In August, along with announcing our Tech for M&E Diploma program, we kicked off a M&E Professionals Series, where we will be talking one-on-one with M&E professionals to give you the inside scoop on the industry.

For this second post in the series, we are featuring an interview that one of our alumni, Stephen Giddings conducted, with Janet Kerley, Senior Director, Monitoring and Evaluation Practice at Development and Training Services, Inc (dTS), a Virginia-based consulting organization that does considerable work with USAID.

Janet Kerley
Janet Kerley is a master evaluator and an accomplished trainer in evaluation and performance measurement. As Senior Evaluator in the Monitoring and Evaluation Practice at dTS/Palladium, she provides technical leadership for evaluations in the ME unit, provides technical direction on design and field methods, and supervises the preparation of the evaluation reports. As Chief of Evaluation, Research and Measurement for the Peace Corps, she established an impact evaluation system at Peace Corps.

Ms. Kerley was the Team Leader for Monitoring and Evaluation in the Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance, US Department of State, leading a 200-member inter-agency team to develop standard indicators for the 2007 Foreign Assistance Reform reporting tool. She worked at USAID in the Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination, CDIE and as the Monitoring and Evaluation Office in the Bureau for Africa and the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Kerley was a Senior Research Associate at Aguirre International. She has lived and worked in many countries in Latin America, Africa

S: How has technology changed the way M & E is conducted over the past decade in international development?
J: The change has been remarkable! A decade ago, most of the data gathering and analysis work was all paper-based, making it difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Especially in overseas environments, it took considerable time and effort to gather, transcribe (and often translate) and analyze the data. But today, the tech tools have made data collection and analysis more efficient and save time and money.
However, there is still a considerable “digital divide” between the much more tech savvy young people and the older professionals originally trained using SPSS (or even earlier)
technologies.

S: Does paper-based data collection still have a place in M&E today?
J: Yes — in certain circumstances paper-based data collection may be preferred.

In very rural areas where electricity may not be available, where batteries for electronic devices cannot be charged or where internet connections or mobile phone services is inconsistent or not available, paper-based data collection is still the best option.

Not everyone is comfortable with data collection using electronic devices, but they may be more open to paper-based questions.

S: What are some of the pitfalls of some of the popular tech-based data collection tools?
J: With so much tech available, it is easy to get carried away.

Some less experienced or less than fully trained data gatherers may lose sight of the fundamental questions the monitoring or evaluation is trying to get at. If evaluators lack sufficient training in sound principles of research, they may be tempted to substitute technology for sound reasoning and good judgment.

Some data collection tech tools may also have a tendency to collect too much data, some of which may be irrelevant to the task at hand. USAID, in particular, is burdened by data overload where data management systems fail to filter out data that is of little use and complicates the monitoring and evaluation practices.

S: What challenges have USAID Missions faced when integrating new technologies into their M& E functions?
J: By and large, USAID Missions have been quite open to technological improvements to M&E functions. That said, there is still a “digital divide” where younger employees (including local staff) who have grown up in the digital age are more comfortable with and more adept at using new technologies to enhance M & E. But more senior and older USAID staff seem generally open to embracing and appreciating the advantages that new technologies can bring to M & E while leaving the technical analysis and the new data gathering tools to younger techie staff. USAID staff have generally been very receptive to training in using new M & E technologies to their advantage.

S: Have new evidenced based technologies made decision making by senior USAID staff easier and more informed?
J: Most USAID Mission Directors recognize the value that good evidence on performance can bring to the achievement of program results, and the added clarity that good data and visually well-presented documentation can bring to decision making.

UNDP in Kigali, Rwanda (Creative Commons image)Photo Source: UNDP in Kigali, Rwanda

S: What are the advantages of mixed methods evaluations?
J: The most important starting point for an evaluation is doing the research required to understand what questions you want answered. Only then should you begin to look at evaluation methodologies to acquire necessary information.

