1. RESERCH METHODS COURSES AT MAKERERE UNIVERSITY M. Nabasirye FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

2. Departments Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness Agricultural Engineering Agricultural Extension Education Animal Science Crop Science Soil Science Food Science & Technology Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK)

3. Undergraduate programmes B.Sc. Agric. ( 4 options in Year IV ) B.Sc. Agric. Engineering B.Sc. Food Science & Technology 4 years B. Agribusiness Management B. Sc. Agric. Extension/Education B. Sc. Land Use & Management B. Sc. Horticulture 3 years

4. Graduate programmes M.Sc. Agric. Econ., Agric. Eng., Agric. Ext. & Educ., Animal Sc., Crop Sc., Soil Sc., Food Sc. & Tech., Applied Human Nutrition M. Agribusiness Management Ph.D.

5. Undergraduate Courses Introduction to statistics Year I, all Applied Statistics/Biometry Year II, all Social Research Methods I Year III, B.Sc Agric, FST, AEE, LUM Social Research Methods II Year IV, ANS, AEC, SOS, FST, AEE

6. Graduate Courses Applied Statistics/Biometry Year I, Semester I All, except MABM Research Methodology Year I, Semester II All, common course

7. Introduction to statistics (year 1) Basic definitions, Descriptive summaries, Distributions, Hypothesis testing, Correlation & Simple linear regression

8. Practical teaching (year 1, recess term) Approaches to data collection, Field data collection, Data analysis, Introduction to experimental design concepts

9. Role in agric. research, Experimentation, Objectives & hypotheses, Experimental design concepts, Basic designs & ANOVA, Treatment comparisons & contrasts, Factorials, Assumptions, Linear regression, Analysis of frequency data, Introduction to statistical software (Genstat) Applied Statistics/Biometry (year 2)

10. Social Research Methods I (year 3) Research & its importance,Types of research & their limitations, The research process, Research methodology/procedures, Data collection and instruments Research proposal

11. Social Research Methods II (year 4) Data collection, Data processing, Qualitative and quantitative data analysis & interpretation, scientific presentation and reporting

12. Applied Statistics/Biometry (M.Sc. year 1, semester I) As in B.Sc. Year 2 (review) Design concepts on students’ field Split/strip plot, Combined analysis, Repeated measures, Non-parametric, Covariance, Multivariate, On-farm trial design & analysis, Presentation of results, Data management & analysis

13. Research Methodology (Year I, Semester II) The scientific process, Search for knowledge, Attributes of science, Research ethics, Process Planning scientific research Elements of research proposal, Reviewing literature, Selecting & defining problem, Research proposal

14. Research Methodology (Year I, Semester II) Research design, Experiments, Surveys, Sampling design, Survey instruments, Secondary data, Data collection and processing Communicating the results Scientific writing, Expression of ideas, Presentation of data, Interpretation of results, Oral presentations, Writing a manuscript, Bibliography & references

15. Teaching methods & assessmant Undergraduates Lectures Practical/tutorials Field attachment Course work and tests University examination Special project

16. Teaching methods & assessmant Graduates Lectures, Group assignments Faculty seminars, Proposal preparation & presentation Course work and term papers University examination Annual graduate workshops Thesis

17. Challenges Common courses, diverse fields Large number of students, limited facilities and time - Low instructor to student ratio - 3 credit units - 2-4 contact hours - 13-15 effective weeks - Ltd. flexibility on teaching methods

18. Challenges Influence by Govt. policies - Decentralisation, PMA, NAADS, etc. - OFR vs. OSR at MUARIK Teaching staff - Not well equipped with new trends - Attitude to change - Ltd. cooperation between departments

19. What next? Need to change the teaching approach in response to changes in approach to research & policies Review of curriculum Personal mastery & soft skills approach Strengthen collaborations between University departments, Universities, NARS and CGIAR centers

20. Thank you