scholarly journals Scaling Up Data Literacy and Computing Skills Training in Biodiversity Science, Lessons Learned from The Carpentries

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Michonneau ◽  
Deborah Paul
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Data Literacy ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Computing Skills ◽  
The Impact

The expanding availability of access to data about museum specimens, species occurrences, trait data, genetics, and landscapes is revolutionizing biodiversity research. But mobilizing, evaluating, and synthesizing these data to address research questions requires domain-specific computing skills and knowledge. The Carpentries is a global non-profit organization teaching researchers computational and data science skills for data management and analysis in all domains of research. The Carpentries' teaching practices are based on evidence from the science of learning. Current domain-specific lessons include life, physical, and social sciences. Hands-on exercises build on the existing knowledge of learners, quickly enabling them to apply skills learned to their research. The Carpentries' train-the-trainer model, its globally established community of ~2,000 instructors and its network of regional coordinators have allowed the organization to scale up rapidly, and over 40,000 learners have participated in Carpentries workshops since 2012. The Carpentries assessment program evaluates the impact of attending a workshop on the participants' perception of their skills and confidence. After attending a Carpentries workshop, participants feel more confident in their ability to program and to overcome issues with their analysis. The Carpentries' mentoring program ensures that newly certified instructors receive support and guidance to successfully engage in leading and teaching workshops. Pairing new and experienced instructors, in combination with the development of local communities of instructors, have contributed to the success of The Carpentries workshops. The Carpentries collaboratively seeks to develop new curricula to address the training needs of the biodiversity data community. Establishing training partnerships between The Carpentries and the various organizations involved in building biodiversity data science skills capacity would increase reach and efficacy. We seek to foster institutional and organizational collaborations that can support the establishment and growth of the infrastructure needed to provide the computational and data literacy skills needed to empower our stakeholders. These include those creating and mobilizing data (e.g., collectors, ecologists, conservationists, curators, collection/data managers), for all scientists, policy-makers, educators, and students who want to use biodiversity data.

scholarly journals Preparing the Next Generation of Data-Driven Scientists through the Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education – Data Initiative (BLUE Data)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e27162
Author(s):  
Anna Monfils ◽  
Elizabeth Ellwood ◽  
Debra Linton ◽  
Molly Phillips ◽  
Lisa White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Education ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Data Literacy ◽  
Education Data ◽  
One Year ◽  
Scale Integration

The Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education - Data Initiative (BLUE Data) is a US National Science Foundation-funded Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology (RCN-UBE) working to generate community consensus around biodiversity data literacy skills. This diverse network brings together biodiversity, data, and education specialists to identify core biodiversity data competencies for undergraduate students, develop strategies for integrating these competencies into the introductory biology curriculum, and build capacity for sustained development and implementation of biodiversity and data literacy education. Since the start of funding one year ago, BLUE Data has been working to review the current landscape of data literacy competencies from primary to graduate education in biodiversity data science, identify gaps in student learning related to data and biodiversity science core skills, and generate community consensus on defined biodiversity data literacy standards. At a recent BLUE Data workshop associated with the Emerging Innovations for Biodiversity Data conference in Berkeley, California, participants worked together to define competencies and identify strategies to facilitate broad-scale integration of transferrable data literacy skills and knowledge to improve undergraduate biology training and meet increasing workforce demands in both data and biodiversity sciences. This discussion also identified current efforts and explored existing resources in order to identify gaps that should be targeted in our efforts moving forward. In this presentation, we will introduce the SPNHC and TDWG communities to BLUE Data, and describe our vision and goals, partners, and educational modules. We will share results from our recent activities, including the outcomes of the Emerging Innovations for Biodiversity Data workshop. BLUE Data welcomes new partnerships with those also interested in defining the undergraduate biodiversity data literacy landscape and charting future efforts of this network.