When done at a proper scale, well executed quantitative data collection and analytical methods can bring statistical rigor and clarity. For example, the scale of some of the evaluations done for USAID’s food security (Feed the Future) programs has generally provided reliable data. Unfortunately, USAID Missions sometimes do not make available sufficient budget to assure that sample size for quantitative methods is sufficient to draw reliable conclusions. This is where qualitative methods can help to fill gaps.

Storytelling, an evaluation tool, is one of the most useful qualitative data collection methods. Sometimes quantitative data collection methods do not allow beneficiaries to open up and provide adequate and reliable information, but they react much more positively if they are allowed to tell a story. If you get enough good stories they can provide insights and nuances that purely quantitative methods cannot. Thus mixed method evaluations can provide more reliable evidence of performance than quantitative or qualitative methods.

S: Do you think there is a bias towards quantitative methods in international development because of a lack of free and easy to use qualitative tools?
J: Not at all. Many USAID evaluations make good use of qualitative methodologies. A
decade ago, there was an overuse of “the windshield wiper” approach (an evaluation that is not given time to do adequate field work and they report what they observe “through the windshield.”) to evaluations but more recently qualitative methodologies have become more sophisticated and reliable and can provide a lot of extremely useful information for decision makers.

S: What questions should we be asking to select the best technology for M & E?
J: Evaluation planning should begin with framing the research questions — what is it that we need to learn? The preferred technological solution should be one that can best answer the research questions and must also take into account cultural sensibilities. It is very crucial that technology be viewed as a tool, and not as a substitute, for knowing the basic principles of research.

StephenIDphoto
Stephen Giddings, a TechChange alum, has served for 25 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the USAID, retiring in late 2005. For most of his USAID career, he specialized in managing housing and urban development programs, serving in USAID offices in Panama, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Russia and Rwanda, as well as Washington, D.C. During his last four years with USAID he was the Chief of the Policy Division for USAID’s Africa Bureau.

For the past ten years Mr. Giddings has been an independent consultant providing assistance to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, and consulted with USAID, the International Real Property Foundation (IRPF), among other international development organizations. He serves on the Development Issues Committee of the USAID Alumni Association and is Co-Chair of the Africa Work Group in the Society for International Development’s Washington, D.C. Chapter (SID-Washington). Prior to his USAID career, Mr. Giddings managed low-income housing development programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was Director of Planning and Development at the Boston Housing Authority. Mr. Giddings received a BA in political science from Wesleyan University and an MPA degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

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Hope you enjoyed our second installment of our M&E Professionals Series! Don’t forget to follow our blog for the next post in the series!

Interested in engaging in similar conversations with M&E professionals like Stephen and Janet? Join us in our upcoming course TC211: Technology for Data Collection and Survey Design that starts on October 19. If you want the whole package, you can join our second session of our Tech for M&E Diploma program

At TechChange, we pride ourselves in teaching our participants the crucial skills needed for a career in social good. And how do we find out what those skills are? We go straight to the source! In our new M&E Professionals series, we’ll be talking one-on-one with the pros who are recruiting for these very positions.

2015 was marked as the International Year of Evaluation, so it’s no wonder that M&E is increasingly becoming a sought after skill in many organizations today. We spoke with Michael Klein to learn more about the ideal skills a M&E professional should have and how to get them:

Mike Klein Headshot

Michael Klein is the director of International Solutions Group (ISG), a company that works with governments, U.N. agencies, international organizations, NGOs and other companies to improve the implementation of humanitarian aid and development programming projects.

Mike’s work is at the self-described intersection of ‘old-school’ M&E and ‘new-school’ ICT, working with partners to build on established M&E strategies, streamline data flows and analysis systems, facilitate access to key information, knowledge, reporting and data in a fast, reliable and secure manner.

Q: It’s an exciting time to be an M&E professional. Do you see a big need for young professionals who are trained to take on this kind of work?

