From Measuring to Learning: How to Improve Debate Programmes by Joint Evaluation

Under the Erasmus + grant, the IDEA network has the opportunity to evaluate the work on debate education of eight debate organisations in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia and the Netherlands. The first partner meeting was held in March 2015.

Developing the M&E plan

CDI has provided support in preparing and facilitating the first 2-day partner meeting, during which together with the project coordinators from the participating countries a Theory of Change was developed and evaluation goals were laid out.

As a follow up, CDI developed an monitoring and evaluation plan to guide the participating organisations in this project. This plan includes the Theory of Change and a results framework to provide a background to why what is monitored and evaluated; and how the outcomes of interest – critical thinking and support to democratic values – contribute to the overall vision of IDEA. Within this project learning is a key component: learning from monitoring and evaluation practice and learning from each other through critical reflection.