Global Development in Practice: Designing an Intervention
Use development management tools and frameworks to plan, implement and evaluate development interventions in practice.
- Duration12 weeks
- Cost$959
Build practical skills for managing development interventions
Development is a complex process, and managing development intervention requires a combination of purposeful design and the confidence to adapt flexibly to changing circumstances.
On this microcredential, you’ll build the skills to effectively manage the development intervention process on the ground.
Using real-life case studies, you’ll engage with development tools, frameworks and methodologies that can be used for planning, implementing and evaluating development interventions.
As well as practical development strategies, you’ll explore the associated theoretical issues and debates.
This microcredential meets the standards set by the Common Microcredential Framework.
What skills will you learn?
- People management
- Data management
- Project planning
- Planning development
- Logistics
- Business communications
- Project management
- Data analytics
What you will achieve
By the end of the microcredential, you’ll be able to...
- Apply tools, methods and frameworks for investigation and analysis aimed at informing development policy and practice
- Construct and communicate arguments using clear conceptual frameworks, integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence
- Use sound methodological principles and practices to investigate a development management problem
- Critically analyse the contexts, processes and outcomes of development interventions, and the relationships by means of which interventions are undertaken
- Gather and make effective use of data of various sorts, from diverse sources, and from different media
Are you eligible for this microcredential?
To study for this postgraduate microcredential, you must hold a bachelors degree or an equivalent level qualification.
It is also recommended that you have experience of working in the global development industry.
All teaching is in English, and your proficiency in the language needs to be adequate for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language we recommend you can achieve an IELTS score of at least seven.
Is this microcredential right for you?
This microcredential is designed for practitioners working in the global development industry. This could include those working for non-governmental organisations, the public sector, governmental bodies, or for volunteers working in community action projects.
Professionals who’d benefit from the microcredential could be working as development managers, field workers, planning managers, project managers, project officers, country managers, or regional managers.
Syllabus
What happens before, during, and after your microcredential
Before learning
You’ll have access to our online welcome area where you’ll be able to start conversations with your fellow learners and read any announcements or information relating to your microcredential.
Course
From 15 Mar 2021
Global Development in Practice: Designing an Intervention
This course will provide you with the skills, tools and methodologies to plan a development intervention.
12 weeks
13 hours per week
Week 1
Introducing global development
- Welcome to Designing an Intervention
- Setting out
- Looking at Development Management
- Week 1 Review
Week 2
The nature of intervention
- What is meant by 'doing development'?
- The nature and range of interventions
- Thinking about change
- Thinking about boundaries
- Thinking about planning: The project cycle
- Week 2 Review
Week 3
Designing a development management intervention
- Welcome to Week 3
- Why are logframes so important?
- Comparing two methods
- Week 3 Review
Week 4
Current thinking on development management
- Welcome to Week 4
- Results-based Management (RBM)
- Theories of Change
- Over to you - submit a peer review assignment
- Outcome mapping
- A new approach: Adaptive Management
- Week 4 Review
Week 5
Quantitative investigative methods for development managers
- How to find your data
- How to test your ideas
- How to tell whether your intervention has worked
- Week 5 Review
Week 6
Skills for critical appraisal
- Why do development managers need critical appraisal skills?
- Critical appraisal: let’s get started
- Unpacking commonly used methods and measurements
- Guesstimates and estimates
- Common problems and key questions for the critical appraiser
- Applying what you’ve learned
- Starting to think about your assessment
- Week 6 Review
Week 7
Conventional evaluation
- The need for monitoring and evaluation
- What is needed to evaluate effectively?
- Evaluation as performance
- The changing landscape
- Week 7 Review
Week 8
Impact evaluation: a guide
- Why should development managers use quantitative methods for evaluation?
- Quantitative techniques for discovering causality in development management
- The rise and rise of RCTs in development management
- Critique of the use of RCTs in Development Management
- Week 8 Review
Week 9
Broadening the perspective on impact evaluation
- Welcome to Week 9
- Why use mixed methods?
- Alternative quantitative methods of evaluation
- Multi-causality & Systems Thinking
- Week 9 Review
Week 10
Doing evaluation differently
- Limitations of conventional evaluation
- Methods for evaluation
- Mixed methods
- Week 10 Review
Week 11
Bringing your learning together
- Reviewing this course
- Useful links and resources
- Week 11 Review
Week 12
Preparing your assessment
- Reviewing this microcredential
- Assessment overview
- Important guidance about your assessment
- Thank you and good luck!
After learning
Once you’ve successfully completed the microcredential, you’ll receive your academic credits from The Open University. You’ll have ongoing, unlimited access to the course materials.
What you will receive
15 UK credits at Postgraduate level from The Open University
Credits are awarded on passing the final assessment. The assessment focuses on the project cycle as the dominant mode of ‘doing development’, linked to a case study, and subjected to a critique. You will develop your own case study and provide a critique of the project cycle process.
Find out how credits work and where you can use them in our FAQs.
What is a microcredential?
Microcredentials are designed to upskill you for work in rapidly-growing industries, without the time and cost commitment of a full degree. Your microcredential can stand alone as an independent credential, and some also offer academic credit to use towards a degree.
Complete online courses led by experts over 12-16 weeks with a dedicated group of professionals.
Test your understanding with online tutor-marked assessments and exercises.
Finish your learning and pass your assessments to gain an accredited credential.
Use your microcredential as evidence of your specialised skills and progress further in your industry.
Career-focused learning by The Open University
The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning, with a mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas.
- Established1969
- LocationMilton Keynes, UK
- World rankingTop 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
Delivered by experts
I am Professor of International Development at the Open University. My research is mainly on Africa, and how Africans seek to shape their own development futures.
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When would you like to start?
We aim to run our microcredentials every few months. Join on the date that suits you or register to hear from an enrolment advisor about future runs and updates.
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FAQ
We can accept payments made by card (Visa, Mastercard and American Express) or PayPal via our online system.
You will have 14 days from the day the course starts to apply for a refund. You can find more information in our code of conduct
Microcredentials are designed to fit around your life and timezone.
There may be live events as part of your studies, but these will be recorded and can be watched afterwards if you aren’t online for the live broadcast.
No, microcredentials are designed to be taken anywhere in the world. You won’t need the right to study in the country where the university offering the microcredential is based.
Microcredentials are stand-alone products, designed to meet specific learner and employer needs and offer a credential in their own right. Those awarded by The Open University have a credit value at either undergraduate or postgraduate level, and this may in the future be used towards qualifications (for example, a Bachelor’s Degree, Diploma of Higher Education or Postgraduate Certificate) at The Open University, or potentially at another university (subject to the agreement of the receiving institution).
Want to know more? Read the microcredential FAQs, or contact us.