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ReGGS TIMESUSIU-AFRICA Research, Grants and Graduate Studies Office Newsletter

FALL 2015 ISSUE NO.27

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Hope you all had a great closure of 2015 and wonderful opening of 2016. Mine was great in spite of the accident that got me onto crutches (which I jokingly refer to as “my four wheel drive that gets me there a bit later”). It gives me great pleasure to come back to you with updates from last year and anticipations for our near future.

Among many other successes, some of the major 2015 accomplishments include the EAMARC conference which brought many scholars together on USIU-Africa campus including engagement of students. Another major accomplishment was a large grant of KES 33 million from IDRC/ACIAR for the Global Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (GAME) Center implementation of its Metro AgriFood Living Lab in the Fish and Poultry sector as well a variety of other researchers who received a variety of other grants.

Internally, the research office got the approval for implementation of the Institute for Multidisciplinary Applied Research (IMAR) which will hire full time research faculty. This will increase our research profile. We also worked closely with the library to implement the repository which has become so popular and likely to improve our research image among our peers. Finally, the university reinstated its research funding for 3 million shillings and several faculty applied. The Faculty Council Academic and Research committee has already recommended winners for award of grants to be announced soon.

Table of ContentsA Word from the Associate DVC - Academics Affairs (Research)

EAMARC II

Faculty Profiles

Game Center

Grant Writer’s Desk

Monitoring And Evaluation Specialist Desk

Research Assosiate Desk

RA Testimonials

Spring Training Schedule

In this report, we also celebrate accomplishments of our colleagues in the research area. A profile for Dr. Linge and Prof. Kioko are reflective of what many of our faculty have been working on with respect to research. Please join me in congratulating them. We also welcome those who have been engaged in research to let us know so we can work on their profile.

As we start 2016, a number of items are on our agenda. We are already planning for EAMRC 3 and will need your participation as a presenter, reviewer, planning team, etc. Please send your interest to Susan Muchai at smuchai@usiu.ac.ke or Everlyne Otiato at eotiato@usiu.ac.ke.

We are also preparing for the VC’s inauguration in April with which we intend to intensify the intellectual discourse with distinguished scholars and practitioners in the months ahead of the inauguration.

We also plan to continue to pursue large research grants while streamlining our research agenda towards defined niches as per our research strategic plan.

Other major concepts we will be pursuing include the research park concept, development of data indices and implementation of the LAGICS concept (Linking Academia, Government, Industry and Civil Society). We look forward to your support, our key stakeholders (faculty, students, staff, alumni and board members).

On behalf of the Academic Research,we wish you a happy and prosperous 2016!

Message from the DVC-Academic Affairs (Research)

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East African Multidisciplinary Applied Research Conference

The Eastern Africa Multidisciplinary Applied Research Conference (EAMARC 2) was held at USIU-Africa on 18th to 20th Nov 2015. The purpose of the conference was to create a platform for the distinguished researchers, industry practitioners, professionals and students to share findings from their applied research along with experiences, achievements and challenges in their respective areas of proficiency. The conference specifcally aimed at providing a podium for researchers to vitrine their research activities through;

Discussion of specialized applied research related to development goals and policy issues relevant to decision making, in particular with respect to the East African region;

Collaboration among researchers and linkages with practitioners and policy makers;

Contribution to publications and dissemination of research findings complement a main article. Use them when you want to keep your main articles direct and information packed, but you still want to share extra or supplementary content.

Besides paper presentations, the conference was very interactive hence stimulated networking, collaborations, and sharing of best practices and solutions to the emerging issues in academia and industrial arena. The other output will be publications/conference journals, reports from interactive sessions as well as uploading materials in the university repository.

Conference overview

Conference Outputs

Participants of EAMARC 2. Including the Chief Guest Edward Odundo CEO of RBA, DVCAA Amb. Prof. Ruthie Rono, Associate DVCA Research Prof. Francis Wambalaba, CEO of Aga Khan University Hospital Shaun Bolluki, Dean of Chandaria School of Business Dr. George Achoki, Prof. Peter Lewa, Prof Sylvester Namuye, Prof. Paul Katuse, Prof. Jimmy Macharia, Nad Okello, Karen Nguru, David Nerubucha, DBA Student Fred Mueni, Susan Muchai, Bonn Jonyo and Reuben Mutegi

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FACULTY PROFILE

Dr. Teresiah Linge is an Associate Professor of Management and Program Director of Business Administration and International Business Administration programs in the Chandaria School of Business.