M: Yes, it is definitely an exciting time to be in my field. Just looking at the types of conferences and forums being held on the subject, it’s really clear that M&E is a rapidly developing focus in our field. Specifically, I see M&E growing in two separate, but overlapping, areas.

Standard M&E careers: If you were to search job opportunities listed on Devex or Idealist, they are the typical of M&E positions you would find, ones that take a traditional approach (i.e M&E personnel are used to provide managers the with analysis and data they request.) These opportunities are certainly growing, as organizations will always need highly trained staff help to address their M&E.

Beyond the standard label of M&E: Just as in other sectors, skillsets such as analytics, knowledge management, data collection, and information sharing are highly valued in M&E, and the field is increasingly embracing individuals who have these skill sets. This is especially true for people who understand analytics, and how data can be collected, used, and analyzed.

As more and more players in the field are using new technologies and tools for data collection and analysis, a college graduate or young professional entering the field of M&E has a great opportunity to make his or her mark on the industry by leveraging his or her digital knowledge to provide guidance to some of the most prominent development organizations.

Q: What do you look for when hiring?

M: First off, I think it’s important to have a passion, an area of expertise that you enjoy. As a profession, M&E can take you in myriad directions, and it is important to identify what type of work in which you most want to engage. A strength of my team at ISG is that everyone has differing professional interests, ranging from gender equality to how ICTs can catalyze development. Having these range of specialties strengthens what we can offer clients, and when looking at new hires, I look for individuals who are already established or are on their way to becoming an expert in a field or sector.

Aside from passion and subject-matter expertise, people need to appreciate the big picture. When we look to make hires, we want an individual who understands what organizational performance means, ranging from back-office activities such as business development and marketing, all the way through to front-line programming at the field level. If you’re interested in M&E, you have to understand that organizational effectiveness is made possible by a complex interplay of many elements. Having that general appreciation for how organizations function, the types of struggles they face, and how you can improve upon their performance, are keys to success in this field.

isggroupMike with his group at ISG

Q: What does career progression look like for someone in M&E?

M: The reason I was drawn to this field is that there is no set path. Before working in M&E, I worked in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), which attracted me for similar reasons. When I worked in M&A, my clients represented a wide range of sectors, and I worked with management to help these organizations restructure, fundraise, find new investors, and generally position themselves to be more successful at what they were already doing (sound familiar?). Monitoring and evaluation is no different. People come to the field from a variety of different backgrounds—such as corporate finance like me, IT, agriculture, and plenty of others, including academic programs focused on M&E—and they serve clients representing the same diversity.

Because everyone enters the field with different skills, it is hard to say exactly how one progresses in the field. Someone entering the field after studying M&E at a university will likely have a fairly technical background may take a M&E support role within a larger organization and begin to assume more responsibility over the years. Whereas, if you’re transitioning into the field with an already established skill set from a different sector, you’re likely to take a different direction and provide either consultancy services or specific project-level guidance related to your expertise.

Q: What role do you think technology plays in M&E?

M: My personal take is that technology in and of itself is not necessarily transformative. Whether M&E is done on pen and paper or done using state-of-the-art IT solutions, good M&E is good M&E. However, technology has allowed organizations to quickly come up to speed with regards to implementing more robust approaches to M&E. If an organization is just shaping their M&E approach, using a technology solution can offer ease and expediency. The way most of these tools are constructed is based on industry best practices, so their structured, hierarchical approach is what we think of as good M&E. Clients who use these tools are then trained to capture their data in a systematic way that has the end in mind.

A lot of our clients initially say, “I really like that heat map,” or cite another specific visualization they see proved by an M&E tool and ask how they can create it for their program. This then launches into a discussion about how to collect data in a way that can deliver these types of reporting and highlight what is most important. It is much harder to go the other way.

Q: Any other pieces of advice you have for people considering the TechChange diploma in Tech for M&E?

M: Know how your study applies to what you want to accomplish and set some goals for yourself before you get into the nuts and bolts of the diploma program. If you come to these courses with a general idea of what skill gaps you want to address, you’re going to be very well placed to make the best use of the TechChange diploma program.

