Impact Evaluation for Development Projects: From Why to How
Learn why rigorous impact evaluation is the backbone of effective development work — and gain the practical skills to design and carry one out yourself.
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Articulate clearly what impact evaluation is, how it differs from monitoring and other forms of evaluation, and why it matters for development effectiveness
- Explain the fundamental evaluation challenge — the counterfactual problem — and why it makes rigorous design essential
- Compare the major impact evaluation designs (RCTs, DiD, RDD, PSM, IV) and select the most appropriate method given a project's context, timeline, and data constraints
- Design a credible theory of change that links program activities to measurable outcomes
- Develop an evaluation plan including research questions, key indicators, data collection strategy, and sample size considerations
- Identify and anticipate common threats to validity — spillovers, attrition, contamination, and ethical risks — and build mitigations into the design
- Interpret and critically appraise impact evaluation results reported in research papers and donor reports
- Communicate evaluation findings to non-technical audiences, including funders and policymakers, in a way that drives decisions
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
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A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 19 lessons
The Case for Impact Evaluation
Establish the foundational 'why' before the 'how.' Learners examine what impact evaluation actually is, how it fits within the broader M&E landscape, and why rigorous evidence about what works is both scarce and urgently needed in international development. By the end, learners can confidently articulate the purpose and value of impact evaluation to skeptical colleagues and funders.
- 1.1What Is Impact Evaluation — and What It Is NotIncluded
- 1.2The Counterfactual Problem — The Heart of Causal InferenceIncluded
- 1.3Why Rigorous Evidence Is Scarce — and Why That Needs to ChangeIncluded
Theories of Change and Evaluation Design Foundations
Before choosing a method, evaluators must understand the program logic and frame sharp research questions. This module teaches learners to construct a credible theory of change, translate it into testable hypotheses, and develop the key building blocks of an evaluation plan — research questions, indicators, and measurement strategy.
- 2.1Building a Credible Theory of ChangeIncluded
- 2.2Framing Research Questions and Choosing IndicatorsIncluded
- 2.3Data Collection Strategy and Sampling BasicsIncluded
The Evaluator's Toolkit — Impact Evaluation Designs
The methodological core of the course. Learners systematically work through the five major quasi-experimental and experimental designs, understanding the core identifying assumption behind each, when it is and is not defensible, and what the practical requirements are. Emphasis is on design selection judgment, not mathematical derivation.
- 3.1Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) — The Gold Standard and Its LimitsIncluded
- 3.2Difference-in-Differences (DiD) and Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD)Included
- 3.3Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Instrumental Variables (IV)Included
- 3.4Choosing the Right Design — A Decision FrameworkIncluded
Threats to Validity and Ethical Safeguards
Even a well-designed evaluation can be undermined by implementation realities. This module teaches learners to anticipate, detect, and mitigate the most common threats to evaluation validity — spillovers, attrition, non-compliance, and contamination — and to navigate the ethical responsibilities that come with evaluating programs that affect vulnerable populations.
- 4.1Spillovers, Contamination, and Non-ComplianceIncluded
- 4.2Attrition, Hawthorne Effects, and Other Validity ThreatsIncluded
- 4.3Ethics in Impact Evaluation — Do No Harm in Research DesignIncluded
Reading and Critically Appraising Impact Evaluation Evidence
Practitioners spend as much time consuming evaluation evidence as producing it. This module builds the critical appraisal skills needed to interrogate what a study actually proves, assess the quality of its design and analysis, and understand whether its findings transfer to a different context — essential for evidence-informed program design and policy advocacy.
- 5.1Anatomy of an Impact Evaluation PaperIncluded
- 5.2Effect Sizes, Confidence Intervals, and What 'Significant' Really MeansIncluded
- 5.3External Validity — Can This Evidence Travel?Included
Communicating and Using Evaluation Findings
Rigorous evidence only creates value if it informs decisions. This final module equips learners to translate complex evaluation findings into clear, decision-relevant communications for funders, policymakers, and implementing teams — and to navigate the political and organizational dynamics that determine whether evidence gets used at all.
- 6.1Writing for Non-Technical Audiences — From Results to RecommendationsIncluded
- 6.2Data Visualization for Evaluation FindingsIncluded
- 6.3Navigating the Politics of Evidence — Getting Findings UsedIncluded
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Olivier Mumbere Muhongya
I've spent over a decade working at the intersection of development programming and rigorous evidence — designing evaluations, advising NGOs and government ministries, and reviewing impact studies for major funders. I've seen firsthand how a well-designed evaluation can redirect millions of dollars toward what actually works, and how a poorly designed one can give false confidence in a program that's doing nothing at all. I built this course because I kept meeting smart, committed development professionals who had never been given a clear, practical grounding in impact evaluation methods — not because they didn't care, but because the training simply wasn't accessible. This course is my attempt to fix that. I'll guide you through the concepts I wish someone had laid out for me early in my career, with the real-world messiness left in.
— Olivier Mumbere Muhongya
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- 6 modules, 19 lessons
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