She completed her PhD in Business Management from North West University, South Africa. She has completed further post-doctoral projects and teaching at USIU-Africa as an Assistant Professor in Management.

Professional Training • DA/IFC MSME Competitiveness Project (case writing and teaching)

- Kenya

• Workshop on Writing for Publication – University of Stellenbosch Business School

• Gordon Institute of Business Science (case writing and teaching– South Africa

PUBLICATIONS IN REFEREED JOURNALSACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION BY AJOLTE

Linge T.K. (2015). Application of modern human resource management practices by women SME owner/managers in Kenya

Linge T.K.. & Mutinda, (2015) J. Extrinsic factors that affect employee job satisfaction at Nairobi Chapel PUBLISHED WORK

Linge, T.K. (2015). The Effect of Organizational Political Skills on Women’s Career Progression in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 6, No 5.

Linge, T.K. (2015). Social- Family Issues as Barriers to Career Advancement: The Perception of Women Employees in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Research, Vol. 5, Issue 4.

Linge, T.K. & Kamoche, M. (2015). Talent Management Approaches for Restructuring: A Case of Non-Governmental Organizations in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 6, No 5.

Linge, T.K. & Kiruri, J.K. (2013). The Effect of Placement Practices on Employee Performance in Small Service Firms in the Information Technology Sector in Kenya International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 4, No 15.

Linge, T.K., Van Rensburg, W. and Sikalieh, D (2011). The Relationship between Goal Setting and Career Advancement: A Case of Women Employees in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(17).

Linge, T.K., Van Rensburg, W. and Sikalieh, D. (2010). The role of visibility and career advancement of women in Kenya Journal of Languages, Technology and Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2(1) 351-359 (Online) Available at ajol.info/index.php/jolte/article/view/52011/40645.

Honors/Awards• 2014: United States International University certificate of long

service award

• 2012: DEEPWELLS Women Group Award of the Year Official

Research Papers Presented in International ConferencesService delivery in NGOs: an examination of the contribution of board of directors in Marsabit County in Kenya: (Conference Paper Presented to the International Conference of Small Business World Conference in Dubai- 5Th- 9Th June 2015)

Application of modern human resource management practices by women sme owner/managers in Kenya (Conference Paper Presented to the International Conference of Small Business World Conference in Dublin 11Th to the 14Th June 2014

Effective organizational communication as a strategy to attain competitive advantage in Safaricom Limited (A conference paper p resented at the Chandaria School of Business, United States International University First Annual Conference 26th – 27th June 2014)

Employee Placement Practices in Small Service Firms in the Information Technology Sector in Kenya. (A conference paper presented 7th at the International Business Conference 2Nd to 6Th September 2013, Seychelles)

Social-Family Issues as Barriers to Career Advancement: The Perception of Women Employees in Kenya. (A conference paper presented at The Third International Business Conference; Zanzibar,16-17 September 2009

Organizational Political Skills and Career Advancement: (A conference paper presented at International Conference on Education: 8th -10th July 2009, Kenyatta University)

Women Employees’ Perception of the Effect of Individual Characteristics on Career Advancement (A conference paper presented at ICSB 2009 World Conference June 21-24, 2009, Seoul, Korea)

Supervisor gender and women employees’ perception of support for career advancement (A conference paper presented at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) 13th Annual International Management Conference,18Th -20Th November 2008) 

Safety Management Practices in the Waste Disposal Industry in Nairobi (A conference paper presented at the Graduate School of Business & Government Leadership, Mafikeng in February 2007).

Quality of Working Life in SMEs in Kenya: Employee Participation and Organizational Commitment. (A conference paper presented at the Graduate School of Business & Government Leadership, Mafikeng in February 2007).

Safety Management in SME’s (A conference paper presented at the Waste Management inception Conference in USIU in August 2006).

