HBKU’s CPP, University of Maryland deliver joint executive course on programme-evaluation skills

IN keeping with its aim of facilitating expertise and building capacity in Qatar and beyond, the College of ublic olicy C at Hamad Bin Khalifa University HBKU recently collaborated with the University of Maryland UMD ’s School of ublic olicy to deliver a joint executive course on programme evaluation. It is one of the first programme-evaluation courses offered in Qatar, and also the first executive course by C and its programme on Social olicy and Evaluation Research ROS ER .

rogram Evaluation Determining What Works’ combined the expertise of the two educational institutions to help practitioners and policy managers navigate an increasingly evaluation-oriented world and become more effective leaders and managers. Government officials from Qatar’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and the University of Calgary in Qatar were among the course participants.

Dr Douglas J Besharov, professor at UMD’s School of ublic olicy, Dr Anis Ben Brik, associate professor at C and founding director of ROS ER, as well as top experts from the American Institutes for Research and Mathematica olicy Research, shared their vast collective experience in designing and implementing evaluations of economic, health and education programmes. The highly specialised course was tailored to fit participants’ interests with case studies from the Middle-East region, focusing on topics such as logic models, process and developmental evaluation, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental methods and performance evaluation.

The course was delivered online from June 28 to 30, and each participant received a joint certificate of completion from HBKU and UMD. The three-day executive course is the first joint project between C and UMD following the signing of a five-year MoU.

Dr Besharov commented “This course is the latest example of how the combined efforts of HBKU and the University of Maryland have enriched the offerings of both schools to the benefit of both our communities. We look forward to continued cooperation in this and other areas.”

“Sound evaluations are critical for effective programme delivery and governance, enabling informed judgments and continuous improvements in program design and planning to help attain development goals,” Dr Ben Brik added.