Evaluating ICT for Education in Africa - Royal Holloway, University of ...

The third term that requires definition is impact assessment, also known asimpact evaluation. This refers to the „positive and negative, primary andsecondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directlyor indirectly, intended or unintended‟ (OECD 2002 p.24). It is concernedwith the attribution of change, with the central question of what would havehappened to the intervention beneficiaries had the programme in questionnot been operational (World Bank 2007a).It is important to consider the distinction between the terms bothconceptually and in regard to practical application. James and Miller (2005p.59) summarise this well in specific regard to monitoring and evaluation:„The monitoring process looks at what is being done and how itis being done. It could involve continuous tracking of activities,review of the flow of service and activities provide by theprogram ... Evaluation looks at performance against goals. Thiscan and should take place while the program or researchproject is underway and is concerned with evaluating how theintervention is meeting its performance goals.‟This distinction is vital, but a consequence has often been the positioning ofinternal monitoring as inferior to externally-imposed evaluations. Thus,whilst the terms and conventionally defined distinctions do provide a usefulframework for operating within the monitoring and evaluation arena it isimportant that they are not accepted uncritically. Throughout the analysis Iproblematise each of them through practical encounters in the variousresearch environments. This forms part of the broader project of this thesis,redefining the nature of dependence, looking beyond the imposition of powerand highlighting participation and empowerment. In turn, this falls withinthe overarching agenda to reconceptualise the nature of effective monitoring,evaluation and impact assessment within the context of ICT for educationinitiatives in Africa.48