Lessons Learned about Designing Augmented Realities

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick O’Shea ◽  
Rebecca Mitchell ◽  
Catherine Johnston ◽  
Chris Dede
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
School Students ◽  
Initial Development ◽  
Design Heuristics ◽  
Handheld Computing ◽  
The Impact

Utilizing GPS-enabled handheld computing units, we have developed and studied Augmented Reality (AR) curricula to help middle-school students learn literacy and math. In AR, students move around an outdoor physical environment, interacting with virtual characters and artifacts on their handheld computer. These “invisible” objects and characters provide clues to help solve a mystery, guiding the students through a process of inquiry and evidence-building. The first AR curriculum we developed, Alien Contact!, is based on a scenario where aliens have crash landed near the students’ middle school. Students, working in teams, learn math and literacy skills in the course of determining why the aliens have come to earth. This study describes the design heuristics used during the initial development and deployment of Alien Contact!, the results of two formative evaluations of this curriculum, and the impact these findings have had on revising our design heuristics for a subsequent AR curriculum about beached whales, called Gray Anatomy.

scholarly journals Improving mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in humanitarian settings: reflections on research funded through R2HC

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wietse A. Tol ◽  
Alastair Ager ◽  
Cecile Bizouerne ◽  
Richard Bryant ◽  
Rabih El Chammay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Major knowledge gaps remain concerning the most effective ways to address mental health and psychosocial needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises. The Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2HC) program aims to strengthen humanitarian health practice and policy through research. As a significant portion of R2HC’s research has focused on mental health and psychosocial support interventions, the program has been interested in strengthening a community of practice in this field. Following a meeting between grantees, we set out to provide an overview of the R2HC portfolio, and draw lessons learned. In this paper, we discuss the mental health and psychosocial support-focused research projects funded by R2HC; review the implications of initial findings from this research portfolio; and highlight four remaining knowledge gaps in this field. Between 2014 and 2019, R2HC funded 18 academic-practitioner partnerships focused on mental health and psychosocial support, comprising 38% of the overall portfolio (18 of 48 projects) at a value of approximately 7.2 million GBP. All projects have focused on evaluating the impact of interventions. In line with consensus-based recommendations to consider a wide range of mental health and psychosocial needs in humanitarian settings, research projects have evaluated diverse interventions. Findings so far have both challenged and confirmed widely-held assumptions about the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial interventions in humanitarian settings. They point to the importance of building effective, sustained, and diverse partnerships between scholars, humanitarian practitioners, and funders, to ensure long-term program improvements and appropriate evidence-informed decision making. Further research needs to fill knowledge gaps regarding how to: scale-up interventions that have been found to be effective (e.g., questions related to integration across sectors, adaptation of interventions across different contexts, and optimal care systems); address neglected mental health conditions and populations (e.g., elderly, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, people with severe, pre-existing mental disorders); build on available local resources and supports (e.g., how to build on traditional, religious healing and community-wide social support practices); and ensure equity, quality, fidelity, and sustainability for interventions in real-world contexts (e.g., answering questions about how interventions from controlled studies can be transferred to more representative humanitarian contexts).

scholarly journals Advanced Multimodal Communication Curriculum for Pediatric Residents

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110352
Author(s):  
Melanie C Marsh ◽  
Suzanne M Reed ◽  
John D Mahan ◽  
Lydia Schneider ◽  
Ashley K Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Deliberate Practice ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Communication Training ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Multimodal Communication ◽  
Learning Climate ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Traditional Curriculum ◽  
The Impact

