More than 50 DTI technical staff and supervisors attended the short Online Courses on Basic Research and Policy Development and Evaluation on 1-4 June 2021 through the DAP Center for Governance-Policy Research Office (CfG-PRO), in partnership with DTI Academy. Each course ran for one and a half days with PRO Dir. Gilbert Lumantao serving as the resource person for both courses.

The course on Basic Research comprises four lecture sessions aimed to give the 50 DTI technical staff and supervisors a practical step-by-step guide on conducting research that will contribute to a study, policy, or proposal in initiating a new project or program. 

Dir. Lumantao discussed the overview of research and its importance in the public sector; research design, methods of data collection and guidelines in questionnaire construction; practices and concepts in analyzing data; and effective communication of research results.

Class photo of the Course on Basic Research with CFG-PRO Director Gilbert E. Lumantao (first row, third photo from left) as resource person

 

On the other hand, the course on Policy Development and Evaluation, also composed of four sessions, intended to equip the 53 DTI staff and supervisors with knowledge and skills that will enable them to develop and evaluate policies effectively. The sessions covered fundamental concepts in public policy, the policy process, policy formulation and development, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and writing a policy paper. 

The first two sessions focused on Dir. Lumantao’s discussion of the basic models, approaches, and tools in policy-making, while the third session focused on effectively communicating policy options and recommendations in a paper, and outlined elements and some tips in policy writing. He also emphasized the importance of M&E in program design, ran through functional tools, and differentiated models and types of monitoring and evaluation.

Course on Policy Development and Evaluation Class Photo with Dir. Lumantao (first row, fifth photo from left)

The Courses on Basic Research, and Policy Development and Evaluation are part of the foundational courses of DTI Academy’s Project Dalubhasa, a specialist development program focused on developing competencies of DTI employees in their chosen fields of specialization – Business Development, Consumer Protection, and Trade and Investment.