1. Approach to SLUSE Field Training 2015 Examination
Prof Raphael G. Wahome

2. General approach to assessment
The examination seeks to determine the lessons of working with communities and in groups learnt by the students.
It examines attribution to the philosophy espoused by Wangari Maathai of building capacity within communities to rely on themselves to deal with their problems
It is hoped that the philosophy permeated the preparation and field work and will be evident in the Group reports, individual reports and individual presentation.

3. Group Report will consist of:
Preamble
Introduction
Problem identification and analysis
Objectives
Study materials, methods and approaches
Results and discussions
Conclusions and recommendations
References
Annexes and appendixes

4. Preamble
The purpose and reasons of the field training (Groups interpretation).
This section will present the understanding of the gains foreseen by the implementers of the training and a critical assessment of their being achieved.

5. Introduction
Background to the site and specifically to the theme
Problem identification and analysis: why is it an important problem in comparison to others within the theme?
Problem statement and justification
Objectives: Purpose of the study and specific objectives

6. Methodology and study approaches
Site map and description
Types of data required
Methods used in data collection
Challenges encountered in data collection
Data cleaning, entering and analysis

7. Results, discussions, recommendations and References
Results and discussion
Key results from quantitative and qualitative assessment
Explanation of the results
Relevance of the results in addressing the problem in 1.b.iii
 Conclusions and recommendations (Few and precise): if you feel argumentative, put your arguments in the results and discussions section.
 References: Only key and recent references.
Useful annexes and appendices

8. Individual Report Executive summary of the above report (One page)
Personal highlights of the exciting component(s) of the field work (paragraph)
Personal highlight of the depressing component(s) of the field work (paragraph)
Personal assessment of the group dynamics
Individuals preparation (paragraph)
Individuals participation (paragraph)
Opportunities to contribute (paragraph)
Ability to reach agreement (paragraph)
Overall criticism of the field work, conclusions and recommendations for the future (paragraph).

9. Individual Short Presentation (5-10minutes)
Title
Problem statement
Study methods
Key results and their explanation
Conclusions and recommendations
Acknowledgements.
The summary will be presented in plenary at WMI seminar for awarding of marks as follows
Presentation skills
Knowledge
Works arrangement
Creativity

10. Report outline: 1. Title page with names of all authors.
2. Abstract. Max. 250 words, should include objective, main results and conclusion
3. Introduction to the study, including a description/analysis of the thematic and local context for the study, which should lead to the statement of objectives and research questions. Refer to relevant literature. A description of the study area can also be part of the introduction.
4. Methodology. Precise but brief description of methods (what did you do?). Discussion of major advantages and shortcomings of your methods (what went wrong and influenced your data quality?). The discussion of methods choice and experiences can also be placed in a later “reflective” chapter, or integrated into the discussion.
5. Results. Analyze and present relevant data. Data must be presented in synthesized form, not as raw data. Use some figures, tables or boxes for presenting key data. Do not “hide” important data in your appendices.

11. Report outline
6. Discussion of results (and methods and approach if not treated in section 4) in relationship to the context described/analyzed in section 3. How does your study fit into the thematic and regional knowledge of your subject? Result and Discussion chapter can be merged into one chapter if you prefer.
7. Conclusion/Perspectives. What are your main findings? Take a step back and look at your analysis of the situation. What is the broader picture, and where is it heading? You may also include a reflection on your work or the learning experience.
8. Acknowledgements, with names of your counterparts and other people who have assisted you during the field trip
9. References. All literature cited in the text must be in the reference list. Literature read, but not cited in the text, should not be in the reference list.
10. Appendices. The synopsis and a table with an overview of applied methods (e.g: 16 water samples collected and analyzed, 4 transect walks, 27 semi-structured interviews, 4 key informant interviews, 3 bird-spotting excursions etc.) are obligatory appendices. For other appendices: be selective, these may not be read by the examiner. Never put essential data for the understanding of your study in appendix, but rather include them as tables, figures or boxes in the text.

12. Summary of group report
Maximum length of report: words words pr. group member, excluding tables, figures and boxes. Appendices are not included but these will not necessarily be evaluated.
· All students in the group must sign the hard copies of the report
· The main & contributing authors* for each chapter/section must be indicated in the text.
*Main author means that you are responsible for the chapter/section, and are able to discuss the content in detail. Contributing author means that you have contributed to the chapter/section, but do not have the overall responsibility for structure and content. It is understood that all group members have read and accepted all chapters in the report, although they are only mentioned as author of some chapters/sections.

13. Examination for the experiential learning course
Prepare the group report with the group. Attend to its preparation throughout including the final correction. This will contribute up to 30marks
Prepare an individual 2000 word summary of the group report. This will contribute up to 50marks
Prepare and present an individualized chosen component of the group report in a seminar. This will contribute up to 20 marks

14. In general: what can we do?
To create value in response to market demand while building community wealth.
What alternatives do they have and how can these alternatives be assessed so as to pick the most appropriate?
What should the people do, to achieve higher incomes without necessary destroying the very source of livelihood which is their heritage?

15. General approaches 1. What is the background information
What are the boundaries of your study community
What are the variables of interest within your study community? How can you collect and document the information about them?
Land resources
Human resources
Animal genetic resources
Feed resources for the animals
Financial resources
Knowledge resources
Skills and techniques
Drive, aspiration and motivations

16. General approaches 1/cont.
How can you summarize and present this information in a representative manner
Can you portray the community?
With pictures
With words
With illustrations
With numerical data

17. General approaches 2 What is the problem?
Is it the only problem? If not, what are the other problems
Why are the other problems not as important? Can you explain it clearly to the other students and to me?
 Who decided that it is a problem
What and where is the authority that it is a problem?

18. General approaches 3
What information is lacking to enable problem solution?
Where can this information be found?
Who can find it?
How will he find it?
Will the information be sufficient to suggest solution to the problem?

19. General approaches 4
What were the alternative solutions to the problem?
How could they be tested?
Which ones did you test (if any)?
Which ones did not work and why?
Which ones worked and why?
What did you conclude?