Designing and Running Randomized Evaluations
Learn practical skills for running randomized evaluations to measure the impact of social programs.
Course Information
Certificate Track
Learn for Free
About this Course
A randomized evaluation, also known as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), is an impact evaluation method that uses random assignment to obtain a rigorous and unbiased estimate of the impact of a program or policy.
In this course, you will explore when and why to conduct RCTs, and how to build a well-designed, policy-relevant study. We will provide step-by-step training on how to design and conduct a randomized evaluation, including questionnaire design, piloting, quality control, and data collection, while also covering broader themes like research transparency and research ethics.
Designed for policymakers, program implementers, and practitioners from governments, NGOs, international organizations, foundations, and students, this course equips you to use evidence to understand whether a program is achieving its intended impact.
For those looking for more of an introduction to randomized evaluations, consider J-PAL’s self-paced course on Evaluating Social Programs. The course is not part of the DEDP MicroMasters program.
The course is free to audit. Learners can take a proctored exam and earn a course certificate by paying a fee, which varies by ability to pay. Please see our FAQ articles for more information on the certificate and audit track features as well as more information on the pricing structure. Enroll in this course by selecting the "enroll now" button at the top of the page.
This course can be completed by itself or as part of the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP), which provides a path toward the master’s in DEDP at MIT.
What you'll learn
The course will investigate the following topics:
- Randomized evaluation design
- Sampling, randomization, and sample size
- Measurement
- Data collection and management
- Questionnaire design
- Research integrity, transparency, and reproducibility
Access the full syllabus here.
Prerequisites
Although not required, familiarity with basic statistical concepts is recommended.
Course Readiness Check:
Our course readiness checks help you determine if you should review key concepts before starting the course.
Please use this link to access the course readiness check and answer key.
Meet your instructors
Esther Duflo
Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics
Esther Duflo is the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. She is also the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at MIT. She was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, in Paris, and at MIT. She has received numerous honors and prizes including a John Bates Clark Medal for the best American economist under 40 in 2010, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2009. She was recognized as one of the best eight young economists by The Economist magazine, one of the 100 most influential thinkers by Foreign Policy since the list exists, and one of the “Forty under 40” most influential business leaders under forty by Fortune magazine in 2010.
To learn more, please click here.
