Block One is the two to four-week period (more or less) before the face-to-face training. It is important for participants to take full advantage of the first block of the course to familiarise themselves with basic M&E concepts and begin thinking through the M&E Framework Project. During this period, we expect three things to happen:

1. Facilitators and participants should introduce themselves (and engage in some discussion)

2. Facilitators provide participants with a clear overview of the workshop (including the agenda for the three-day training) and introduce the M&E Framework project (including the rubric).

3. Participants will work through the short M&E case study, submit the Pre-Workshop Questionnaire, and submit the M&E Framework Data Collection Template.

Your work during Block One is to be a good communicator. Be specific in your messages to participants and give concrete deadlines for deliverables. As the facilitator, you will have a sense of how best to communicate with your group and the timings you need to keep Block One moving. In addition to “official workshop messages” that communicate essential information, we encourage you to follow up with participants and engage them to establish a participative and relaxed environment. Everyone should feel comfortable asking questions – logistical and content-based – of the facilitator and of each other.

Below, we have a suggested timeline for when to communicate with participants during Block One. Sample templates for these communications (for your edits and adjustments) are included in Annex M.

During this period, we also suggest that you seek permission from all participants to share their names and contact emails with other participants in accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulations. This will facilitate sharing a list of contacts to support future communication and networking among participants.

Block One Communication Timeline for Facilitators

To prepare for the face-to-face training, the most important thing you will do during Block One is to:

1. Get a sense of who the participants are, what their experience is, and what they want to get from the course. It is important to respond in a timely way to questions during the first Block of the course and to create realistic and accurate expectations for the course.

2. Read all Pre-Workshop Questionnaires (Annex B) and M&E Framework Data Collection Templates (Annex F) and incorporate the information here into your planning. Contact any participants who do not seem to have understood the project well, or who have sent incomplete or irrelevant data.

Technical considerations for Block One

As we have mentioned, there are many possible ways to develop this block of the course, from using a custom distance learning platform that offers document download and upload, message boards, and participant and facilitator profiles, all the way to a simple list of emails. This Block can be run with either of these approaches or many in between, as long as the facilitators are sure to reach out to participants in a timely way, respond to them quickly, encourage interaction, and provide clear instruction and context that allows participants to engage with each other and the material, and prepare for the next block of the course. In either case, as facilitator you need to be sure that you are in touch with all participants and that all participants have access to the necessary information and materials.

A note on communication with participants

The communications here summarise information to be shared during Block One of the workshop. However, it is important to note that prior to the start of the workshop you will need to be in communication with participants, first to announce the course, then to contact candidates to make them aware of their acceptance, then (if need be) to organise and confirm travel and accommodation arrangements. For the most part, all these communications should be complete by the time of the start of Block One.

Deadline

Approx. based on
a 2-week Block One

Welcome message to all participants

General welcome to the workshop, go over dates, including the dates of the face-to-face workshop, introduce yourselves as the facilitator(s), ask all participants to introduce themselves and/or create an online profile by a specific date. You might ask participants to include in their introduction something about where they work and what they work on, why they are taking the workshop and what they hope to get out of it. Include Participant workbook (digital version) and advise participants to review Part I. Preview that you will send more course information soon (see Annex M.)

Encourage interaction between participants

As part of your ongoing work as facilitator, read the participant introductions and respond, look for connections between participants.

Detailed description of face-to-face training; Pre-workshop Questionnaire

A message providing logistical and content information for the face-to-face training. This should include final information on travel, hotels, local transport, and location of all the training events as needed (see Annex M.) Ask all participants to submit the Pre-workshop Questionnaire by a specific date.

A message encouraging participants to read the M&E Case Study and answer multiple choice questions in the next 2-3 days (see Annex M.)

Detailed description of the M&E Framework Project and expectations for worksheet and data

A message explaining the final project and providing templates and setting deadlines for the M&E Framework (see Annex M.)

Second reminder to send M&E worksheet and data

Final reminder to send M&E worksheet; discussion of questions about M&E concepts / case study

Welcome to the face-to-face training

A welcome to Block Two of the workshop (see Annex M.)