Scientific Data Management Training

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), in collaboration with the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy, University of Cape Coast, has opened a call for participation in the training on Scientific Data Management.

Deadline for Applications:

15th October 2019

Venue:

University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Period:

29th November – 3rd December 2019

Open to:

PhD students and staff members of UCC and other Ghanaian universities

Contact:

Prof L K Sam-Amoah (lsam-amoah@ucc.edu.gh; dric@ucc.edu.gh)

Description

Scientific data management enhances the capacity of postgraduate students to meaningful engage in conducting quality research by developing appropriate research proposals, design of studies, collection and analysis of data for meaningful reporting. PhD and MSc students are heavily involved in large-scale experiments or surveys that sometimes lead to complex designs and to subsequent messy data. Figuring out how to handle data resulting from such experiments/surveys takes time, and getting appropriate assistance is difficult. The students are also constrained on how to effectively analyze data using appropriate statistical software, interpret the results and communicate well to the target audience. In recognition of these shortcomings, this course is structured to encompass broad biometrical needs that will equip the postgraduate students with skills required in conducting their research efficiently and effectively. The content incorporated in this course is drawn from broader topics ranging from planning of experiments/surveys, designing and implementing experiments, conducting data analysis for qualitative and quantitative data. The students will also be exposed to key statistical software (Genstat and SPSS) for data analysis and reporting.

Aim

The ultimate aim is to improve efficient flow of agricultural information and research specifically to achieve the following; understand the various biometrical components pertaining to design and analysis of experiments/surveys; apply various statistical techniques correctly at all stages of research and report the results effectively.

Objective

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Confidently illustrate fundamental concepts behind experimental/survey designs and statistical data analyses within the context of developing countries;
2. Apply key statistical concepts such as correlation& regression analysis; categorical data analysis techniques and generalized linear models, etc; and
3. Use statistical software to describe, analyze and model the state of a biological or agricultural system in both a quantitative and qualitative manner.

Methodology

The course will be conducted in a balanced approach, including very little theoretical underpinning, analytical tools, and practical application of the learning to solve realworld problems. Delivery will be mixed mode, including interactive lectures and practicals designed to complement the lecture material. The approach will be participatory, with students expected to be active learners, and to commit themselves to intensive and critical self-study. Assignments will be designed to train and test critical thinking skills. Real life data sets brought by facilitators or drawn from students prior to the start of the course will be used throughout in examples and exercises. The mode of instruction is divided into two parts, namely limited theory/examples and computer exercises. All the exercises will use both SPSS and GenStat Software.

Each participant will be expected to bring a laptop and a set of data. The daily programme will be divided into sections that will allow for an overview of the topics followed by computer-based practicals and discussion on the statistical results. Basic principles followed by computer examples will be introduced first. Participants will analyse their data using techniques already introduced on a daily basis. Discussions on interpretation and presentation of the results will be held every day during the plenary sections.

Certification

Participants who successfully complete the training course will receive a certificate of participation from RUFORUM and University of Cape Coast.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by 15th October 2019.If you encounter problems with your application, do not hesitate to contact us. Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Please indicate ‘Application for skills enhancement training_SDM’ in the subject line of the email.

Profile Requirements

To be considered for a candidate for this training, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. Should be in the following fields: natural sciences, and agriculture
2. PhD Students and recently recruited staff with Masters or PhD in Ghanaian institutions
3. Have understanding of basic biometrics applied to quantitative and qualitative data, and in addition, numeracy skills
4. Have data sets to analyze
5. Have a laptop

Attached Files

agm-submission-process.pdf

call-for-extended-abstracts-for-ruforum-15th-agm-2-6-december-2019-in-cape-coast-ghana.pdf

guidelines-for-research-application-summary.pdf

Proposal Development, Scientific Writing and Presentation Training

RUFORUM, in collaboration with the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy, University of Cape Coast, has opened a call for participation in the training on Thesis Proposal Development and Scholarly Publishing.

Deadline for Applications:

15th October 2019

Venue:

University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Period:

29th November – 3rd December 2019

Open to :

Master students of UCC and other Ghanaian universities

Contact :

Prof L K Sam-Amoah (lsam-amoah@ucc.edu.gh; dric@ucc.edu.gh)

Description

Project proposal development skills are crucial for researchers in Africa in order to mobilize research resources that are increasingly competitive, yet essential for the continued engagement of researchers and sustained performance of the agricultural research sector. Students at university, particularly postgraduate students, have the opportunity to attain skills in proposal development as part of the training process when they develop Proposals for their respective Thesis research. Unfortunately, such skills are rarely catered for in the universities curricular and the assumption is that the students will learn through interactions with their supervisors.

Similarly, competence in scientific writing and targeted packaging of information are critical ingredients for agricultural researchers to contribute meaningfully to knowledge management and to institutional visibility worldwide. Besides, meticulous writing is an attribute often cautiously or otherwise associated with high quality and credible research scholarly products. It is a major ingredient for uninterruptable reading of documents; besides being a quality associated with celebrities in science. African research institutions are presently characterized by generally poor publication levels in regional and international peer-reviewed journals, owing to diminishing capacity in scientific writing skills and academic mentorship. African researchers must reposition themselves or be facilitated to do so in order to connect with the current art and design of manuscript writing, to resonate with the obtaining cutting edge frontier knowledge and readership interests.

Aim

The objective of the write-shop is to develop and/or strengthen capacity of postgraduate (Masters – level) students of the University of Cape Coast and other Ghanaian Universities skills and competences in proposal development, scholarly writing for journal manuscript production and presentations in order to contribute to global frontier knowledge management.

Objective

By the end of this course the participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate key principles of proposal development and scientific communication
2. Organize the different components of a proposal in a logical flow
3. Write an effective proposal according to donor’s requirements and guidelines
4. Use of M&E frameworks in project design when developing a proposal
5. Write good quality reports tailored to a target audience
6. Write good quality papers for publication

Methodology

A group discussion approach will be adopted to foster interdisciplinality, harmonise the different levels of experience in scientific writing skills to enhance sharing of experiences. Group discussion outputs will be presented in plenary for inputs from facilitators and participants. A logical step-by-step format will be used for the three components of the workshop (Thesis proposal development; scholarly writing, and Presentations). Each day will end with an evaluation by the participants. The outputs of the evaluation will be presented the next day except for the last day when the overall evaluation will be discussed. In addition to daily evaluations, participants at the Closing Session will evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop using a formal evaluation template.

This training will be a unique experience that will offer participants a one-to-one interaction opportunity with the facilitators, along with working groups. For this to be achieved, it is imperative that a modest number of students will be involved. Furthermore, take-home exercises will be inevitable and the full cooperation of the participants is mandatory for the course to achieve its objectives.

Certification

Participants who successfully complete the training course will receive a certificate of participation from RUFORUM and University of Cape Coast.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by 15th October 2019. If you encounter problems with your application, do not hesitate to contact us. Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Please indicate ‘Application for skills enhancement training_PSPT’ in the subject line of the email.

Profile Requirements

To be considered for a candidate for this training, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. Should be in the following fields: natural sciences, and agriculture
2. MSc Students
3. Have understanding of thesis topic which addresses a significant problem
4. Have ideas on what to write a manuscript on
5. Have a laptop

Attached Files

agm-submission-process.pdf

call-for-extended-abstracts-for-ruforum-15th-agm-2-6-december-2019-in-cape-coast-ghana.pdf

guidelines-for-research-application-summary.pdf