Capacity development (CD) practitioners are often faced with fundamental questions. What are we building capacity for? Whose capacity must we build? At what levels must that capacity be built? How should we identify capacity gaps? What interventions will help build that capacity?

A follow-up question to any capacity building intervention is what precise impact the intervention has had on improving capacity, and how sustainable it has been. Ways and means to measure this impact are necessary to be able to demonstrate it to stakeholders and funding agencies, as well as to learn for the future. 

While building capacity it is also important to adopt the most effective methods, based on established principles of adult learning. Moreover, learning is a continuous and lifelong process, and for practitioners an important and effective method is to document their learning and knowledge of the field through methods such as case studies, that can be used to teach and / or to share knowledge with other practitioners within the wider community of practice.

This set of two Methods and Measures courses from the Capacity Development Suite aims to answer the above questions, provide a set of useful tools to learners for assessing training needs and impact, introduce them to Adult Learning Theories, and build their skills in developing Teaching Cases. Anchored by the IIHS Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), the courses in this suite are taught by practitioners with decades of capacity building and training experience. This enables them to supplement core concepts with insights from their experience in an engaging manner, affording learners critical skills that they can immediately apply in their work.

The courses in this suite are relevant to on ground practitioners, trainers, and the community of capacity building practitioners, CSR personnel, funding agencies, NGOs, and Foundations that work in the Urban and in the Development sector. Both courses will be conducted online. Learners can enrol for any one or both courses according to their needs.

Course 1: CD Measures: Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and Impact Assessment

Curated by the IIHS Urban Practitioners’ Programme, the CD Measures course will build participants’ knowledge and skills in conducting Training Needs Analysis and Impact Assessment of Capacity Development interventions. It will introduce participants to a systems approach to capacity development, including identifying stakeholders, understanding capacity needs at various levels, conducting existing capacity assessment, identifying capacity gaps, and suggesting suitable interventions. It will help participants gain an overview of the different approaches to defining and identifying impact such as the theory of change approach. It will discuss how impact measurement and its indicators can be embedded into capacity building interventions right from the outset, and how they can be measured and analysed to effectively demonstrate and communicate the results achieved. 

This course will enable participants to:

• Identify gaps between existing and desired capacity of individuals and organisations through the design and implementation of TNAs
•  Gain an overview of how to plan, design and undertake Impact Assessment Studies

Training Needs Analysis

This part of the course will take participants through the process involved in identifying training needs and suggesting suitable interventions, starting with understanding the context, purpose and objectives of the exercise, collecting and analysing relevant data and information, establishing the baseline, recognising the capacity gaps and learning needs, and recommending the necessary interventions to fulfil the learning needs and close the capacity gaps.

Impact Assessment

This part of the course will introduce participants to what constitutes impact, the different ways in which to think of impact, how impact assessment frameworks can be planned at the grant application / project design phase to be able to deliver on its objectives. It will also enable participants to precisely define the indicators for measuring the impact of capacity development interventions, how to embed those measures at various stages of the intervention, how to collect data and analyse it, and finally, how to report it. In this course, participants will be introduced to frameworks such as Theory of Change, results chain, and logical framework.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Design and conduct a Training Needs Assessment exercise
• • Clearly define the goals of the Training Needs Assessment exercise
  • Map the organisation structure and roles and responsibilities at each level
  • Articulate methods and tools for collecting and analysing capacity assessment data and establish a baseline
  • Identify gaps between current and desired capacity
  • Report findings to relevant stakeholders
  • Establish training needs and suggest suitable interventions to close capacity gaps

• Plan and undertake an Impact Assessment exercise for a Capacity Building intervention
• • Articulate the impact to be achieved at the start of the intervention
  • Recognise and establish the pathways to achieve the impact through one of the above mentioned approaches
  • Establish the assumptions and preconditions for the impact to be achieved
  • Embed the measures and indicators of impact at all stages
  • Discuss methods and tools for data collection and analysis and reporting at every stage
  • Analyse data and report findings to relevant stakeholders

Course 2: CD Methods: Adult Learning Theories and Case-based Learning

Designed and delivered by the IIHS Urban Practitioners’ Programme, the CD Methods course will ground itself in Adult Learning Theories as a basis for continuous learning for practitioners,, and introduce the use of case-based teaching as an effective method for capacity development. The course will also discuss how teaching cases can be developed in a way that they are usable by others in the field as well as the larger community of capacity development practitioners.

This course will enable participants to:

• Gain an understanding of Adult Learning Theories that form the basis for andragogical methods of teaching and learning in the context of Capacity Development Initiatives
• Develop teaching cases for Capacity Development that can be used to share knowledge within the wider community of practitioners

Adult Learning Theories

This part of the course will introduce participants to Adult Learning Theories. Participants will gain familiarity with the principles of Adult Learning and how they can be applied in the design of Capacity Building programmes in the urban context.

Case-based Learning

This part of the course will introduce participants to developing a Teaching Learning Case. Participants will be introduced to the essential elements of a teaching case, the approaches to writing a teaching case including the material and content required with examples, and teaching and learning with cases in the urban context.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Articulate and apply the principles of Adult Learning to Capacity Building programme design
• Explain the structure and components of a Teaching Case
• Develop a Teaching Case for Capacity Building

Programme Structure

Anchored by the IIHS Urban Practitioners’ Programme, the courses in this suite will be taught by CD practitioners with a breadth of experience across sectors, audiences and programme outcomes. Teaching/ learning will happen online through a combination of classroom sessions, learning exercises and interactive discussions. Participants will have ample opportunity to reflect upon and share their experiences, and synthesise their learnings through discussions with their peers and faculty.

Faculty

The courses will be taught by IIHS and external faculty, including industry practitioners and experts.

Key Differentiators

• Extensive use of IIHS’ training and capacity development experience and network
• Multiple faculty to enable diverse perspectives
• Concepts, discussions, examples, and methods rooted in the Indian urban context
• Hands-on activities to enable immediate application
• Opportunity to think and reflect on learnings from own practice

Who this is for

• Capacity development practitioners and trainers with more than two years of experience
• Sectoral experts who want to develop an understanding of capacity development and design or deliver CD programmes in their own domains
• Programme managers in the development sector and social enterprises who want to train others and/or run medium to large scale training interventions
• Researchers and PhD scholars working in the field of capacity building and institutional development

Course 1: CD Measures: Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and Impact Assessment

Course 2: CD Methods: Adult Learning Theories and Case-based Learning

*Schedule may be subject to change