International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – Fundamentals of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Bespoke e-learning for education and career development in IFAD.

THE TRAINING NEED

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in people and financing programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes. It advocates at local, national, and international levels for policies that contribute to rural transformations.

To ensure that IFAD’s global workforce is equipped with the necessary skills and tools to facilitate change, the IFAD Operations Academy (OPAC) has been revamped as the main vehicle for upskilling the country teams.

OPAC recognised their need for comprehensive e-learning to reach their large, diverse, and geographically dispersed workforce and commissioned Aleido to provide contemporary, interactive, and engaging courses.

Specific requirements of the e-learning included:

Visually engaging e-learning that reflects the IFAD brand and the new pillars of corporate, operational and technical learning.
Simple and intuitive to use, incorporating open navigation and include bookmarking functionality.

OUR BESPOKE LEARNING SOLUTION

The ‘Fundamentals of M&E’ course is one of a suite of 75 new e-learning modules and video learning materials that sit within the revamped IFAD Operations Academy (OPAC). This mandatory course is aimed at Country Team Members (Professional and General Services staff) and also provides optional career development opportunities for learners from other divisions.

The course is designed to provide an introduction to monitoring and evaluation (M&E), together with an explanation of the framework and tools which support the process to ensure effective results. Using existing content from Subject Matter Experts, we created bespoke graphics and interactive screens to make the learning interesting and easy to navigate, with a bookmark function for the best user experience in a fast-paced learning environment. Modules cover topics such as: core concepts of monitoring and evaluation, the Theory of Change, Logframes and their use, indicators and data collection.

We used simple visuals and frequent interactive elements that are designed to bring content to life and maintain learner engagement throughout. Visual features include clear infographics and photography that accurately represent IFAD’s processes.

There are varied knowledge checks throughout the five modules, that validate the learning for the audience and ensure comprehension and retention. The course closes with an overarching final assessment.