Background Medical educators juggle competing demands as they seek to integrate medical advancements and new technology with the call for earlier introduction to clinical experiences. Newer models of medical education place even greater emphasis on the importance of deliberate training of providers who can deliver compassionate patient-centered care. The need for adaptable, effective communication skills training has never been more relevant than now, in our high-tech and ever-evolving learning climate. Methods At a large pediatric academic center, we used Kern's six-step approach to complete a needs assessment, identify goals and learning preferences of trainees, and ultimately develop and evaluate a multimodal communication curriculum. This curriculum was rooted in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Pediatric Milestones, with the goal of enhancing knowledge, skills, and competency. Pediatric interns were randomized to either the new curriculum ( n = 19) or the existing didactic-based communication training ( n = 17) from 2019 to 2020. We evaluated the impact of the new and traditional curriculum through evaluations by expert facilitators, learner surveys, and faculty-assigned resident milestones. Results Many trainees self-identified performance gaps in communication skills at baseline. Eighteen residents attended 1 to 6 in-person deliberate practice workshops. Workshop participation by the residents varied over time due to a variety of factors. All residents, regardless of curricular exposure, showed statistically significant improvement in communication milestones from first to second year and those enrolled in the deliberate practice curriculum highly valued the workshops and coaching. Discussion Our curriculum demonstrates the value of deliberate practice opportunities for residents to gain skills in advanced communication. Residents appreciated this type of training and the time devoted to expand these skills. Lessons learned and barriers to implementation from this curriculum can be helpful for educators interested in integrating active, deliberate practice, simulation-based communication training into their current educational model.

scholarly journals Library Carpentry: Software Skills Training for Library Professionals

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-273
Author(s):  
Jez Cope ◽  
James Baker
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Research Software ◽  
Direct Benefits ◽  
Software Skills ◽  
Time And Energy

Much time and energy is now being devoted to developing the skills of researchers in the related areas of data analysis and data management. However, less attention is currently paid to developing the data skills of librarians themselves: these skills are often brought in by recruitment in niche areas rather than considered as a wider development need for the library workforce, and are not widely recognised as important to the professional career development of librarians. We believe that building computational and data science capacity within academic libraries will have direct benefits for both librarians and the users we serve. Library Carpentry is a global effort to provide training to librarians in technical areas that have traditionally been seen as the preserve of researchers, IT support and systems librarians. Established non-profit volunteer organisations, such as Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry, offer introductory research software skills training with a focus on the needs and requirements of research scientists. Library Carpentry is a comparable introductory software skills training programme with a focus on the needs and requirements of library and information professionals. This paper describes how the material was developed and delivered, and reports on challenges faced, lessons learned and future plans.

scholarly journals 968 Delivering Human Factors and Non-Technical Skills Training Using Interactive Online Platforms in the COVID Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Gahunia ◽  
G Nolan ◽  
G Hardman ◽  
A Kausar ◽  
N Khwaja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Small Group Teaching ◽  
North West ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Surgical Trainees ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Aim To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of an interactive online human factors (HF) and non-technical skills (NTS) course delivered to Core Surgical Trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic Method A 1-day HF and NTS course was conducted online, using the Zoom platform, to Core Surgical Trainees in the North West. The course consisted of interactive lectures, small group teaching sessions, and self-directed learning with written reflections. Pre- and post-course surveys were administered, evaluating the participants’ awareness, knowledge and skills using a 5-part Likert scale, along with a multiple-choice assessment of knowledge. Statistical analysis was undertaken with significance considered at p < 0.05 Results The course was attended by 63 CT1/2 participants, representing all surgical specialties. In the post-course evaluation, participants’ self-rating of awareness and knowledge for both HF and patient safety increased by between 10-20%. There was a significant increase in the mean post-course test score from 7.54 (SD ± 1.7) to 8.65 (SD ± 1.2) out of 10 (p < 0.0001). The course overall was rated relevant and useful (weighted averages 4.4 and 4.5 respectively) Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first time a video conferencing platform has been used to deliver a live HF/NTS course. This study provides evidence supporting the use of such interactive online platforms in postgraduate surgical education. Training and professional development must continue, despite the evolving pressures from COVID-19. Embracing new methods of education delivery is required, with ongoing reporting and evaluation of education practice, sharing lessons learned and informing the evidence base in postgraduate surgical training during this time

scholarly journals Clean manufacturing powered by biology: how Amyris has deployed technology and aims to do it better

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 965-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Hill ◽  
Kirsten Benjamin ◽  
Binita Bhattacharjee ◽  
Fernando Garcia ◽  
Joshua Leng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Process Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Strain Engineering ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Product Portfolio ◽  
Fermentation Products ◽  
The World ◽  
Clean Manufacturing ◽  
Transfer Procedures