The Role played by Training in SME Development (A conference paper presented during The 9Th International Conference on African Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (ICAESB). Dar es salaam in September 2005)

Prof. Angeline N. Kioko is a professor in English and Linguistics at USIU-Africa who has done extensive research and publications, as summarized below.

Dr. Teresiah Koki Kavoo Linge

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FACULTY PROFILE

Prof. Angeline N. Kioko is a professor in English and Linguistics at USIU-Africa who has done extensive research and publications, as summarized below.

Prof. Angelina Nduku Kioko

Published Books & Book ChaptersKioko, A.N. & Kariuki, L. (2014). English for secondary schools – Form 1. Oxford University Press: Dar es Salaam.

Kioko, A.N. (2014). Development of national language policies in East Africa: The interplay of opportunity, equity and identity. In Hamish McIlwraith (Ed.) Language Rich Africa Policy dialogue: The 10th Language and Development Conference. Cape Town, 14th – 17th October 2013.

Kioko, A. N. (2013). Language Policy and Practice in Kenya: Challenges and Prospects. In Hamish McIlwraith (Ed.) Multilingual Education in Africa: Lessons from the Juba Language-in-Education Conference. London: British Council. 110 -116.

Kitetu, C. W. & Kioko, A. N. (2013). “Issues of Language and Gender in the Iweto Marriage as Practised by the Kamba in Kenya. In L. L. Atanga et.al(Eds.) Gender and Language in Sub-Saharan Africa: Tradition, Struggle and Change. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 29-52.

Kioko, A. N., Bukenya, & Njoroge, M. (2012) Spot on Writing Skills for Secondary Schools. Nairobi: Oxford University

Kioko, A. N., Njoroge, M. C. and Kuria P. M. (2012) “ Harmonizing the Orthography of Gikuyu and Kikamba” In N. O. Ogechi, J. A. Ngala and P. Irebemwangi (Eds). The harmonization and Standardization of Kenyan Languages: Orthography and other Aspects. CASAS: Cape Town (Chapter 3 pp. 39 – 63).( ISBN978-1-920287-26-9)

Kioko, A. N. et.al (2012). A United Orthography for Bantu Languages in Kenya. CASAS: Cape Town.( ISBN978-1-920287-36-8)

Kioko, A. N., Bukenya, A. Kabaji, E, and Ashiraka, B. (2011) Spot on Comprehension Skills for Secondary Schools. Nairobi: Oxford University.

Kioko, A. & Jepkirui, M. (2010). Spot On Grammar for Secondary Schools. Nairobi: Oxford University Press

Prof. Angeline N. Kioko is a professor in English and Linguistics at USIU-Africa who has done extensive research and publications, as summarized below.

Papers Published in Refereed JournalsKioko, A. N. (2015, January 16). Why schools should teach young learners in home language. British Council. Available on http://www.britishcouncil.org/blog/why-schools-should-teach-young-learners-home-language

Kioko, A. N., Ndung’u, R.W., Njoroge, M. C. & Mutiga, J. (2014). Mother tongue and education in Africa: Publicizing the reality. In Multilingual Education 2014, 4:18 http://www.multilingual-education.com/content/4/1/18

Kioko, A. N. (2009). A Case for Teaching English as a Service Subject at Universities in Kenya. In Journal of Language, Technology and Entrepreneurship in Africa 1 (2), 99 – 111.

Muthwii, M.J. & Kioko, A. N. (2003). “A Fresh Quest for New Language Bearings in Africa”. In Language, Culture and Curriculum, Vol. 16:2, 97-105.

Kioko, A. N. & Muthwii, M.J. (2003). “English Variety for the Public Domain in Kenya: Speakers’ Attitudes and Views”. In Language, Culture and Curriculum, Vol. 16:2, 130-145.

Muthwii, M. J. & Kioko, A.N. (2002). “Whose English in Kenyan Schools? A Case for a Nativized Variety”. In CHEMICHEMI: International Journal of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol.2, No. 1 78-86.

Kioko, A. N. & M.J. Muthwii, (2001). "The Demands of a Changing Society: English in Education in Kenya Today". In Language, Culture and Curriculum, Vol. 14, No.1.

