Online Courses
J-PAL’s online courses bring our impact evaluation trainings to a global audience on a flexible schedule.
J-PAL’s online courses offer a gateway to the world of impact evaluation and provide flexible learning opportunities to a global audience. Designed for policymakers, practitioners, program implementers, and students, these courses cover various aspects of designing and conducting impact evaluations with the aim of fostering an evidence-based approach to social programs.
Upcoming Dates
Visit the links below to enroll in upcoming online courses or view the most recent course run. Our online courses run on a recurring or rolling basis, and links will be updated as they become available.
| Course | Duration | 2024 dates |
| Evaluating Social Programs | Self-paced | September 17 - December 20 |
| Evaluación de Impacto de Programas Sociales | Self-paced | June 18 - July 23 |
| Avaliação de Impacto de Programas e Políticas Sociais | Self-paced | Rolling |
| Designing & Running Randomized Evaluations | 11 weeks | Sept. 10 - Dec. 17 (fall); Jan. 21 - Apr. 30 (spring 2025) |
| L’éducation informée par la recherche | Self-paced | July 18 - October 9 |
| Measuring Health Outcomes in Field Surveys | Self-paced | Rolling |
J-PAL 101x: Evaluating Social Programs
Learn why and when randomized evaluations can be used to rigorously measure the impact of social programs through this self-paced, online version of our flagship in-person training course. Through lectures taught by J-PAL affiliated professors and case studies based on real-world evaluations, learners gain a thorough understanding of:
- How to develop a theory of change and measure outcomes
- Key components of a well-designed randomized evaluation
- How to determine an appropriate sample size to estimate impact
- Common threats and pitfalls to the validity of experiments
- How to assess generalizability and use research findings
The course is available in three languages and takes an average of 20 hours to complete. Learners can take the course for free or pay a $99 fee for an optional certificate of completion. Learn more and enroll:
- Evaluating Social Programs (English)
- Evaluación de Impacto de Programas Sociales (Spanish)
- Avaliação de Impacto de Programas e Políticas Sociais (Portuguese)
“My course experience aided me in crafting data-informed, evidence-based, and compelling stories to demonstrate the eventual impact of our work as an organization.”
Juvhan Rebangcos, Data and Impact Assessment Manager, Teach for the Philippines
J-PAL 101x offers a foundational understanding of how randomized evaluations can be used to measure social impact. For those looking for more in-depth guidance on conducting randomized evaluations, we encourage you to enroll in J-PAL’s semester-long 102x course below.
J-PAL 102x: Designing and Running Randomized Evaluations
Through this semester-long course, participants learn practical skills for running randomized evaluations and collecting reliable data. In addition to the key concepts covered in J-PAL 101x, lectures taught by J-PAL affiliated professors and senior staff provide guidance on:
- How to implement randomized evaluations
- Questionnaire design, piloting, and quality control
- Data collection, management, and monitoring
- Research integrity and transparency
The course runs for 11 weeks and is offered two times per year on the MITx Online platform. The course can be taken for free or learners can pay $250-$1,000 (based on income) to earn a course certificate. Visit the course page to learn more and register.
A DEDP student completing a course module at MIT. Photo: Lucy Nguyen
“What is amazing about this course is that it gives you a deep understanding about the steps of randomized evaluations.”
Jose Daniel Najarro Salazar, Analyst of Economic Studies in Society, ComexPerú
This course is part of the J-PAL/MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy. The courses cover topics in economics, econometrics, development, and policy and can be taken individually or together to earn a credential. Visit the MicroMasters portal to learn more.
L’éducation informée par la recherche
This French-language course introduces key concepts to understand evidence in education and participate in the experimental research process. Developed as part of the Innovation, Data and Experiments in Education program, the course draws on examples from rigorous evaluations and interviews with leaders in education. Modules include:
- How to measure the impact of education interventions
- Ethical considerations in the social sciences
- Assessing impact claims and using evidence in education
L’éducation informée par la recherche: Une introduction aux évaluations d’impact is designed for education stakeholders in French-speaking communities, including policymakers at national and subnational levels, teachers and teacher trainers, and staff at NGOs and funding organizations. The course is available for free on the FUN platform and takes approximately 12 hours to complete.
Measuring Health Outcomes in Field Surveys
This course showcases real-world examples from research studies by J-PAL affiliated researchers in India and Kenya to provide practical insights about study design and data collection for field-based health research. Designed for those who are new to health research as well as practitioners and researchers working on health measurement around the world, the course covers topics such as:
- Measuring individual and population health
- Selecting health outcomes and indicators
- Questionnaire development and measurement tools
- Practical and ethical issues for data collection
Measuring Health Outcomes is free to access at any time on MIT’s Open Learning Library. Please note that certificates cannot be earned for this course.