Plenary Session: Participatory MEL and MEL Tech – Friends or Frenemies

The theme of AEA’s 2024 event is “Amplifying and Empowering Voices in Evaluation,” challenging participants to think about how we are uplifting the voices of today’s youth, the historically underrepresented, the typically unheard in our evaluations.

One important way of elevating these voices has been participatory monitoring, evaluation, and accountability methods, emphasizing the active involvement of program participants in the design, implementation and evaluation of program MEL and accountability processes. Methods such as outcome harvesting, for example, allow evaluators to identify or verify outcomes based on the views of participants. Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) promotes pausing and reflecting with program teams, participants, and partners to evaluate activities critically.

MEL technologies have gained tremendous traction in recent years. Some of these – for example, technologies to analyze qualitative data – may enable or expedite participatory methods. Others – for example, the use of remote sensing in evaluations – may inadvertently reduce the use of participatory methods.

Through a panel conversation with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the international humanitarian and development sector, this keynote will explore how the rise of M&E technologies has helped or hindered the use of participatory MEL and discuss lessons learned.

Overflow seating available in Portland Ballroom 251.