Kioko, A. N. (2000). "On Determining the Primary Object in Bantu", in South African Journal of African Languages. Vol. 20 No.3: 1-9.

Kioko, A. N. (1999a). "The Syntactic Status of the Reciprocal and the Reflexive Affixes in Bantu." South African Journal of African Languages. Vol. 19 No.2.

Kioko, A.N. (1999b). "The Verb `BE' in Kikamba: Issues in Identifying the Form". CHEMICHEMI: International Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. Vol.1, 94-107

Kioko, A.N. (1997). "The Kikamba Passive Construction: A Challenge for the Government and Binding Based Analyses". Monash University Linguistics Papers Vo.l1 No. 1.

Kioko, A. N. (1995). "The Multiple Applicative: A Problem for Lexical Functional Grammar" South African Journal of African Languages. Vol. 15 No.4.

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GAME Center Graduates of the Agribusiness program. Including Chief Guest Africa Director Farm Concern Int. David T. Ruchu, Associate DVC Academic-Research Prof. Francis Wambalaba, DVSAA Amb. Prof. Ruthie Rono and Partnership Specialist ASDSP Maren A. Bwana

The United States International University's Global Agribusiness Management & Entrepreneurship (GAME) Center held the Agribusiness graduation ceremony on Thursday 12th November 2015 at the USIU-Africa Library Bookshop. In attendance there were the board members; Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Agro-chemicals Association of Kenya (AAK), National Commission of Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), National Cereals Produce Board, (NCPB), Venture Dairy, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Moi University and other key stakeholders.

Center holds Graduation Ceremony

CULTIAF Project LaunchedThe launch of the project; Expanding Business Opportunities for Youth in the Fish & Poultry Sectors in Kenya, funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) & Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

The launch took place at the USIU-Africa’s Library on Tuesday 15th September 2015 attended by our funders (IDRC and ACIAR), research partners (from US, Netherlands, ICIPE, Makerere), our board members (NACOSTI, KALRO, AAK, NCPB, Venture Dairy, Ministry of Agriculture, Moi University) and other key stakeholders.

This unique research project has been designed to identify and field test innovative business models for taking innovations to scale, and supporting Kenya’s youth to actively engage in profitable agri-businesses. The research will use the metropolitan living lab model to guide current and aspiring youth entrepreneurs in developing profitable agri-business enterprises in the fish and poultry sectors.

From the left: Prof. Francis Wambalaba, Karen Musikoyo– Nguru, Dr. Melle Leenstra, Officer Jemimah Njuki, PhD, Prof. Freida Brown, DVCAA Amb. Prof. Ruthie Rono, Dr. H. Christopher Peterson, Dr. Ir. Rik Eweg and Sander Mager, MSc

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Grant Writer’s Desk Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Proposal DevelopmentWith increasing pressure to obtain vocational funding, success in proposal writing becomes critical to institutions. Although the features of good proposal writing are well understood, success ratios remain low and most proposals are rejected on first reading. Success in proposal writing must be viewed as a low probability game. So how does one help teams be more successful in their search for funding? The following tips are critical to consider:

1. Verify the project’s match with the agency’s funding priorities.

Academics are understandably cautious to contact busy program directors at major agencies. In their scholarly activities, academics are accustomed to relying on the written word to convey quality. In these circumstances informal, personal contacts are suspect. But grant seeking is a different milieu altogether. A brief letter, e-mail or phone call to a contact person or program director is actually a time saver and will often elicit quick response as to the proposed project’s fit with the agency’s research priorities. It also opens up a line of communication and the beginnings of personal acquaintance, which can be invaluable as the proposal is developed.

2. The importance of the proposed project.

Building a strong proposal is not like writing for a professional journal, where one must carefully build the case before asserting even the most cautious conclusions. Grant seeking is basically an exercise in persuasive writing, where the object is to get and hold the attention of the reader with a compelling argument. The importance of the topic must be stated at the outset, amplified by a brief citation from an authoritative source or two. The need for the study or the proposed line of research must be clear from the beginning, expressed simply and with passion. A reviewer forced to scan through paragraph after paragraph of dense academic prose, written in the passive voice and filled with subjunctive clauses, will mentally toss the document into a circular file long before the writer gets around to showing why scarce funds should be expended on the project.

