The Theory of Change Fundamentals course presents the USAID theory of change framework for programmatic and operational uses by all Agency staff. The course defines the concept of a theory of change, describes the five elements of a theory of change and its associated logic model, explains how a theory of change applies across the Agency’s Program Cycle, and provides examples of how a theory of change applies to staff roles. The course uses a case study based on a real USAID activity to illustrate the application of a theory of change.
The course was co-developed by USAID's Bureau for Planning, Learning, and Resource Management (PLR) in the Offices of Strategic and Program Planning (SPP) and Learning, Evaluation, and Research (LER). It is designed to serve as an ongoing resource to inform activity planning and management, and monitoring, evaluation, and CLA.
This online course is intended for any development professional interested in strengthening their capacity and, in turn, USAID programming through more effective design and use of theories of change as a cornerstone to good development practice.