School of Education hosts Research Capacity Building Exercise
The University of Namibia’s School of Education has taken a significant step towards improving research output and innovation, which are two of the strategic objectives outlined in the University’s revised Corporate Strategic Plan (2019-2024). A SWART analysis revealed a need to strengthen marketing of research and innovation output and increase research output. Against this backdrop, the Department of Applied Educational Sciences in the School of Education has embarked on a systematic research capacity-building exercise.
The research capacity-building exercise is being led by a group of seasoned academic researchers in the Department, including Prof James Abah (Chairperson), Prof Afria Zulu, Dr David Nkengbeza, and Prof Joanne Marshall, a Fulbright Scholar who visited the Department of Applied Educational Sciences from March 2022 to October 2022. The exercise aims to motivate fellow staff members in the School of Education to consider research and innovation as an integral component of academic orientation. It also aims to freshen up and sharpen the research skills of staff members, share information relating to research writing and publication, foster collaborative research, and improve the research output for the School of Education.
To date, the Department has hosted 2 training sessions, each of which attracted over 40 staff members. The research capacity-building schedule for 2023 includes 8 more sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of research and innovation. These sessions will cover topics such as practical approaches to identifying researchable problems and research collaboration, choosing research design and methodology, choosing data analysis methods, writing for journal publications, reference management in article writing, choosing credible journals, research communication and dissemination, and dealing with publication fee payments.
The Department of Applied Educational Sciences extends an invitation to all well-wishers to participate in any of the listed items through the coordinators of the training exercise. The research capacity-building exercise adopts a virtual platform (Zoom) to cater for cross-campus staff members.
Dr Simasiku Enock, Head of Department: Applied Educational Sciences, School of Education, highlighted the importance of the research capacity-building exercise, saying, “We believe that this exercise will go a long way in increasing the research output of the School of Education and promoting a culture of research and innovation among staff members.
“We encourage all staff members to take advantage of this opportunity to improve their research skills and contribute to the University’s strategic objectives.”
The School of Education’s research capacity-building exercise is a positive step towards improving research and innovation output and achieving the University’s strategic objectives. By fostering a culture of research and innovation and improving research skills, the School of Education is well-positioned to make significant contributions to the field of education and beyond.