3. Assume reviewers are uninformed.

From force of habit, academics tend to write for their peers, for other specialists in the same field.

But reviewers may not be readily familiar with current issues or theories in a given field. The project narrative must be written in a way that permits a perceptive reader to grasp quickly what he or she needs to know about the project and how it fits into a larger field of inquiry.

4. Develop a detailed and illustrative research plan.

Once the reviewer has accepted the need for a particular line of research, they would want to know

how the applicant proposes to go about it. Academic writers tend to be long on theory and short on procedural detail. But the reviewer seeks reassurance that the research plan has been thought through, and, if funded, specific activities will be launched immediately and proceed in an orderly fashion toward stated goals and outcomes.

5. Do not deviate from instructions.

Academics criticize their students for failing to follow directions, yet often commit the same error themselves. Engrossed with their subject, grant writers can assume that application requirements are mere

guidelines and are surely open to some degree of reasonable flexibility. Fonts are reduced and margins squeezed, narratives drone on beyond the limit, budget items are left unjustified, and so on, as if to deliberately provoke the wrath of a fatigued, bleary-eyed reviewer.

6. Pay attention to all evaluation criteria.

It is not enough to demonstrate the importance of a project’s research goals; the narrative must also support other objectives that are important to the funding agency. Enhancing diversity, societal benefits, integrating research with education, and an effective project management plan are some of the criteria reviewers can and will use tow in now out proposals that are insufficiently developed.

7. Ensure the abstract describes the entire scope of the project.

Abstracts are often tackled on to a proposal as an afterthought, quickly appended in the final stages of packaging with the deadline hovering near. Some writers make the killer mistake of extracting verbatim only the first two paragraphs of the project narrative, forgetting that for some reviewers (financial officers, for example) the abstract may be the only descriptive material they read. At minimum, it must convey what the researcher intends to do, why it is important, how it will contribute to what has already been done, and how the work will be accomplished. If the abstract does not stand firmly on its own, many reviewers will go no further.

8. Reviewed by seasoned writers before submission.

Note that refereed journals are the standard of quality for scholarly writing, most grant proposals will benefit from objective, knowledgeable scrutiny before they are submitted. Researchers know that constructive feedback from colleagues can improve the quality in the final rounds of a competitive review, but ego and pride of authorship can be significant. Yet it is a hard truth that the PI and co-investigators are simply too close to the project to be truly objective, and editorial help is usually called for.

9. Engage proofreaders before submitting.

Innocent typos and inconsistencies between the project narrative and the budget, no matter how minor, can doom a proposal at the outset. Critical readers who are not part of the project team can flush out mistakes much more consistently than the investigators can.

10. Time to write, rewrite, and rewrite.

Pushing completion of the full application too close to deadline is among the deadliest sins of proposal writing, as too little time is left for critical Steps 8 and 9. Proposal writers should adhere to a strict completed draft deadline at least two weeks prior to submission. In the final rounds of an intensely competitive review, the extra points gained by a well-polished document can and often do make a critical difference.

Research office has from Fall 2015 semester embarked on training on Grant Writing and this calls for all researchers within USIU-Africa community to be part of in order to make a difference in resource mobilization in fostering the research agenda. This is also envisioned in the strategic plan for subjecting all emerging issues to be informed by a scientific inquiry. Some of the necessary interventions for training involve; internal competitions, funding research workshops, acceptance of preliminary proposals and a proactive research administration just to mention a few and finally new ways of improving the processes are highly encouraged.

by Bonn Jonyo

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by Reuben Mutegi

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Desk

RASPBERRY-PI “LAB MFUKONI” PROGRESS REPORT Introduction

The United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) at the beginning of the year 2015 was offered a grant by Kenya Network Education Network (KENET) to start a project dubbed “Leveraging the Raspberry-Pi Kit for Laboratory Experiments: (Lab Mfukoni)”. The projects aims at giving students an opportunity to run their own laboratories and use their creativity to solve problems. The objectives of the project are;

• To enable students to develop microcontroller applications in a more flexible and cost effect manner;

• To enable lecturers to be innovative in the design of experiments that interactively engage students;

• To train students on real-life development kits instead of emulators and simulators hitherto used at USIU-Africa.

