IPDET Institutions
IPDET is a collaborative effort between three partners: The Center for Continuing Education (ZUW) at the University of Bern, Switzerland, the Center for Evaluation (CEval) in Saarbrücken, Germany, and the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank (IEG). This partnership brings long-standing roots in development evaluation and training as well as strong faculty with on-the-ground experience. We pool our comparative advantages for the benefit of IPDET:
Attractive and sophisticated programs of study
ZUW and CEval offer Europe’s longest-standing demand-oriented master’s and continuing education programs in evaluation. The wide variety of courses have been implemented in a cost-effective manner for many years. Both institutions have extensive experience in adult education and dispose of the necessary know-how and experience with regard to contents, didactics, organization and management to implement and further develop IPDET. Hereby, the duality between teaching and practice is central. We are not only lecturers, but also practitioners who know what they are talking about.
Threefold competencies: Evaluation Capacity Development, evaluation, international development
CEval`s, ZUW`s and IEG`s core competencies are linked with each other and greatly benefit IPDET: Evaluation Capacity Development, international development, practical implementation of evaluations. Our education and training offers are very much informed by our experiences in the context of international development. Our work to further develop evaluation theories and methods is mainly based on their application in the Global South in cooperation with local partners.
E- and Blended learning
CEval has developed globally exemplary blended learning formats in evaluation. The first courses were implemented in the Global South (in Uganda in English, in Costa Rica in Spanish). Only now, they are being introduced in Europe, in English. Accordingly, CEval has know-how and experience in setting up online-supported blended learning formats in developing country contexts. ZUW`s Didactics and Educational Development Unit provides custom-made consulting and workshops for lecturers and institutes within and beyond the University on e-learning and blended learning, advises on the transition to flexible study courses through e-learning, delivers a summer academy on sustainable learning with digital means, and offers a program for eCoaches together with the University`s Vice-Rectorate Teaching to better anchor digital teaching at the University of Bern. Together, CEval and ZUW put these manifold experiences and competencies in e- and blended learning in use for IPDET.
Extensive worldwide experience in evaluation capacity development
Our extensive experience in international development includes a multitude of science-based evaluations as well as the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems at program and national levels. In particular, it also includes a wide range of activities in the field of evaluation capacity development. We have learned that a comprehensive approach to evaluation capacity development with education and training as its central component is most promising. CEval, ZUW and IEG are linked with partners around the world through a multitude of activities.
Attractive site
Bern and Switzerland provide an attractive site, with numerous tourist highlights, multilingualism, easy and rapid access to two international airports, as well as the presence of universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations and international firms. Bern offers IPDET participants not only excellent study conditions, but also a supportive learning environment with many opportunities for networking and exchange.
The Independent Evaluation Group reaches out to development partners through a diverse set of studies and capacity building initiatives, and evaluates the lasting contribution of the World Bank to a country’s overall development. IEG’s country, sectoral, thematic, and global evaluations are dedicated to helping the World Bank deliver better services and improving development results. IEG is committed to expanding the use of innovative evaluation methods to complement traditional approaches, and IEG supports evaluation capacity development (ECD) initiatives to enhance effective M&E systems that enable institutions to assess the effectiveness of policies and programs and to monitor progress towards national goals. Currently, IEG is establishing a new Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) with UNDP, which will be an inclusive, multi-stakeholder initiative designed to foster evidence-based decision making around the world through enhanced M&E frameworks and practices. Ultimately, GEI will contribute to accelerating governments’ progress towards their national goals and the SDGs. With a focus on reducing ECD fragmentation and enhancing the impact of existing initiatives, GEI will include IPDET and the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR), among others, and leverage their strengths to build a globally connected ECD community. Through GEI, IEG will continue its role as both a convener and a collaborator for IPDET, bringing its strong partnerships and knowledge on evaluation and evaluation capacity development. The IEG team, led by Sophie Sirtaine (Director of Strategy and Operations), Dr. Jos Vaessen (IEG Methods Advisor), and Jason Mayfield (Senior Operations Officer), contributes to the overall thought leadership and strategic guidance for the program. Additionally, IEG provides curriculum development support and trainers for the consolidation and advanced workshops.
The Center for Continuing Education (ZUW) at the University of Bern supports the University in building up and further developing a high quality and attractive continuing education offer. ZUW's multidisciplinary team consists of around 30 highly dedicated experts who provide advice, services, trainings and studies in the areas of evaluation, science management, higher education didactics and continuing education management. ZUW is led by Dr Christina Cuonz, ZUW`s Evaluation Group is led by Dr Stefanie Krapp who is also IPDET's head of program. For the past 17 years, the University of Bern has been the only University in Switzerland offering continuing education programs in evaluation. ZUW's Evaluation Group implements the programs, which range from one-day courses to a two-year Master of Advanced Studies covering a broad spectrum of topics and formats. The programs build upon each other and address primarily professionals in evaluation, but also those in neighboring disciplines such as project management, organization development, or monitoring. The Evaluation Group consults providers of higher and continuing education programs at the University of Bern as well as. It also advises on and conducts evaluations and in-house trainings. ZUW and its Evaluation Group together with their partners support the implementation and further development of IPDET. ZUW`s main responsibility is the yearly delivery of the IPDET program at the University of Bern. An enthusiastic and committed team ensures the professional preparation and conduct of the program on-site. ZUW also leads the development of an up-to-date workshop program, catering for the needs and interest in fundamentals of evaluation, and in advanced, cutting-edge topics, theoretical issues and practical application.
The Center for Evaluation (CEval) is a unique evaluation research, consulting and education institution in Germany. Since 2002, it conducts evaluations in various different fields of civil society and state action, advises public and private organizations in developing monitoring systems and designing evaluations, and provides academic and non-academic education and training programs in the field of monitoring and evaluation. The main thematic areas of CEval are development cooperation, education, culture, labor market, environment, health and social services. The results of its work are regularly utilized in basic research and then fed back into academic and scientific discourses, for example by publishing scientific articles and textbooks, or hosting international conferences. CEval thus contributes both to the further development of evaluation research and to keeping a wider public audience informed. The CEval team led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Stockmann, his deputy Dr. habil Wolfgang Meyer and CEO Dr. Stefan Silvestrini, is involved in the further development and implementation of IPDET. In this respect, pioneering work was carried out by CEval by drawing up the concept paper: "The Evaluation Capacity Development Approach of IPDET", which forms the basis for the new program structure and the decentralization strategy still to be developed. CEval has not only played a leading role in further improving the Core Course in terms of content and didactics, but also provides trainers for the Core Course and offers consolidation and advanced workshops.
The Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) sets out material measures and actions to secure the Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) for the implementation of IPDET.
IPDET`s Environmental & Social Framework, Grievance Redressal Mechanism.