When I was taking one of TechChange’s M&E courses, I knew that I wanted to leverage the new skills I was developing to enhance my company’s marketing efforts. Thus, when I studied data visualization, I created multiple infographics for ISG, using tools that I would not have come across on my own. This was one of the best parts of the class: discovering cutting-edge tools in the field that I could utilize immediately.

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That’s all for this installation in our M&E Professionals Series! Be sure to check out our Technology for Monitoring and Evaluation diploma program – deadline to enroll is September 4!

When setting new year’s resolutions, we often set goals that include getting healthier, improving our relationships, and advancing our careers. We are fortunate to live in an era where the Internet contains an enormous amount of educational content including online courses that can keep our skills sharp and expertise relevant in a competitive global job market. However, it can be tough to keep up with the all the webinars, articles, blog posts, industry publications, and online courses with life’s competing demands.

Here are some tips on sticking with your professional development goals through online learning from several members of the TechChange alumni community.

1. Define your end goal
Be clear on what you want to get out of the online class. Catherine Shen likes to approach online learning by looking at two specific types of benefits: 1) concrete skills or knowledge, and 2) a course certificate to provide evidence of these new skills or knowledge. “By clearly defining what you want from an educational experience, you are more likely to keep motivated throughout the course with your goals you want to achieve in mind. This goal-oriented mindset is especially important to maintain the discipline needed to regularly log into your courses to earn that certificate when you’d rather be eating chili and watching Game of Thrones,” says Catherine.

Perhaps your goal might include getting a new job or switching to a more social mission-driven career. If that is the case, look at an interactive online learning experience as an investment toward achieving these goals by networking with professionals who could connect you to your next opportunity. Maybe your goal might be to get up to speed on any new industry vocabulary/jargon that you need to be aware of for your current or next job.

2. Schedule in your online learning time like you’d schedule a meeting.
Block off a regular time for your outside learning. Routines can be helpful to structure in time set aside, which might be a daily time or a weekly day for a few weeks. With this regimen in place, you’ll mentally prepare yourself and budget the time needed to get the work done.

If your online course has live interactive learning components like several TechChange courses do, make sure to take advantage of these live sessions as much as possible.

According to mHealth alumna, Lauren Bailey, it is very important to “be diligent and set aside time every day to log into the course — even if you can only spend 20 minutes. Try to attend live events and make sure to ask questions that enhance the discussion.”

Serial TechChange serial alumna Carolyn Florey also agrees with Lauren about the importance of live events. “Make attending live events a priority. Look at the live event discussions as part of your continuing education,” says Carolyn. “Rarely will you get an hour of access to these industry experts. “

According to Mobiles for International Development alumna, Ivy McCottry, who now works at AT&T, “The ‘live event’ sessions are very helpful. Even though these sessions are recorded and archived, it’s good to sit in live because you can contribute questions in real time and process the context of what’s being presented. You also don’t have to mull over content independently – you can send questions immediately or expand on an idea that has been mentioned. When attending these events, I always made sure the facilitator knew I was there at the session so my interests would be covered in the presentation.”

3. Focus on what you’re most interested in and what is most relevant for you.
As mentioned earlier, knowing your end goals helps you focus when your time and energy is limited. “The more you know precisely what you want to gain from the course, the more you will get out of it as you can prioritize those topics and ask questions that will focus discussions on areas you care about most,” said Ivy.

According to mHealth alumni, Dr. Layla McCay, “Various exercises [in TechChange courses] are tailored to what I happen to be interested in so I don’t have to complete every single thing. I can just see what’s relevant for me and take a deep dive into that.”

 

4. Integrate and apply coursework into your current (or dream) job

Especially for professionals who get professional development funding from their employers, it can be very helpful to set expectations with a supervisor before beginning a course to discuss how to apply learnings into current or future projects. Applying your new skills/knowledge to your work could mean starting a new project or sharing your learnings with a team-wide presentation or brown bag lunch sharing session. By making your employer aware of your professional development goals and let them know how you’re going to use this class next in your work to benefit an organization, you can further your career.

