HONOURS WRITING RETREAT EMPOWERS WSU RESEARCHERS

With its aim to increase research output and promote impactful innovation among students, the Faculty of Management and Public Administration successfully held its annual writing retreat in East London.

The capacity-building programme, which sought to strengthen the research work of honors students, was spearheaded by Dr Anthony Masha and supported by the faculty’s Executive Dean, Prof Bulelewa Nguza-Mduba.

Nguza-Mduba highlighted the importance of the workshop adding that it "is meant to capacitate Honours students who were about to finish their dissertations."

Nguza-Mduba shared challenges faced by honours students including not having extensive backgrounds in research development.

“They are introduced to it at this level and must master it while producing a five-chapter dissertation. The process demands time, discipline, and ethical clearance before data collection can begin,” said Nguza-Mduba.  

The Dean expressed the strong need for discipline and structured guidance, reemphasising the need of the workshops.

“Students are thoroughly trained through webinars, study materials, and seminars… and from these, we always expect a 100% pass rate," added Nguza-Mduba.

Nguza-Mduba appreciated the positive feedback from students who attend the writing retreats annually, noting that students were pleased to focus on their dissertations with access to support and supervision from the faculty.

The planning and development stages of the programme involved student participation, Nguza-Mduba said adding that planning was carried out as a team with both students and faculty members.

“They have to collaborate continuously with their supervisors and engage them on all those aspects that need consideration,” added Nguza-Mduba.

In conclusion, Nguza-Mduba confidently expressed that as the Faculty of Management and Public Administration, they would greatly value the inclusion of undergraduate students in this transformative initiative.

“Research is a very abstract idea, so they need to be capacitated going forward, so that at the postgraduate level they are already grounded with research methodology," she added.

 It is clear that these annual writing retreats have become a significant organisational morale booster for the cohort, and hopefully, will continue to inspire students towards excellence.

By Buhlebezwe Manzi