• To create synergies between faculty and students based on experiential learning on mobile platforms

Project implementation stagesSpring Semester

The project was supposed to start in spring semester 2015, however, there was a delay in the procurement of the kits by KENET. Nevertheless, on 18th March 2015 the project was launched. The attendants included the dean SST, 5 faculty members and 70 students. The students who attended expressed interest to be actively involved in the project.

Summer Semester

The project was anticipated to have started at the beginning of the summer semester. Still, KENET had not procured all the equipment. The equipment which were procured by then were: (See Table 1.1)

The progress of implementing the project was hampered by the staggered arrival of the RPI parts specifically the SD cards, HDMI cables, VGA to HDMI converters. The IST resorted to purchasing some key items through USIU-Africa procurement department in order to kick-start project. The following items were bought: (See Table 1.2)

S/N Item Quantity1 Raspberry-Pi Model B+ (B Plus) 482 High Quality Case 483 2.5A USB Power Supply 484 CanaKit Wi-Fi Dongle (Ralink RT5370 chipset) 485 Premium Quality HDMI Cable 486 Samsung 8GB MicroSD Pre-Installed NOOBS 487 Micro USB Type B Cable 488 Heat Sink 489 10mm LEDs (Assorted Colours) 43210 Serial to Serial cables 9611 CanaKit GPIO to Breadboard Interface Board 4812 Breadboard 4813 Jumper Wires 19

Item Type No.Micro SD card 16GB 10HDMI to HDMI Cords   4VGA to HDMI Cords   10WiFi Dongles   10

Since the materials were procured late, the IST faculty members led by Dr. Sylvester Namuye agreed to start off the project on experimental basis through students volunteers. To this effect, 6 students volunteered to be involved in RPI project. They teamed up to form three groups and they came up with three projects which are; LED matrix display, Vision Project and Greenhouse Project. One of these projects is used here as a case study.

Case Study 1 LED Matrix Display

This project was carried out by Kalpavrikshika Selvakumar and Samual Njuguna. They focused on assembling a digital display using an array of single LEDs – an LED matrix. The LED matrix was then controlled by the Raspberry Pi. The control instructions were written in python programming language. The first setup of the circuit was connected on a standard breadboard for testing purposes. The circuit was then transferred onto an empty PCB and soldered on. This yielded positive results and the students were able to create patterns of their choice on the LED matrix display. This is as illustrated below:

These displays spelt-out the word “HACK” using the LED matrix. This project was ranked position one in Hackathon competitions which was held at USIU-Africa. The contest was organized by the IT club of USIU-Africa and the School of Science and Technology.

Fall Semester

By the beginning of the fall member, all the equipment needed for kick-starting the project were procured. This led to the official start of the project. Currently 16 undergraduate students have enrolled for the courses related to raspberry Pi. They are at the preliminary stage of being introduced to general computers before deeply engaging on using the raspberry pi kits.

Conclusion

The ingenuity demonstrated by the student during the experimental stage of the project through coming up with award winning project is quite encouraging. It is envisioned that by the end of the project, the 16 students will be able to come up with innovative projects which will be patented and commercialized for the benefit of the students and USIU-Africa in general.

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Introduction

Research Assistants (RAs) Training is a Research Office’s initiative that equips USIU-Africa students on hands-on research skills. The program bridges the industrial research and academic research with the aim of molding quality student researchers. The student researcher is able but not limited to construct research methodology, questionnaire development, data collection, interviews, field coordination, data entry, analysis and report writing.

The training covers two semesters. Semester one involves field work while semester two involves data management and processing using SPSS. Successful students are involved in competent research opportunity in campus and outside campus for a fee. Successfully, research assistants have been involved in numerous projects and research activities in Nairobi, Rift Valley, Central, North Eastern and Western Kenya.

The training covers:

• Introduction to research: academic and field research

• Roles of Research Assistants in research activities

• DOs and DON’Ts in research.