Mobiles for International Development alumnus, Trevor Knoblich, recommends leveraging TC105 or other courses within your own organization. “If you’re advocating for your organization to adopt new mobile tools and applications, you will have a variety of useful materials from TC105 to help make your case,” says Trevor.

Many TechChange alumni also use their online courses as a testing ground to experiment with new technologies in their current work projects. For example, Sairah Yusuf at Generation for Peace did so by visualizing the participants of a training program by creating a map of participants across the Middle East using MapBox. A team based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at FHI 360 Vietnam created mHealth pilots to address HIV based on the knowledge they acquired from taking their mHealth online course as a group.

5. Make connections by participating as much as you can.
Ivy highly recommends networking with guest speakers and course participants. “If speakers represent organizations that you want access to, definitely enroll in the course. The access that TechChange provides at this dollar value is unheard of and a great return on investment,” said Ivy. “Read profiles of other people who were taking the class and alumni as well. I was definitely inspired by the success stories of Carolyn Florey and Trevor Knoblich who advanced in their careers with the help of TechChange courses.”

Carolyn also suggested for online learners to “Read through other participants’ comments and questions. Often, other participants will have experience you don’t, so they’ll have some informed questions and insightful comments.”

According to Trevor, “You’ll ultimately get more out of the course the more engaged you are with your classmates, the professionals who are presenting, and the TechChange staff.”

Lauren agreed. “Be sure to reach out to classmates and find out more about their backgrounds and career paths. It’s great to have connections from all across the globe!” Throughout the duration of the course and even after, there will be opportunities to connect with course participants online and offline, from Washington,DC to Lusaka, Zambia.

 

Any other tips that have worked for you? Please share your online learning tips in the comments or tweet us @TechChange. Don’t forget to invest in your career by taking a course with us.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Israel, specifically a city south of Tel Aviv called Rishon Le Zion.

What did you do before working at TechChange?

Before I worked at TechChange, I worked as an Animator/After Effects Compositor on a few different children’s cartoons. The shows were produced either in Israel, or in Europe. I worked both in a production studio environment and I spent some time traveling and working where ever I had a stable internet connection and a desk.

How did you hear about TechChange?

I heard about TechChange through a job posting on indeed.com.

What exactly do you do at TechChange? What does a typical day look like for you?

I coordinate the work of our amazing creative team, with the vision of the instructional design team and provide feedback and guidance for different projects. My typical day would start by talking to my team, getting their input on current projects, checking their progress and setting goals for the day. Followed by answering clients and team emails. After that I would go into either storyboarding, drafting a concept note for a project, editing video boards (for animation), animate, figuring out next steps for larger projects, hop on check-in calls with clients or any other task that requires my input. At the end of the day I would make sure that the creative team has delivered completed tasks, check in with Nick or Chris on long term deliverables and plan my next day. The job is pretty diverse and requires a lot of long term planning, as well as attention to details. The things I always try to ask myself are: Are we on schedule? Are we improving? Are the team members in the loop?”

How did you get into animation?

As a kid, I was (and still am) a geek that spent a lot of time indoors watching TV and movies – especially cartoons and Disney movies. With heroes like Bugs Bunny, Spiderman and the Genie, I was amazed by the power of animation. I couldn’t believe that there were people out there creating visual representations for stuff that I thought only existed in my head. Growing up, I went to an engineering high school, and my sense for design and animation wasn’t very encouraged. After I finished my mandatory military service, my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) sent me a link to the animation department of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. I had no idea that a career in animation and design was even an option, but I told myself that if I get in, I’ll go for it. I applied and some how got through the tests. The first two years were very hard, but even after a lot of failures I couldn’t give up, because my drive to animate and draw kept growing as school was getting harder and harder. 4 years after graduating, I look back and I know that taking that chance was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Alon Alaskov creating interactive infographic

Alon Alaskov creating interactive infographic

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in creating animations for international development and social change?

