Project Design and Social Impact Assessment

2026/2027

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Compulsory course

When:

1 year, 3 module

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course focuses on key concepts, methodologies and practical approaches to organizing social projects and assessing their impact. It involves studying the theory of change and other approaches that explain the relationship between actions and results. Students will learn how to design projects that lead to specific results and social effects, and will also gain skills in designing social impact assessment plans and selecting appropriate indicators. In addition, students will become familiar with the principles of qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impact of projects on stakeholders and communities.

Learning Objectives

• Develop a systematic understanding of social project design and the lifecycle of impact-oriented initiatives.
• Build competence in formulating project goals, objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets, and resource strategies.
• Enable students to identify and justify effective social impact mechanisms using evidence, stakeholder analysis, benchmarking, and context-sensitive frameworks.
• Develop knowledge and practical skills in major social impact evaluation approaches and methods.
• Build the ability to formulate theories of change, outcomes, indicators, and evidence plans.
• Develop competence in designing project-level Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning systems.
• Strengthen ethical judgment, stakeholder accountability, data-informed decision-making, and professional evaluator competencies.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Analytical report on a social impact mechanism.
• Completed grant application proposal.
• Individual evaluator competency development plan.
• Descriptive evaluation plan with metrics.
• Concise project Theory of Change.
• Outcome and indicator matrix.
• Predictive SROI calculation model.
• Prepare a comprehensive operational blueprint for a project-level MEL system.
• Understand the role of evaluation at different stages of project design and implementation.
• Can assess the quality and contextual suitability of social impact mechanisms.
• Can formulate project goals, objectives, deliverables, schedules, budgets, and resource plans.
• Understand the purposes, principles, ethical foundations, and evidence standards of social impact evaluation.
• Can construct a logical model and Theory of Change, including assumptions and enabling conditions.
• Can formulate coherent outcomes and indicators aligned with project objectives and, where relevant, the SDGs.
• Can perform a basic predictive SROI calculation and interpret its assumptions and limitations.
• Can design an integrated MEL system that supports accountability, decision-making, and organizational learning
• Can critically communicate evaluation findings and limitations to different stakeholder groups

Course Contents

• Topic 1. Introduction to Social Project Design
• Topic 2. Approaches to Designing Effective Social Impact Mechanisms
• Topic 3. Social Project Management
• Topic 4. Frameworks for Social Impact Evaluation
• Topic 5. Descriptive Methods in Social Impact Evaluation
• Topic 6. Process-Based Methods in Social Impact Evaluation
• Topic 7. Indicator-Based Methods in Social Impact Evaluation
• Topic 8. Socio-Economic Efficiency Metrics as Impact Evaluation Tools
• Topic 9. Designing Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Systems

Assessment Elements

• Case-Based Assignments
  Students complete a series of short individual or team-based analytical and applied tasks during the course. These may include lifecycle analysis, evaluation of impact mechanisms, project planning, evaluator competency analysis, Theory of Change construction, indicator design, or interpretation of socio-economic efficiency calculations.
• Social Project and Impact Measurement Portfolio
  The portfolio integrates the principal applied outputs developed during the course.
• Examination

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 3rd module
  0.4 * Examination + 0.25 * Case-Based Assignments + 0.35 * Social Project and Impact Measurement Portfolio

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• The international handbook on social innovation : collective action, social learning and transdisciplinary research, , 2013

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Strang, K. D. (2015). The Palgrave Handbook of Research Design in Business and Management. New York City, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1075586

Authors

• KUZINER EVGENIIA NIKOLAEVNA