Course

Welcome to Save the Children’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) introductory course. Save the Children has collaborated with the Open University (OU) in the United Kingdom to produce this course. 

This course will introduce you the main MEAL concepts and practices. It has been developed for a variety of programme staff, senior management team members and thematic staff within Save the Children, recognizing that learners will have different prior knowledge and focus areas.  

How to study this course

These materials are specifically designed for independent self-directed learning. Whether you have prior experience in the field or are new to the subject areas, the sessions will develop your knowledge, understanding and practical skills. They contain relevant information, practical activities and opportunities to reflect on your own experiences.

Before you start, think about how you are going to approach your study. The sessions vary in length and take between one and three hours. We recommend that you complete the shorter sessions in one go. The longer sessions include recommended break times.

We recognize some learners may study on their own, while others may do it in groups. It is up to you to decide what works best for you, in your situation. Pacing your studies with a colleague may facilitate exchange of ideas, especially for the activities within the study materials.

What the course will cover

The course is composed of 18 sessions. Sessions 1 and 2 introduce the course and study methodology and the principle MEAL components. Sessions 3 to 9 explore the general MEAL concepts and practices, while Sessions 10 to 18 address specific components of Save the Children’s MEAL system.

The whole course takes 30 hours to complete. We recommend that you complete Sessions 1 to 12 sequentially, then prioritise the most relevant sessions from Sessions 13 – 18.

Save the Children staff should access this course through the Save the Children International OneNet