The most important lesson in international development that I’ve learned is that there is a lot of room for creative thinking. Coming from a design background, I try to approach animation projects with a clean slate and do a lot of exploration. I’ve learned that this approach can applies to international development-related work as well, especially when explaining data-intensive concepts in visually compelling ways that make it easier to understand.

How do you keep up with the latest developments in animation/multimedia technology and trends?

A lot of web browsing. I have a Google News feed that keeps me updated on these issues, as well as colleagues who post interesting articles on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you love most about working at TechChange?

The people. This is by far the best team I’ve ever had the chance to work with. There’s a wonderful environment here, amazing energy, and hard working individuals.

Alon with his birthday gifts from the office: cupcakes and a sketch of himself made by his co-worker Pablo

Alon with his birthday gifts from TechChange: cupcakes and a sketch of himself made by his co-worker Pablo

 What is your favorite TechChange moment so far?

After almost two years of living in the US, I finally got to have a proper Halloween office party. In the party I had the privilege to participate in a short intellectual experiment called: “Between Two Nerds”. Thanks to Nick Martin, Pablo Leon and Charlie Weems, it turned out to be one of the best productions I ever took part in.

What do you do when you’re not at TechChange?

I enjoy spending time with my wife, watch movies, read comics/books, work on personal animation/design projects, hike, play PC games, and hangout with friends.

If you had to direct someone to the best place to eat in D.C. where would it be?

Busboys and Poets. Great food, awesome atmosphere.

Does Alon’s job sound like your dream job? Apply to our Animator/Videographer position here.

 

TechChange Graphic Designer Rachel Roth explains to TechGirls Ghada and Nataly how to draw characters using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Yesterday, TechChange hosted a job shadow day with Nataly Ayyad and Ghada Missaoui, two incredibly talented young ladies participating in this year’s TechGirls program with the U.S. State Department. This selective exchange program encourages Middle Eastern and North African teenage girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Within the next few weeks, they are travelling throughout the U.S. for their first time to visit technology companies such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Instagram.

Nataly and Ghada, hailing from the Palestinian Territories and Tunisia respectively, were selected to participate in this program and spent the day at the TechChange headquarters to learn what it’s like to work at an international edtech social enterprise. Nataly hopes to go into web design and believes that technological skills can be empowering to underprivileged people, especially women. She looks forward to sharing her new skills with them. Ghada is very passionate about astronomy and one day hopes to pursue studies in astrophysics. She has built her own website called “Go Girls Engineering” using Adobe Muse to showcase engineering role models for young students.

2014 TechGirl Ghada and OscarTechGirl Ghada shows Oscar Chen her website, Go Girls Engineering, she created using Adobe Muse. They discuss the pros and cons of using design tools like Muse as opposed to coding by hand with WordPress. 

Throughout the day, Nataly and Ghada met with different members of the TechChange team to learn about digital animation, graphic design, digital photography, web design and programming, interactive infographics, data visualization, search engine optimization (SEO), customer relationship management (CRM) software such as SalesForce, instructional design for eLearning with Articulate Storyline, and more.

Upon arriving to TechChange, the TechGirls were eager to know when we would show them how we do our animation videos.

Alon Askarov explains animation to TechGirls Ghada and NatalyCreative Director Alon Askarov explains how he uses Adobe Edge Animate and After Effects to create TechChange animations.

“My favorite part of my day at TechChange was definitely learning about the animation process!” said Nataly.

Emily Frutcherman guides TechGirls Nataly and Gadha through ArticulateEducation Technologist intern, Emily Fruchterman, shows the TechGirls the online learning courses that TechChange developed with the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center to scale HIV prevention

TechGirls Ghada and Nataly learn about photography with CharlieCharlie Weems demonstrates how to change aperture settings on a DSLR camera.

