240019 VS Evaluation in international development co-operation (3.2.3) (2022S)

Content: Funded measures, projects and programs are usually evaluated in development cooperation, but what exactly is an evaluation?

This course offers students an insight into the theory and practice of different evaluation approaches. Various evaluation types and evaluation concepts which are used in international development cooperation will be presented. International evaluation criteria and standards will also be explained in order that students can deal with evaluations and their methodologies in a reflective and critical manner. Furthermore, the entire evaluation process, from planning to implementation, will be introduced and discussed from the perspectives of a commissioning organization, an evaluation team and those involved. The advantages and disadvantages of internal and external evaluations, the consideration of gender aspects and different evaluation methods will also be presented. Additionally, students will also learn about different challenges when it comes to "impact evaluation".

In this course, the students deal with specific, current, and practical evaluation issues in development cooperation.

Goals: After the successful completion of this course, the students are able to:

1) differentiate different types of evaluations,
2) recognize an evaluation by its quality characteristics,
3) articulate the evaluation challenges,
4) understand the entire process of an evaluation assignment,
5) reflect on different evaluation methods,
6) understand the challenges of an impact evaluation
7) deal critically with the topic "evaluation".

Methods: As part of the course, the students will take part in discussions, often work in small groups, work on templates or tasks that have been handed out, and regularly work with an evaluation report of their choice, which they search for at the beginning of the semester.

Active participation is required from all students.