Early Education in Data Management Decisions an adapted Course

Event type: Workshops
Institutions: Centre for Sustainable Research Data Management, Faculty of Educational Science
Funding period: 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2024
Short title: E2D2 adapted

Extract from the funding application: "Research data management programmes are rated as very helpful by students, but there are often only a few participants. The project aims to resolve this discrepancy by integrating RDM content into existing courses on a modular basis without students having to register separately."

The E²D2 Adapted project

Data is omnipresent, which is why the relevance of data literacy, i.e. skills for responsible, critical and reflective handling of data, is also increasing for students. During their studies, students learn about scientific work and collect their first data for their final thesis. Teaching basic skills in research data management (RDM) is therefore also necessary and can lead directly to an improved quality of academic work and better time management. Uncertainties arise particularly in the case of theses with personal and sensitive data, which are addressed in a RDM event.

To evaluate the events, the students completed pre- and post-surveys to record their level of knowledge and expectations. These responses were analysed in a publication.

An accompanying study was also conducted in which teachers were interviewed in order to determine their needs and find out what content they felt could be implemented in existing courses. In addition, the aim was to record where teachers would like to receive support with regard to RDM topics. These interviews are currently being analysed qualitatively and published.

^{anna nekrashevich / pexels.com}

Review and results

The students got to know the Centre for Sustainable Research Management (ZFDM) at the University of Hamburg and all the associated services and advice on offer. They were also referred to contact points (possibly within the respective faculty and other relevant ones such as data protection). They were explicitly encouraged to make contact at an early stage.

The basics of research data management, the life cycle of research data, policies, data management plans, FAIR principles and openness were taught. In addition, detailed topics such as organisation, structure, versioning, data types, data formats, data storage and back-up strategies, data security, data quality, FDM tools, as well as long-term archiving, publication, repositories and subsequent use, including various reference paths for data, documentation and metadata (persistent identifiers, ontologies and controlled vocabularies) were covered. Legal and ethical aspects of handling personal, sensitive data were challenging, but very popular and the subject of lively discussion.

This provided the basis for the daily and long-term handling of research data. The analysis of the participant evaluation was published.

Tips from lecturers for lecturers

As part of the teaching project, audiovisual teaching videos were recorded and published on a teaching platform for students. It turned out that the "set-up", i.e. the equipment, software, teaching platform and installation etc., took more time once, but that these resources can now be used.