**Designing Collaborative Online Training for Research Data Management**
Online learning is incredibly important for libraries and librarians to stay valuable in modern information ages. Some advantages of online learning include lower costs, convenience and flexibility, wide audience, and variety of programs and courses. Recently, there have been many funded projects to develop online training for research data management (National Institutes of Health Big Data to Knowledge Initiative and National Libraries of Medicine Biomedical and Health Research Data Management).
NLM Director Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, said, “We need data-sophisticated librarians who can assist the research process, the enterprise, in developing the resources and data services around them.” While librarians play a key role in the research environment, providing training to a broad audience will help foster a community of data savvy scientists, researchers and clinicians.
Through cross institutional-partnerships, Countway Library of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School developed The Best Practices for Biomedical Research Data Management Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which officially launched January 8th, 2018. This course facilitates self-paced learning of concepts, approaches and best practices in data management.
Walk through the project timeline and explore current assessment of this new course:
1. Project Development: Responding to local and national research data directives.
2. Selected Modules: Assessing already existing curricula
and resources.
3. Regional Instructors: Collaboration across varying institutions and professionals
4. Online Platforms: How do you identify the correct software for you and the project?
5. Usability Testing: Gather feedback on the technology and course content.
6. Focus Groups: What do students want or value in an online course?
7. Demographics: Where are students taking this course?
8. Assessment: We can compare pre- and post-quizzes. How are students performing?