Cathie Chen explains Articulate to TechGirls Gadha and NatalyCathie Chen shows the TechGirls how to create a hotspot on Articulate Storyline.

Eric and Emily go over a project with TechGirls Nataly and GhadaEric Bihl and Emily Fruchterman do a hands-on session to show how to create triggers and slide layers on Articulate Storyline.

“Everything I learned at TechChange was very interesting, from learning about animations, digital photography, eLearning software, to understanding the diversity of online courses available,” commented Ghada.

TechGirls Group photo

Thanks for joining us, TechGirls!

See a summary of last year’s TechGirls Job Shadow day at TechChange here and click here to learn more about the TechGirls program.

When we last featured TC309: mHealth alumna, Lauren Bailey, on the TechChange blog, we shared her mHealth final project on the potential of WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) in using mobiles for public health. Since then, Lauren has landed a position at International Medical Corps as a Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant, where she works with colleagues who are also TechChange mHealth alumni.

This week, we visited Lauren at the International Medical Corps office in Washington, DC where she shared her latest updates on her mHealth career.

What did you find useful from your TechChange course, mHealth: Mobiles for Public Health?
The TechChange mHealth online course gave me a solid background in the use of mobile phones for public health. I became familiar with different organizations and companies that develop or use mHealth programs, and I feel comfortable talking knowledgeably about mHealth with others.

What impact has TC309 and TechChange had on you and your career?

1. Connecting to future employers
I applied for a position at International Medical Corps (IMC) that had an mHealth component in the job description. During the interview process, I connected with my now supervisor and colleague who were both in the middle of taking the same TechChange mHealth course I had taken 6 months earlier. They were both impressed with what they had been learning in the course, and I feel that the TechChange connection was one of the reasons I was offered a temporary position at the organization. I have been an active member of the organization’s mHealth interest group.

During my first week at IMC, my supervisor forwarded me the most recent WASHplus newsletter as a resource for a project I was working on. To my surprise, my TechChange project was featured in the newsletter! She was very impressed that the course had led to this feature in the newsletter.

2. Connecting to like-minded professionals passionate about WASH
I am thankful to have met many motivated and interesting TechChange colleagues and alumni. I reached out to a fellow TechChange alumnus with whom I had connected during the course. He and I share a love for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Talking with him gave me great insight on his work in WASH and gave me ideas for future work in the sector.

3. Crowdsourcing knowledge for primary research
Recently, I have used the TechChange Alumni group on LinkedIn to crowdsource information on the use of mHealth for behavior change. The network is full of accomplished and gracious people with diverse backgrounds willing to help others learn. My final course project, which coincided with a master level global environmental health course, served as a stepping stone to the qualitative research I am currently conducting on the use of mHealth for behavior change communication.

What advice would you give to students taking TC309 or any TC course?
1. Pay extra attention to Alain Labrique, one of the top speakers in the course. He gives an excellent introduction to the mHealth landscape. His lecture and research is part of the motivation behind some of my interests in the different uses of mHealth.

2. Be diligent and set aside time every day to log into the course — even if you can only spend 20 minutes. Try to attend live events and make sure to ask questions that enhance the discussion.

3. Make connections. Be sure to reach out to classmates and find out more about their backgrounds and career paths. It’s great to have connections from all across the globe!

About Lauren Bailey
Lauren Bailey is in the midst of completing her Master of Public Health degree in Global Environmental Health at George Washington University where she is conducting qualitative research on the use of mHealth for behavior change in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. Lauren’s passion for global health began five years ago when she defended her undergraduate thesis that used malaria as a case study for how health impacts poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. She acquired an interest for mobile health upon entering her graduate program where she learned more about the different uses of mobile phones for health purposes. Lauren originally hails from Massachusetts and is an avid baseball fan.

Are you also interested in mobile phones for public health? Join us for our upcoming Mobiles for International Development and mHealth online courses here.