• Ethics and legal issues involved in research

• Research tools, techniques and methods; questionnaire, interviews and FGDs.

• Data Collection; questionnaire, interviews and FGDs.

• Research data management: coding, entry, cleaning and analysis.

Research Associate Desk

Since Fall Semester 2014, three groups have been trained; Cohort I (30 students), Cohort II (20 students), while Cohort III is currently ongoing with 26 students.

Student Research Assistants

Lunch hour class in progress with Paul Ruto

Cohort 3 in class with Paul Ruto

Martin Musau (research analyst) assists Edna a research assistant in SPSS class.

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RAS TESTIMONIALSBeing an RA, has been very phenomenal to me since it gave me the knowledge and skills acquired through the exposure and experience gained from field, I got also the chance to travel to different places and interact with different people. I’m now at a better position going out to venture the world after my undergraduate studies.

Completing a research assistant training in USIU-Africa has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience for me. It has given me the opportunity to work with graduate-school bound students, who have an enormous amount of knowledge and understanding about the areas of study that I am interested in. Although research can be very time consuming it is well worth the investment because of the experience gained. A few positive experiences I gained from doing research are the ability to work with people, leadership experience, improved writing ability, time management, and running statistical analysis. All of these activities have helped me to understand myself, others, and human development more thoroughly. I would highly recommend that any person in USIU-Africa to become involved with research on campus. It will not only enhance the college experience but your life as well. The experience gained from research can never be taken away and the skills developed are invaluable in setting out to conduct your own personal research.

Month  Activity Duration Details Dates

January to March Research assistant SPSS training (open to RA students)

7 weeksData coding, entry, cleaning, analysis and report writing.

February and March

February Public lecture24th February or 2nd March.

24th February or 2nd March. 24th February or 2nd March.

February IRB training/sensitization 2 daysAwareness on ethics board – faculty, staff and students pursuing thesis/project

5th and 12th Feb.

February Grant writing 2 days Grant writing and practical grant writing. TBI

FebruaryResearch office Open week.

One weekKnow research office and services that you can get – faculty, staff and students.

Early February.

March Impact evaluation training

(All participants to pay)

3 daysHands on competent impact evaluation training.

9th to 11th March.

MarchNVIVO and STATA trainings

 Introduction, codding, data entry, cleaning, transposing, descriptive statistics and introduction to regression.

Depends on availability of software (TBI)

  Colloquiums Monthly presentation for each school: CSB, SHSS, SPHS, & SST.

Monthly presentation for each school: CSB, SHSS, SPHS, & SST.

Monthly presentation for each school: CSB, SHSS, SPHS, & SST.

The training covered: what research is and what it’s not, ethics in research, data collection, data coding and analysis using SPSS, careers in research, field visits…the list is endless. After the training, I got an opportunity to carry out research with an international research company – diagonal reports – which was a great opportunity to apply what I had learned in the training…and earn some cash in the process! I can confidently say that I have gained useful skills in research that I am using in my own research work as well as other graduate students within campus. The research assistants’ training sparked an interest in me for research work. Currently, I work at the research office as a Graduate Assistant and I intend to pursue research in the field of psychology in the near future.

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Do you know you can get the following services

from Research Office?

EAMARC.

Grant writing.

County squad.

IRB ethics review.

Data analysis training.

Impact evaluation training.

Monitoring and Evaluation services.

Agri-business services and consultancy.

Colloquium presentation; fall and summer.

Schools partnership in areas of research.

Schools seminars/workshop/conference.

Capacity building in any research area.

Publications and paper presentations.

Public lectures; once a semester.

Research assistant training.

Research affiliations.

Internal grants.

Big data.

Contact InformationReGGS Times is a newsletter of the

Research, Grants and Graduate Studies Office,

United States International University - Africa, Exit 7Thika RoadKasarani, Nairobi

P. O. Box 14634 - 00800, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. Telephone: +254 730 116441Email: research@usiu.ac.ke

Cynthia Mungai

Dorica Mahozi

Miryam Mutheu

Justin Mwaniki

Jennifer Ngondi

The Research Office applauds the following work studies and GAs: