Workshop Information
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ADA Summer School 2025
22 January to 7 February ?
Full programme dates, costs and further information are listed here
?The application form is listed he?re.?
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????????????C??ourse 1: ?Navigating Research Grant Proposals and Careers: A comprehensive workshop for early career researchers?
C??ourse 2: Working with Research Data: Software and digital tools for applied research
C??ourse 3?: Practical Approaches to Developing Academic Writing ?
C??ourse 4: Writing Retreat: Effective academic writing for master's and doctoral students
?C??ourse 5: Evolving as a Digital Scholar: Active blended teaching, learning and researching in a digital world
C??ourse 6: The Good Supervisor: Developing effective supervision practices (face-to-face and remotely)?
?C??ourse 7: The Quantitative PhD with SPSS: From philosophy to study design, data analysis and reporting using SPSS (Advanced)
C??ourse 8: AI and Scientific Research: How to use AI effectively in your research?
C??ourse 10: From Stories to Science: The fundamentals of qualitative research
C??ourse 11: How to Argue and Write an Effective Proposal for your Master’s or Doctorate?
?C??ourse 12: Academic Writing for Publications: Crafting an article out of your thesis ?
C??ourse 13: Advanced R Programming
Course 1. ?Navigating Research Grant Pr?????oposals and Careers: A comprehensive workshop for early career researchers ???
?Presenter | Ms Riana Coetsee (Research Management & Skills Training Consultant, SA) |
?Duration | 3 day? course Course takes place from 22 to 24 January 2025 online via Microsoft Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 13:00 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks).?? |
?Cost | ? Early Bird - R4400, Standard - R455??0 |
???Requirements | ?Participants should have a laptop installed with Microsoft Teams. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for researchers (including postgraduate students and postdocs) who need to generate research funds. ??? |
??What to brin?g??? | Pen and one piece of blank A4 paper. Course material will be provided electronically. |
?Mode | ??Online?? on Microsoft Teams. |
- The basic structure of a grant proposal (i.e., how to get out of the starting block)
- Market your research and strengthen your researcher profile
- Why grant proposals fail
- Explaining peer review panels
- Common core components of grant proposals
- The budget
- Is all research fundable (and where to look for funding)?
?Participants will understand the following:
- ?How to overcome “writer’s block” when you start writing a grant proposal
- What basic and core components a grant application should have to make it competitive
- What “peer review” means
- Why it is important to indicate impact and what funders mean by it
- What pitfalls to avoid when writing a grant proposal
- How to approach the budget and what elements to include
- How to identify possible funding opportunities??
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Course 2. Working with Research Data: Software and digital tools for applied research
?Presenters? | Prof Tim Guetterman (肆客足球 of Michigan, USA)? |
?Duration | 3 day? course The course takes place from 22 to 24 January 2025 online via Microsoft Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | Early Bird - R6250, Standard - R6450? |
???Requirements | ?It would help to bring an idea for the research when practicing using the digital tools. |
?Target audi?ence | Postgraduate students and researchers. The course is relevant across all disciplines.??? |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop for practice and exercises |
?Mode | ?Online?? on Microsoft Teams. |
At the end of this workshop, students will be able to:
- Identify where software and digital tools can improve the research process
- Understand how to apply several digital tools to their research
- Recognise the benefits and limitations of various tools
Course 3. Practical Approaches to Developing Academic Writing?
Presenters | Dr Nereshnee Govender (Durban 肆客足球 of Technology, SA)? |
?Duration | 3 day? course The course takes place from 22 to 24 January 2025 online via Microsoft Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks).? |
Cost | Early Bird - R6250, Standard - R6450? |
???Requirements | The course is designed for postgraduate students and researchers who are working on a research project (research report; thesis; journal article). |
?Target audi?ence | Postgraduate students and researchers. The course is relevant across all disciplines. |
What to brin?g??? | Laptop and writing material. |
?Mode | Online on Microsoft Teams. |
- Understand the different stages of academic writing
- Prepare for your research write up
- Be able to critically engage with academic texts (journal articles)
- Understand the importance of building arguments and sustaining your voice in research
- Develop and refine your academic writing
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Course 4. Writing Retreat: Effective academic writing for master's and doctoral students?
?Presenters? | Ms Selene Delport (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, Writing Lab) |
?Duration | 5 day course Course takes place from 27 to 31 January 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). Delegates will be expected to be available for the programmefrom 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ??????Early Bird - R9950, Standard - R10250 |
???Requirements | Ideally, participants should already have started writing their thesis/dissertation, proposal, or article. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for postgraduate students, particularly master’s and doctoral students, as well as early career academics. |
??What to brin?g??? | Participants are encouraged to share drafts of their own writing during the workshop, if they feel comfortable doing so. All writers and their writing will be treated with respect. |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
- Develop their own writing practice
- Critically read their own texts
- Revise and polish their own writing
- Refine their academic voices?
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Course 5. ?Evolving as a Digital Scholar: Active blended teaching, learning and researching in a digital world?
?Presenters? | Prof Wim van Petegem (KU Leuven, Belgium), Dr Jan Petrus Bosman, Ms Margriet de Villiers, Dr Sonja Strydom (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA)???? |
?Duration | 5 day? course Course takes place from 3 to 7 February 2025 online on MS Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ??????Early Bird - R?7950?, Standard - R81?50 |
???Requirements | Participants should have a basic knowledge about digital technologies and how they can be beneficial for their academic work. They should also think about a possible topic for a small individual project to work on during the course, i.e. something in their teaching and/or research they want to improve by means of digital technologies. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for the scholar of the future, from new lecturers to more senior academics from all disciplines, with a keen interest in teaching, learning and researching at the one hand, and digital technologies at the other hand. |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop and a possible topic for a small individual project to work on during the course, i.e. something in their teaching and/or research they want to improve by means of digital technologies. |
?Mode | Online on Microsoft Teams.? |
- Understanding and positioning yourself as a digital scholar along three key domains of digital agility: getting involved in research, education and (community) service, mobilising (digital) skills on various levels, and acting in multiple roles, both individually and interlinked with others
- Assessing, selecting and using appropriate digital tools for scholarly activities
- Going fully digital as teacher, learner, and researcher, in interaction with other scholars?
- Reflecting through action research on your own practice as a scholar in the digital world?
- Describe the fundamentals of digital scholarship;
- Search, assess and use up-to-date learning technologies in order to improve their own practice as a digital scholar;
- Design, develop and implement meaningful teaching and learning experiences and research activities;
- Apply action research for reflection on their own practice as a scholar in the digital world.
?Presenters? | Prof Gina Wisker (肆客足球 of Bath, UK) |
?Duration | 5 day course The course takes place from 27 to 31 January 2025 online via Microsoft Teams and in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | In-person: Early Bird - R9950, Standard -? R10250?? I Online: Early Bird - R7??95??0, Standard - R8150 ? |
?Requirements | Participants should have a foundational understanding of research and research supervision, either from their own experience as supervisees or from supervising at the undergraduate level. The workshop is interactive, so participants are encouraged to actively engage in discussions, participate in course presentations, and take part in workshop activities. |
??Target audi?ence | This course is designed for individuals who have conducted research and are interested in supervising research students, whether at the doctoral or master’s level. It is also suitable for those who may have already started supervising at any level. |
???What to brin?g??? | ?Laptop. |
?Mode | ??In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) and Online on MS Teams. |
At the completion of the course, participants will gain:
- Research and experience underpinned information and effective examples of good practice in supervision along the whole doctoral learning journey.
- Research and experience-based insights into working with doctoral students to prompt and support their research development in the project and writing processes of the thesis.
- A rich set of understandings about varied good supervision practices, both face-to-face and remotely, which they can put into effect in their own supervision practice.
- Insights and practical problem-solving strategies from engagement with workshop activities and discussions with the full community of supervisor colleagues.
- A research and experience-based understanding of what examiners look for in good theses, along with plans for working with diverse students to help them reach the quality of a thesis that passes and makes a meaningful contribution to knowledge.?
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?Presenters? | Prof Catherine Comiskey (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) |
?Duration | 5 day? course Course takes place from 27 to 31 January 2025 online via Microsoft Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ????Early Bird - R7??95??0, Standard - R8150 |
???Requirements | Participants should have an interest in, and a basic knowledge of quantitative research. This course will be most beneficial to those who have a specific research project planned in prevention or intervention within a real world, natural science, engineering, community, education, social or healthcare setting. The course will be interdisciplinary and will focus on practical SPSS analysis and workshops where students can perform their own data analysis with hands on input from the facilitator. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for postgraduate students, particularly doctoral students and those intending to do a doctorate who wish to learn basic data analysis techniques and use SPSS to analyse their data. |
??What to brin?g??? | Your laptop, power cord, adaptors and extensions, up to date SPSS software and any data sets you intend to analyse. |
?Mode | Online on Microsoft Teams. |
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- Describe the philosophical underpinnings of quantitative research
- Defend their choice of study design and sample size
- Conduct a power analysis and decide how many samples/cases/participants are required within a study
- Write an appropriate data analysis plan including a statistical plan for their study design
- Using SPSS, analyse a data set using key descriptive and inferential statistics including Chi squared tests, t-tests, analysis of variance and regression Write a report on their study in line with the Consort or Strobe guidelines
- Summarise and critically analyse related studies
Course 8. ?AI and Scientific Research: How to use AI effectively in your r?esearch?
?Presenters? | Dr Sonja Strydom (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA) |
?Duration | 5 day? course Course takes place from 3 to 7 February 2025 online via Microsoft Teams. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ??Early Bird - R7??95??0, Standard - R8150 |
???Requirements | ?Delegates should have a working understanding of the research process and associated post-graduate requirements. At the minimum intermediate digital proficiencies will be to your benefit in this course.? |
?Target audi?ence | ?This course is designed for post-graduate students, supervisors, and postdocs. |
??What to brin?g??? | A digital device such as a laptop or tablet with WIFI-enabled capabilities is essential. |
?Mode | Online on Microsoft Teams.? |
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- Develop an understanding of the current AI landscape in relation to academic writing and research
- Outline the different issues associated with increased automation in scientific writing & research practices
- Engage in conversation and debate related to contentious aspects of AI in the scientific research process
- Investigate the opportunities associated with AI use in scholarly practice
- Develop critical working knowledge of the affordances of current AI tools assisting in scientific research??
