Numero Research Academy

 Traits of a Positivist Thinker As humans, each person sees the world in a different way. Basically, that is why we sometimes agree but in most cases disagree. One professor of psychology described this as not just normal but a beautiful aspect of human society. After all, how boring would life be if we all agreed and acted the same?  One thing is clear: we see the world the way we do because of our innate instincts or behaviours. In academic circles, behavioural scientists have also acknowledged the role of innate instincts and behaviours as key determinants  of a person's ontological and epistemological positions .  Some people make decisions solely based on their feelings and the reasons or meanings they attach to such decisions. We have other people whose choices are based on things they can count or quantify. Imagine two friends who are trying to decide whether they should keep a small business. One says, “We’ve built something meaningful. It still has potenti...

  A wise man once told me, "Those who get there early know the road, and not because they have long legs." If you want to get there, knowing how to get there supersedes the willingness to get there. The same can be said about studying abroad . A student who wants to study overseas must not only know the application process but also understand the strategies and tricks. Without these, you will always get the "we regret to inform you..." email.  This was the case for one young Nigerian student searching for a master’s opportunity abroad ; rejection came in the form of no reply at all. He sent email after email, but they all disappeared into silence, and with each one, hope felt thinner. The journey began on LinkedIn. He saw a master’s position advertised by a university. The programme looked perfect, and the scholarship opportunity was real. But there was a condition. Applicants were required to secure a research supervisor before applying. For him, this became the...

Almost every student you meet has a dream of travelling abroad, but they usually assume they have to wait until after graduation. They believe international exposure only comes with a degree, a job offer, or a big scholarship. What most students do not realise is that some of their colleagues are already travelling while still in school, attending classes in foreign universities, and returning to complete their degrees at home. This opportunity exists through what is known as an exchange program . In simple terms, an exchange program allows a student to study in a partner university abroad for a semester or a year, while remaining a registered student of their home university. At KNUST , this is coordinated through the International Programs Office , commonly called IPO. Similar offices exist at the University of Ghana, Legon , through the International Programmes Office , and in other public universities across Ghana. An exchange program is not a transfer. You do not lose your place i...

  A few years ago, if you asked a Ghanaian student about studying abroad, the answers were almost predictable. The UK , the US , maybe Canada , or Germany . I quite remember that, during my M.Phil. studies , our professor shared a flyer about KNUST's exchange program me and partnership with schools in Russia . Although a scholarship was included in the programme, none of the students in my department applied for it. Then, in 2024, the Open Door scholarship entrance exams came, and more than 2000 students applied. At first, Russia rarely came up in the study abroad conversation. Today, that is changing quietly, but that change can be seen clearly. Many Ghanaian students are now looking east. They are asking questions, searching for information, and submitting applications to Russian universities . This shift did not happen by accident. It is a response to the real challenges students face and the real opportunities they are now discovering. Throughout human history, we have develop...

Whenever the issue of accidental plagiarism comes up, I always remember an incident that happened in a colleague's office. I had visited this colleague, and two students she was supervising came to the office to submit their dissertation draft. Once they had submitted the drafts, I glanced through them, and they were outstanding work. I asked them whether they had copied from somewhere, and they replied, 'No!' Unfortunately, my colleague remembered she had to run a Turnitin check for them. We asked them to submit their soft copy, and we ran the Turnitin score ; the first guy had 35%, and the second had exactly 20%. The room was silent for a while until my colleague said, "Ah, well, you copied then." The guy who had 35% sat on a chair there, and his face showed he was expecting that. We asked him where he copied from, and he said he didn't, but then he knew his family members would add some to it. My colleague didn't understand at first until I asked the ...

The art (not just an act) of choosing a  research topic  is like the first impression you make when you walk into an interview. Before you explain yourself, before you defend your ideas, someone is already forming an opinion about you, of which you have no idea. In research, that first impression is your topic. What differentiates a smart student who deserves an "A" from an average student who will be given a "B" or "C" to graduate is the fact that smart students understand why some topics are able to instantly convince lecturers, while other topics become a laughing stock. I have seen it many times. Two students submit topics on the same subject. One of them gets a quick approval. The other is asked to revise again and again. Unfortunately, students end up labeling some lecturers as too difficult. The difference is rarely intelligence, and not just the loose fact that the lecturer is difficult. As a student or a researcher, you must know that what people...