AbstractAmyris is a fermentation product company that leverages synthetic biology and has been bringing novel fermentation products to the market since 2009. Driven by breakthroughs in genome editing, strain construction and testing, analytics, automation, data science, and process development, Amyris has commercialized nine separate fermentation products over the last decade. This has been accomplished by partnering with the teams at 17 different manufacturing sites around the world. This paper begins with the technology that drives Amyris, describes some key lessons learned from early scale-up experiences, and summarizes the technology transfer procedures and systems that have been built to enable moving more products to market faster. Finally, the breadth of the Amyris product portfolio continues to expand; thus the steps being taken to overcome current challenges (e.g. automated strain engineering can now outpace the rest of the product commercialization timeline) are described.

scholarly journals Getting Messy with Authentic Data: Exploring the Potential of Using Data from Scientific Research to Support Student Data Literacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. es2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa K. Kjelvik ◽  
Elizabeth H. Schultheis
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Quantitative Reasoning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Literacy ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Authentic Data ◽  
The Impact

Data are becoming increasingly important in science and society, and thus data literacy is a vital asset to students as they prepare for careers in and outside science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and go on to lead productive lives. In this paper, we discuss why the strongest learning experiences surrounding data literacy may arise when students are given opportunities to work with authentic data from scientific research. First, we explore the overlap between the fields of quantitative reasoning, data science, and data literacy, specifically focusing on how data literacy results from practicing quantitative reasoning and data science in the context of authentic data. Next, we identify and describe features that influence the complexity of authentic data sets (selection, curation, scope, size, and messiness) and implications for data-literacy instruction. Finally, we discuss areas for future research with the aim of identifying the impact that authentic data may have on student learning. These include defining desired learning outcomes surrounding data use in the classroom and identification of teaching best practices when using data in the classroom to develop students’ data-literacy abilities.

scholarly journals Planting the Seeds for Data Literacy: Lessons Learned from a Student-Centered Education Program

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Carlson ◽  
Marianne Stowell Bracke
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
College Of Agriculture ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Data Literacy ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Authentic Learning Experiences ◽  
The Impact

There is an increasing need for graduate students to acquire competencies in managing and curating their data sets as a part of their education. Librarians and other information professionals are beginning to respond to this need by developing programming, but as of yet there are few models to follow and the impact on the practices of students is under-explored. This case study presents a student-centered pilot program on data literacy offered at Purdue University. The program was offered through the College of Agriculture and was structured to be flexible enough to incorporate each student’s particular field of study. Exercises and assignments were designed to incorporate the student’s own research data to create meaningful, authentic learning experiences. Formative and summative assessment was a critical component of the program, which included interviews with students six months after completion of the program to determine the extent to which the data competencies covered had taken root in students’ research practices. The structure of the pilot program, its strengths and weakness, its impact on students, and lessons learned by the instructors are discussed.

scholarly journals Making Workshops Work: Insights from EDAMAME

mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn N. Taroni
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Intensive Courses ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Hands On ◽  
General Scientific

ABSTRACT Microbiology, like many areas of life science research, is increasingly data-intensive. As such, bioinformatics and data science skills have become essential to leverage microbiome sequencing data for discovery. Short intensive courses have sprung up as formal computational training opportunities at individual institutions fail to meet demands. In this issue, Shade et al. (A. Shade, T. K. Dunivin, J. Choi, T. K. Teal, et al., mSystems 4:e00297-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00297-19) share their experience and approach in executing the annual, weeklong Explorations in Data Analysis for Metagenomic Advances in Microbial Ecology (EDAMAME) workshop from 2014 to 2018. EDAMAME introduced learners to general scientific computing concepts and domain-specific data analysis approaches. Workshop learners self-reported appreciable gains in understanding and ability. This report on the EDAMAME workshop strategy and lessons learned will help others in the life sciences to plan, execute, and assess short hands-on computing-intensive courses that support research in a particular domain.

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