JPAL101x Evaluating Social Programs Syllabus

Rachel Glennerster Marc Shotland April, 2014 1. Administration

Instructors: Rachel Glennerster (rglenner@mit.edu) and Marc Shotland (shotland@mit.edu). In addition, video lectures are delivered by a number of other affiliates of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL.) Course website: https://www.edx.org/course/mitx/mitx-jpal101x-evaluatingsocial-programs-1532

2. Course Description
This four-week course on evaluating social programs will provide a thorough understanding of randomized evaluations and pragmatic step-by-step training for conducting ones own evaluation. Through a combination of lectures and case studies from real randomized evaluations, the course will focus on the benefits and methods of randomization, choosing an appropriate sample size, and common threats and pitfalls to the validity of the experiment. While the course is centered around the why, how and when of Randomized Evaluations, it will also impart insights on the importance of a needs assessment, measuring outcomes effectively, quality control, and monitoring methods that are useful for all kinds of evaluations. JPAL101x is designed for people from a variety of backgrounds: managers and researchers from international development organizations, foundations, governments and non-governmental organizations from around the world, as well as trained economists looking to retool.

3. Prerequisites
Although not required, prior familiarity with basic statistical concepts is recommended.

4. Lecture Sequences
Each week, a set of lecture sequences will be released. The lecture sequences consist of short videos and finger exercises. Many of these finger exercises are graded and count towards your final grade on the course. Although the lecture sequences and answers to the finger exercises are not due until the last day of the course (April 30th), we recommend following the completion dates suggested on the course schedule and on the course calendar below. There will be two to three lecture sequences posted each week, with a total of eight lecture sequences over the length of the course; please consult the schedule, or the course calendar below, for further details. Slides from all the lectures will be made available under Course Handouts on the Course Info page, as well as in the individual lecture sequences.

5. Case Studies
In addition to the lecture sequences, the course also includes four case studies. The case studies explore the concepts and issues discussed in the lecture sequences and involve short readings, followed by discussion topics. The discussion topics include multiple choice questions and open response assessments (ORAs). ORAs are short, self-graded essays that ask you to answer questions in a little more detail than the multiple choice questions do. You will be provided with a grading rubric for each ORA and we ask that you grade your work honestly and fairly. Answers to questions in the case studies will count towards your final grade. Although the completion of the case studies is not required before the last day of the course (April 30th), we recommend following the completion dates suggested on the course schedule.

6. Grading Scheme
Lecture Sequence Finger Exercises: 35% Case Studies: 35% Final Quiz: 30% Please consult the grading policy document for further details on the grading scheme.

7. Course Calendar
1. Introduction
Released: April 1st, 2014

Due: April 4th, 2014

- Pre-Course Survey - Pre-Course Assessment - Introduction Videos 2. WEEK 1:

Released: April 4th, 2014 Due: April 30th, 2014 Recommended Complete By: April 11th, 2014 - What is Evaluation? (Lecture Sequence)

- Theory of Change and Measurement (Case Study and Lecture Sequence) 3. WEEK 2:
Released: April 11th, 2014 Due: April 30th, 2014 Recommended Complete By: April 18th, 2014 - Why Randomize? (Lecture Sequence and Case Study)

- How to Randomize (Lecture Sequence and Case Study) 4. WEEK 3:

Released: April 18th, 2014 Due: April 30th, 2014 Recommended Complete By: April 25th, 2014

- Sample Size and Power (Lecture Sequence) - Threats and Analysis (Lecture Sequence and Case Study) - RCT: Start to Finish (Lecture Sequence and Case Study) 5. WEEK 4:
Released: April 25th, 2014 Due: April 30th, 2014

- Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Scaling Up (Lecture Sequence) - Post-Course Assessment