TY - RPRT TI - Big Data to Data Science - Moving from “What” to “How” in the MERL Tech Space AU - Bertermann, Kecia AU - Robinson, Alexandra AU - Bamberger, Michael AU - Higdon, Grace Lyn AU - Raftre, Linda AB - This paper probes trends in the use of big data by a community of early adopters working in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) in the development and humanitarian sectors. Qualitative analysis was conducted on data from MERL Tech conference records and key informant interviews. Findings indicate that MERL practitioners are in a fragmented, experimental phase, with use and application of big data varying widely, accompanied by shifting terminologies. We take an in-depth look at barriers to and enablers of use of big data within MERL, as well as benefits and drawbacks. Concerns about bias, privacy, and the potential for big data to magnify existing inequalities arose frequently. The research surfaced a need for more systematic and broader sharing of big data use cases and case studies in the development sector. DA - 2020/07// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 20 LA - en PB - MERL Tech ER - TY - RPRT TI - Emerging Technologies and Approaches in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning for International Development Programs AU - Bruce, Kerry AU - Gandhi, Valentine J AU - Vandelanotte, Joris AB - Emerging technology is making monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) more precise and enriching data. However, this evolution is so rapid that it can be difficult to stay informed about the field overall. This paper presents examples of emerging technology that are most often used in MERL for development programs, describes the pros and cons of their use, and discusses technology and ethics concerns that practitioners should keep in mind. The paper covers new types of data sources (application data, sensor data, and drones), new ways to store data (distributed ledger technology and the cloud), and new ways to analyze data (text analytics and supervised and unsupervised learning). DA - 2020/07// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 20 LA - en PB - MERL Tech ER - TY - RPRT TI - What We Know About Traditional MERL Tech - Insights from a Scoping Review AU - Tilton, Zach AU - Harnar, Michael AU - Raftree, Linda AU - Perrin, Paul AU - Bruening, Gretchen AU - Banerji, Soham AU - Gordley, John AU - Foster, Hanna AU - Behr, Michele AB - This paper explores the peer-reviewed evidence base of “traditional” technology-enabled monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL Tech) in international development assistance from 2015 to 2019. The authors conducted a scoping review that searched seven databases, screened 3,054 reference titles and abstracts, coded 886 abstracts, and extracted and analyzed conclusions and recommendations from the full texts of 256 studies. The findings reveal the most frequently reported technologies, MERL activities, and the sub-sectors, and the geographies where those tech-enabled activities occur. Gaps in the evidence for specific technologies, MERL activities, and sectors are mapped. The data reveals which technologies are trusted more than others and reported barriers to effective MERL Tech implementation and areas that researchers suggest for further investigation. The results suggest that the evidence from peer-reviewed studies is not proportional to estimated MERL Tech activity, significant publication bias exists, and further knowledge synthesis of unindexed grey literature is needed to provide a more comprehensive and possibly accurate description of MERL Tech practice. DA - 2020/06// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 27 LA - en PB - Western Michigan University ER - TY - RPRT TI - MERL Tech State of the Field - The evolution of MERL Tech AU - Raftree, Linda DA - 2020/04// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 30 LA - en PB - MERL Tech UR - https://merltech.org/resources/merl-tech-state-of-the-field-the-evolution-of-merl-tech/ ER -