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Learning Modules

Module 1

Impact Foundations

Gain an overview of the concept of impact, including the different dimensions in which an organization and its activities are beneficial or costly to society.

Learn how to assess and define the impact of a decision, strategy, organization, policy, or project, and how to assess existing evidence regarding impact.

Key Content

  • Defining different types of impact e.g., financial, economic, environmental, health, inequality, empowerment, and general wellbeing
  • Navigating dynamics with stakeholders, rights-holders, beneficiaries, and other relevant perspectives
  • Quantifying, aggregating & comparing intended and unintended impacts
  • Analyzing risk and dealing with uncertainty
  • Identifying and collecting data and evidence and assessing their quality

Includes examples & case studies

You will learn how to:

  • Justify the need for rigorous impact analysis
  • Identify the impacts of decisions on various drivers of wellbeing
  • Choose methods and techniques for qualitative and quantitative assessment of impact
  • Find existing data and evidence and assess their quality and relevance
  • Quantify and value impacts on gender and social inclusion, environment, financial inclusion, access to infrastructure, measures of sustainability, and more
Module 2

Impact Accounting

Apply the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis’ impact accounting toolbox to track, document, and report benefits, costs, decision criteria, and risks. This is fundamental to assessing the impact of decisions, organizations, policies, interventions, and investments.

Key Content

  • Grounding in key tools including
    • Cost-benefit analysis
    • Cost-effectiveness analysis
    • Value-for-money analysis
    • Cost analysis
    • Cash benchmarking
    • Social, economic & financial feasibility assessments
    • Portfolio analysis
    • Risk analysis

Apply these tools to examples and case studies and interpret results

You will learn how to:

  • Conduct impact accounting using value-for-money or cost analysis, including cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and cost-economy
  • Use impact accounting to analyze the theory of change
  • Measure/report net impact from alternative perspectives
  • Estimate and report alternative decision criteria about the viability of a decision
  • Use standardized impact analysis statements
  • Use impact accounting to design successful interventions and innovative financing mechanisms
  • Use impact accounting to prioritize knowledge gaps and develop an institutional learning agenda
Module 3

Evaluating & Learning

Become adept at using a monitoring, evaluation, and learning toolbox to facilitate data collection, and experimentation. Master impact evaluation, measuring and reporting impact, and improving the design and effectiveness of current and future activities.

Key Content

  • Measuring what matters: how monitoring, evaluation, and learning informs accountability and decision-making
  • Evidence culture: using and generating evidence within organizations
  • Basics of statistics and analysis for measuring impact
  • Approaches for assessing impact
    • Is before-after analysis enough? Review of pre-post, interrupted time series, and event studies
    • Experimental and quasi-experimental approaches including RCTs, A/B testing, difference-in-differences, and regression discontinuity
  • Interpreting and communicating results: learning to improve design and funding decisions
  • Quantitative data from new and existing sources e.g. firm data, surveys, assessments
  • Best practices for qualitative and mixed methods analysis
  • Ethics
  • Pitfalls in data collection, analysis, and interpretation
  • Cutting edge approaches
Exam

Learning Assessment

The final step in achieving the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis is a learning assessment. It verifies your understanding of the key components of each learning module and how they fit together. It establishes your knowledge of the role of evidence at all stages of the impact analysis project cycle. The assessment is designed to be very achievable for those who have completed all three learning modules.

Stand out among your peers with this certified credential from Queen’s University.