27 Mar

Training on Participation, Transformation and Ownership

26 Students were invited to participate in a highly interactive training on participative research and participation. The training was hosted by Egerton University and facilitated by Beverly Achieng (EgU)and Dominik Ruffeis (BOKU). The students were highly motivated to learn about participation, participative research approaches, transformation, community ownership and research ethics. Main goal of the training was to learn how to integrate the methodologies of participation into research and field work.

Participation is getting involved, sharing ideas and discussion and participation is allowing all community members to take part and to own the activities. (Students voice)

A hot debate was going on on the levels of participation and how participation is reflected in common institutions.

Lowest level of participation is just sharing information with communities and the highest level is purely self-motivated community actions including assets and identifying the needs and ideas for change through the communities themselves.

Participation is empowering people to learn, develop, change values, take action and improve. It can lead to sustainability transition or even transformation processes. Changing values and views through learning will eventually lead to changed behavior and innovations.

  • Engage people emotionally
  • Development of resilience
  • Engage people at scale
  • Work towards well being
  • Choose your facilitators carefully

Participation is also about collaboration and working together:

Research should rather focus on solutions and not on problems. Communities always look for solutions and not for problems.

Participants of the Training:

06 Apr

Creative scientific writing course – Impressions and Reflexions

The course on creative scientific writing taught by Dr. Andreas Zitek from Center for Education, e-Learning and Didactics from BOKU was very well received by all students of Egerton University. In fact the training created a lot of interest across the faculties of Egerton University. This might lead to further collaboration between the universities.

30 female and male students, from Master to PhD level and academic staff members of Egerton University participated in the innovative 2-day course on creative scientific writing of papers and research proposals. During the highly interactive course developed by Andreas Zitek , they received a practical hands-on training based on an innovative combination of creative didactics and technologies.

Young scientists will have the opportunity to participate in a research competition with separate entries for female and male students. 10 students, selected by a jury, will receive support and mentoring for their work from proposal development to publication by BOKU and Egerton University academic staff members. A shared moodle course will be hosted by the E-Campus of EU. This will strengthen collaboration between BOKU and EU through an innovative mentorship program for young students to increase capacities in e-learning and research of both Universities.

Selected quotes from Andreas lecture:

Writing = mind structuring
“Writing a research paper is to learn to
bring order into your own thoughts.
It is the experience of methodological work.
That is why the topic of the work is less
important than the experience that comes
with it.”
(Umberto Eco)


I hear and I forget.
I see, and I remember.
I do and I understand.
(Confucius)