Monitoring and Evaluation

The Peace Operations Training Institute Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Programme examines the effectiveness of the Institute’s programmes. POTI collects data before and immediately after students complete a POTI course, three and nine months following the completion of the course, and through focus groups and surveys.

Methodology for Monitoring and Evaluation

POTI programmes must have a positive and measurable impact on the performance of individuals deployed on peace and humanitarian relief operations to be considered effective. M&E stands for monitoring and evaluation, and POTI also considers this a measure of the effectiveness of the training and trained personnel in the field.

Our M&E programme covers both definitions and allows students to evaluate their experiences with POTI as much as POTI evaluates its impact on students. The Institute’s M&E methodology uses eight points of data collection:

  1. Pretest: Before commencing the course, students complete a 10-question pretest. This establishes a baseline of the student’s knowledge before training and allows for the comparison of pre- and post-course performance.
  2. End-of-course examination: After students have studied all lessons and completed the End-of-Lesson Quizzes, they attempt a 50-question End-of-Course Examination.*
  3. Course feedback: After successfully completing the end-of-course examination with a score of 75 per cent or better, students are prompted to fill out a feedback questionnaire evaluating the course.
  4. Five-star course review system: Once a student completes a course, they can rate it out of five stars on the POTI website. Students also can post comments that others are able to see before enrolling. POTI does not edit or redact these comments.
  5. Three-month follow-up survey: Students receive a 13-question follow-up survey three months after enrolling in a POTI course. It includes multiple choice, multiple selection, short-answer, and long-answer questions.
  6. Nine-month follow-up survey: POTI sends a six-question survey to students nine months after they complete their enrolment.
  7. Focus groups: Selected students participate in a focus group conducted via videoconference and respond to nine questions asked by POTI staff. Responses are recorded and analysed for trends.
  8. Surveys to trainers: POTI sends surveys to national peacekeeping training centres and mission training focal points.

*Some End-of-Course Examinations have fewer questions due to the length of the course.

The Five-Star Course Review System

POTI is happy to share how past students have rated and reviewed their courses so that future learners can make an informed decision about which course is best for them. Once they complete a course, students can submit a review of that course by rating their experience on a scale of one to five stars and may also provide written comments. These are automatically published on the POTI website as course reviews. POTI does not censor or edit these reviews. We are thankful to our past students for their constructive contributions to our virtual community. To view the ratings for any course, visit the course page and select a course title. Average star ratings and all reviews are available from a course’s unique page.