The micro credential ‘Community based monitoring (CBM)’ consists of theoretical sessions in which frameworks, concepts and different steps in CBM are presented and discussed; a skills and an action lab in which methods and tools are introduced, applied during field work and findings are jointly analysed, discussed and disseminated.

The last decades the interest in and practice of Community Based Monitoring (CBM) is steadily increasing. The latter is not surprising given that CBM provides several advantages such as being able to provide low cost, efficient ways of providing local level, high quality information, stimulating citizen empowerment and accountability and many more. Yet CBM also poses several challenges. This course starts by positing CBM in the overall Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) landscape, highlighting the specificities and differences with other types of M&E tools and also the consequences for citizen participation, effectiveness and impact. The course also zooms in on the practical organisation of CBM programmes, focusing on the added value and challenges linked to Data collection in CBM, Data analysis and the use of CBM evidence. In the skills lab, the specific case of the Fuatilia Maji project is introduced, as well as tools and methods for data collection and community monitor training. In the action lab, students effectively participate in the Fuatilia Maji project, including the phases of data collection, data cleaning, analysis, written and oral presentation of results.

- Master/ Bachelor students in Social Sciences (Development Studies, Political Science, economics, international relations, …) with a specific interest in community based monitoring

- Practitioners active in Monitoring and Evaluation who wish to extend their knowledge on community based monitoring

- IOB/Mzumbe Alumni who would like to update/ extend their knowledge on Community based monitoring