Introduction to Impact Evaluation - M1_L3

Now, knowing the results of this impact evaluation, we can think about what this evaluation helps us to understand based on the points mentioned above. The program has no effects on the school performance of laptop beneficiaries. This undermines the initial idea we had about the positive impact that laptops could have on learning. But it does have impacts on cognitive tests. There are three important conditions to be taken into account that may explain the outcome: 1) The program was implemented in remote rural areas of Peru where there may be limited access to electricity or internet service. 2) The laptop did NOT include software designed to improve skills in the areas of math or language. 3) There was no major link between the use of the laptop and the classroom curriculum. The conditions mentioned above can tell us why the outcomes differ from what was expected. The program could be redesigned taking into account the three previous points. This could comprise the following actions: a) Verify connectivity of households of beneficiary children. b) Include teachers’ training to incorporate the use of laptops in the classroom content as well as useful programs for this purpose. c) Advise parents not to neglect the supervision or care of their children, since children may use the laptop to play games instead of spending time studying. It cannot be assumed that laptop use will be related only to school activities. There could be a positive externality effect if, for example, the laptop is used by other members of the household and this has an impact on labor participation.