the programme given the components of the programme
 * The key evaluation questions to be asked in the impact assessment given the theory of change
 * A discussion of possible unintended impacts that should also be considered in the assessment
 * The existence of any possible spillover effects that may result from the programme


 * 2. Key indicators**

This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * Key short, medium, and long-term outcomes as well as impact indicators of programme success
 * The vertical logic of these indicators
 * A very specific definition of all indicators (including the unit of analysis and any formulas) and how each individual indicator will be measured
 * The source of information for each of these indicators

The information will be summarized in a table, following the structure noted below. Following normal practice, impact indicators should be placed first, followed, by long, medium and short-term outcomes.

Table: Key Impact/Results Indicators


 * Indicator || Formula / Definition || Source ||

In order to submit your file (you may submit the assignment in a Word or PDF document), scroll down to the end of the page and use the browse button to select the file in your computer and then click on the "Upload this file button".


 * Assignment 3: **

For the third assignment, you are asked to determine an appropriate approach for assessing impact of your selected project or programme (or selected component) on the target beneficiaries. As noted in this week's sessions, the key to doing this is through creating a counterfactual—identifying what would have happened in the absence of the programme.

Here you are asked to describe how this will be done for your selected programme given the manner in which it is designed. Along with the overall approach to assessing impact, details of the methods that will form part of the approach and the data that will be collected need to be noted.

For the assignment, you are then asked to complete the third section of an Impact Assessment Plan for your chosen case study--the approaches and methods. The information required for this section and what you should include in your assignment is noted below.


 * 3. Approach and methods **

This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * An explanation of the overall approach to assessing impact and how that approach will obtain a reasonable counterfactual
 * The specific manner in which the treatment and control group will be created and how this will be linked to the programme design and in particular the defined eligibility criteria and the roll-out of the programme
 * A discussion of the potential for spillover effects and, if appropriate, how these will be measured and how contamination of the control group will be avoided
 * The timing of data collection including when a baseline will be conducted and when post-treatment data will be collected and how this relates to programme timing
 * The individual quantitative and qualitative methods that will be used to assess impact and what information each of these provide
 * The manner in which the different methods will be combined to create a reasonable approach to assess impact

In order to submit your file (you may submit the assignment in a Word or PDF document), scroll down to the end of the page and use the browse button to select the file in your computer and then click on the "Upload this file button".


 * Assignment 4: **

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">For the fourth assignment, you are asked to put together a full Impact Assessment Plan for your chosen project or programme (or your selected component). This includes incorporating (and updating if necessary) what you did in the first two assignments and then adding the additional material covered this week. Specifically, as noted in this week's session, you need to add the technical details related to data collection in the field as wells as the practical details of how the impact assessment will be completed.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> For the assignment, you are then asked to complete the fourth and fifth sections of an Impact Assessment Plan for your chosen case study. This includes the technical aspects of the approach as well as the practical aspects including reporting coordination, budget and timing of the impact assessment. The information required for these sections and what you should include in your assignment is noted below after the parts that have already been completed in the first two weeks.


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">__Template for Impact assessment plan__ **

//<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">(From week 1 assignment) //


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Main Evaluation Question **

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The main objective and components of the programme (the basic background needed for the theory of change)
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The theory of change for the programme given the components of the programme
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The key evaluation questions to be asked in the impact assessment given the theory of change
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A discussion of possible unintended impacts that should also be considered in the assessment
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The existence of any possible spillover effects that may result from the programme


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Key indicators **

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Key short, medium, long-term outcomes as well as impact indicators of programme success
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The vertical logic of these indicators
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A very specific definition of all indicators (including the unit of analysis and any formulas) and how each individual indicator will be measured
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The source of information for each of these indicator

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">//(From week 2 assignment)//


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Approach and methods **

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">An explanation of the overall approach to assessing impact and how that approach will obtain a reasonable counterfactual
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The specific manner in which the treatment and control group will be created and how this will be linked to the programme design and in particular the defined eligibility criteria and the roll-out of the programme
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A discussion of the potential for spillover effects and, if appropriate, how these will be measured and how contamination of the control group will be avoided
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The timing of data collection including when a baseline will be conducted and when post-treatment data will be collected and how this relates to programme timing
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The individual quantitative and qualitative methods that will be used to assess impact and what information each of these provide
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The manner in which the different methods will be combined to create a reasonable approach to assess impact

//<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">(For week 3) //


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Technical aspects of the approach: Sampling and data collection tools **

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The levels at which all surveys used for data collection will be administered (individual, households, community, market, etc.)
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The sample size needed for each unit being surveyed and the calculation justifying that sample size
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The manner in which the survey will be administered
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">An outline of the type of information that be collected in survey questionnaires with clear links to necessary indicators and complementary information
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Other tools that will be used to collect data


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Practical aspects: Reporting, c **<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">**oordination, budget and timing**

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> This section of the Impact Assessment Plan should include the following information:


 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A description of the reports that will come out of the impact assessment including who will be responsible for them and who will be the target audience
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Identification of who will coordinate the impact assessment
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The budget that is required to complete the impact assessment
 * <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A timeline of all activities to take place as part of the impact assessment

__<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Additional background documents that may provide inspiration: __

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">[] (see last two pages).

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">In order to submit your file (you may submit the assignment in a Word or PDF document), scroll down to the end of the page and use the browse button to select the file in your computer and then click on the "Upload this file button".