?Presenters? | Prof John Creemers (KU Leuven, Belgium) |
?Duration | 1 day? course Course takes place from 6 February 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ????Early Bird - R19???50?, Standard - R2150? |
???Requirements | Delegates should work in a scientific field in which publications typically have an IMRaD structure (Introduction, Materials & methods, Results, and Discussion).? |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for postgraduate students, particularly early-stage doctoral students and those intending to do a doctorate. The writing exercises will follow the typical guidelines for Biomedical and STEM sciences. |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop and your own research (e.g., poster, manuscript, slideshow, work in progress) |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
- Practice writing a structured abstract
- (Re)write parts of their own manuscript
- Make and present an elevator pitch
- (Re)make a slideshow and present it to the audience
Course 10. From Stories to Science: The fundamentals of qualitative research ?
?Presenters? | Dr Nompilo Tshuma (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA) |
?Duration | 5 day? course ? Course takes place from 3 to 7?? February 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ??Early Bird - R99???50?, Standard - R102?50? |
???Requirements | Participants should bring an initial research idea that we will work on during the course. The idea should have the potential to be explored using qualitative approaches. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for pre-doc and early-stage doctoral students who are working on their qualitative research proposals. Those who are interested in exploring the potential of qualitative research for their studies are also welcome.? |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop and a curious mind. |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
By the end of this course, participants will be expected to be able to:
- Formulate a feasible and defendable qualitative research problem
- Select a suitable paradigm, methodology and theory that aligns with their values and/or purpose for the study
- Select suitable data collection methods and ensure these are aligned with the selected analysis approach(es)
- Conduct the study with integrity. This means being sensitive to the context and participants of your study, as well as the ethical use of generative AI in your research?
Course 11. How to Argue and Write an Effective Proposal for your Master's or Doctorate
?Presenters? | ?Ms Selene Delport (Writing Lab, Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA) |
?Duration | 5 day? course Course takes place from 3 to 7 February 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS)?. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ???Early Bird - R995??0, Standard - R10250 |
???Requirements | Participants should already have and idea for a research project and topic. Ideally, participants should already have started writing their research proposals/protocols. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for postgraduate students busy writing a research proposal for their Master’s or Doctoral degree. |
??What to brin?g??? | Delegates are encouraged to share drafts of their own writing during the workshop, if they feel comfortable doing so. All writers and their writing will be treated with respect. |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Develop their own proposals/protocols
- Refine their own academic voices
- Use different argumentation structures effectively to create a persuasive proposal/protocol
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12. Academic Writing for Publications: Crafting an article out of your thesis ?
Presenters? | ?Prof Ruth Albertyn (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA) |
?Duration | 5 day? course Course takes place from 3 to 7 February 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS)?. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ???Early Bird - R1125??0, Standard - R11550 |
???Requirements | Each participant should bring a completed section of research for recrafting from the thesis format to article genre (all literature already sourced, all analysis completed and research written up). Please make sure you have selected a target journal BEFORE attending the workshop (in consultation with supervisor /co-authors). Please ensure that the quality of the discipline specific content has been approved by the supervisor. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for postgraduate students, particularly master’s and doctoral students who have completed a section of their research and whose work is considered to be publishable (in consultation with supervisor). |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop. Guidelines for authors of target journal, example of 2-3 articles recently published in your selected journal, rough first draft of the article (Based on completed work-there will be no time to search for literature or running stats during the workshop). |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
Outcomes
After completion of the course, the participants will have a completed article which can be submitted for consideration by the intended journal. Throughout the week participants gain:
- Guidelines for writing the various sections of the article genre
- Application of principles to recrafting their drafts
- Feedback on the various sections of the article
- Guidelines for alignment of the final draft
Course 13. Advanced R Programming?
Presenters? | ?Dr Caitlin Uren (Stellenbosch 肆客足球, SA) |
?Duration | 2 day? course Course takes place from 3 to 4 February 2025 in-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS)?. Delegates will be expected to be available for the programme from 09:00 - 16:30 daily (excluding tea and lunch breaks). |
?Cost | ???Early Bird - R4750, Standard - R4950 |
???Requirements | Participants should have experience and a strong understanding R before attending. Participants will be required to upload proof of proficiency in R? in one of the following forms: a certificate of R training, a sample of R code you have written with a brief paragraph explaining its function, or a first-author article that includes evidence of your use of R code. Additionally, you will be required to bring a specific question or problem that you would like???? to have addressed by the end of the course. |
?Target audi?ence | The course is designed for anyone with prior fundamental experience in R.? |
??What to brin?g??? | Laptop with R and RStudio installed. |
?Mode | In-person at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS). |
At the end of this workshop, students will be able to:?
- Perform complex data manipulation using advanced R packages
- Perform statistical analyses using advanced R packages
- Perform data visualisation using advanced R packages ?