Capacities for managing development
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Development management engages with the multiple challenges of ‘development’ - any development, anywhere - and this course sets out to build up the basic capacities for managing those challenges. It rests on the assumption that management is a political and ethical process, a matter of the use of power to bring about desired goals in contexts characterised by conflicts of interests, values and agendas. The course teaches a range of skills needed by any manager, skills to do in particular with strategic thinking, research, advocacy, planning, policy making, and evaluation. It is of relevance to managers in any sector, anywhere.
Course content
Development management is concerned with promoting the process of development. Although this course looks mainly at development in ‘developing countries’, the concepts, frameworks, skill areas and techniques are applicable to a wide range of situations and contexts. The areas in which you will develop skills include:
- appreciating historical approaches to development management, and institutional and conceptual frameworks for analysing development management
- planning, making a case for and appraising projects
- knowing how and when to use different investigative methods and processes
- working with data, testing assumptions and making cases for intervention
- monitoring, evaluation and performance assessment
- learning for strategic thinking and advocacy.
Recent processes of change have included globalisation, structural adjustment and the reduction of direct state involvement in economies, as well as considerable social and physical disruption and displacement of populations nationally and internationally. The course is primarily concerned with development management as a means of bringing about reconstruction and finding alternative strategies for development. It is divided into four parts.
Part 1 History, concepts and the role of development management explores‘what is development management?’ and highlights the challenges faced in developing and implementing interventions. The material examines the contested history of development/development management as a way of understanding the orthodoxies that frame current practice and opening space for considering alternatives. It asks, what do these trends in development management mean for managers? How can development managers operate in a context of on-going debate around organisational types, values and approaches to development intervention? Part 1 extends your capacity to understand the contexts in which development managers work, the barriers that can be encountered and explores how things could be done differently.
Part 2 Development intervention: analysis, planning and action focuses on development-oriented intervention at the micro-level. It explores the challenges around planning and developing an intervention, engaging diverse stakeholders and ensuring decisions are based on a firm evidence base. It develops students’ abilities to investigate the needs of particular groups and what initiatives are appropriate and feasible in specific contexts and to plan development oriented interventions. It encourages a critical engagement with both planning tools and investigative techniques within development processes.
Part 3 Learning in development management: evaluation, advocacy and strategy focuses on learning within and between interventions. It examines the challenges associated with accountability and evaluation, and the capacities needed to engage in such activities. Looking back out towards the broader strategic arena of development policy and cross organisational learning, it also explores how development managers can influence strategic change through disseminating information about projects and engaging in advocacy focussed activities.
By the end of the course your analytical capabilities and strategic skills for facilitation change should be improved so that you can make a more informed and effective contribution to the environment in which you work.
Entry
This course can be taken on its own or counted towards a qualification. If you are taking it as part of a postgraduate qualification you must have adequate preparation for study at this level, usually demonstrated by a bachelors degree (or the equivalent) from a UK university. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
If you would like more information about the Development Management Programme, you can visit our website which incudes additional information on the courses and awards, recommended routes through the programme and details of special schemes. You could also try our study skills exercise.
Discount for students in non-OECD countries
If you are resident outside of Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey and the USA, you may be eligible for a discounted fee for this course. To enquire about/claim this discount, telephone + 44 (0)115 962 5451 ext 65972, or email us.
Qualifications
TU870 is a compulsory course in our
- Postgraduate Certificate in Development Management (C48)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Development Management (D37)
- MSc in Development Management (F11)
TU870 is an optional course in our
- Advanced Diploma in Environmental Decision Making (C18)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice (C72)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Decision Making (D38)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Policy (E15)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems (E10)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Thinking in Practice (E28)
- MBA (F02)
- Master of Public Administration (F44)
- MA in Environment, Policy and Society (F19)
- MA in Social Sciences (F09)
- MSc in Environmental Decision Making (F13)
- MSc in Information Systems (F37)
- MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice (F47)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate courses to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Some of the course material is presented on DVD-ROM. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, DVDs. If you do not have access to a DVD player, CD-ROMs are available on request.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will be responsible for monitoring your progress on the course, marking and commenting on your written work and whom you can contact for advice and guidance. Your tutor will mediate an online forum for your tutor group in which participation is optional. A programme of face-to-face tutorials will be arranged at one or two UK locations and students will also have the opportunity to engage in synchronous online tutorials. There is also a separate online forum for all students on the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
You will take the exam in one of the University’s examination centres. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in May and November 2010. We expect it to be available twice a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Social Sciences.
Study explained
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- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
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- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
I found the course very heavy in terms of reading to start off with. The course material uses a lot ...
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An extremely interesting and time-intensive course. Highly recommendable for anyone with an interest in development work. Unfortunately, some of the ...
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