Institutionalization of Social Work M&E Courses in Moldova and Armenia

By Data for Impact

D4I has implemented small grants with institutions in Moldova and Armenia to develop pre- and in-service monitoring and evaluation (M&E) training within their social work curricula, with the goal of strengthening the social service workforce’s capacity to generate and use evidence for decision-making. D4I provided resource materials, guidance, and mentorship to support institutional strengthening and the modules’ development.

In Moldova, D4I worked with Moldova State University (MSU) and Ion Creanga Pedagogical State University (ICSPU) to develop curricula, methodological guides, student handbooks, and internship programs for the new M&E and data use curriculum. D4I reviewed and provided feedback on the materials and had regular discussions with the universities about the materials. The new courses are now part of ICSPU’s bachelor’s and MSU’s master’s-level social assistance programs, with MSU mainstreaming the M&E and data use curriculum into seven additional disciplines. ICSPU taught the course to its first cohort during the 2022-2023 academic year, with all students passing the course and completing the internship. MSU has plans to teach the course in the 2023–2024 school year. D4I also engaged with additional universities to develop similar courses, and MSU and ICPSU are mentoring three vocational colleges for similar curriculum development.

Similarly in Armenia, D4I provided small grants to four institutions—the Armenia State Pedagogical University (APSU), National Institute of Labor and Social Research, Public Administration Academy of Armenia (PAARA), and Yerevan State University (YSU)—to develop M&E courses as part of their in-service and pre-service social work training curriculum. Over the course of a three-day training for instructors from these institutions, participants learned ways to integrate M&E into the curricula. As in Moldova, D4I reviewed and provided feedback during the curricula development process. By August 2023, all four Armenian institutions had developed new or updated existing M&E courses and modules and received approval to institutionalize the courses into their social assistance curricula. YSU approved the updated M&E course as an elective for disciplines. All institutions plan to teach the courses during the 2023–24 academic year.

Feedback on this process was positive and highlighted the importance of this work, as many anticipate good outcomes for the social service workforce who take these updated courses.

“The impact will be very high because now those students who graduate and enter the labor market, they will already have the skills how to use the data and how to work with the data.” – MSU

“The university’s decision to have [the M&E course] as [an] elective course for different professions, not only for the social workers [is important]. When […] social workers enter the field and have the [M&E] knowledge […], they are alone in the field. In 5–10 years we hope to have a community of different professionals who have skills, knowledge and understanding of [M&E]. That will be [an] improvement for the society and for data-based decision-making.” – YSU

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