Impact Assessment and Evaluation for Environmental and Development Projects

This course is available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. All students participate in interactive, real-time classes. This course equips students to critically apply qualitative and mixed methods to assess the impacts of environmental and development projects and policies. Participants study how assessment and evaluation methods have evolved to become important foundations for the design, implementation and regulation of such interventions. Students learn the importance of going beyond project-specific assessments to consider cumulative impacts and how strategic assessments can help to manage these. The course considers the role of public participation and science in decision-making, and how political, social and economic dynamics intersect such decisions. Students gain experience with assessing impacts across diverse domains such as biodiversity, livelihoods, institutions, social structures, equity, culture and quality of life. The course has a strong emphasis on case-based learning and students have opportunities to explore alternative evaluation and assessment approaches across a range of sectors and national jurisdictions.