OpenPlato

Course Overview

This course equips data stewards, librarians, archivists, curators, and research support staff with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage research data. Participants will explore the fundamentals of Data Management Plans (DMPs), their significance, and best practices for creating and implementing them. Through hands-on sessions, learners will gain practical experience with the ARGOS tool, a key platform for managing DMPs in alignment with Open Science and FAIR data principles. Additionally, participants will learn to build customized DMP templates and workflows tailored to their institutions' needs, ensuring seamless integration into research processes.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the principles and importance of DMPs in research.
• Explain the historical and current landscape of DMP tools and policies.
• Use the ARGOS tool to create, manage, and enhance DMPs.
• Apply best practices to support researchers in developing comprehensive DMPs.
• Lead the implementation of Research Data Management (RDM) policies at their institutions.
• Build and customize DMP templates to meet organizational needs.
• Design workflows for integrating DMPs into institutional research practices, ensuring compliance with Open Science standards.

Course Syllabus

Lesson 1: Introduction to DMPs and Research Data Management (RDM)

• Overview of DMPs and their role in RDM.
• Key concepts of Open Science and data sustainability.

Lesson 2: Evolution and Current Practices in DMPs

• Historical development of DMPs.
• Current tools and best practices for effective data management.

Lesson 3: ARGOS Tool for DMP Management

• Introduction to ARGOS: features, functionalities, and practical applications.
• Hands-on session for creating DMPs using ARGOS, ensuring compliance with institutional and Open Science policies.

Lesson 4: Practical Assignment

• Scenario 1: Implement a Research Data Management policy at an institution.
• Scenario 2: Lead the Data Management Planning for a new research project.

How to Use This Course as a Trainer

This course is designed for trainers to deliver engaging, interactive sessions. Each lesson combines foundational theory with practical exercises to ensure knowledge application.

Interactive Learning

Incorporate slides, quizzes, group discussions, and hands-on activities to balance theory and practice.

Pedagogical Tips

• Use small groups for collaborative exercises.
• Incorporate gamification techniques to enhance engagement and retention.

Tailoring for Audiences

Adapt the content for various audinces, such as researchers, data stewards, and managers, by emphasizing relevant aspects like ethics, data protection, and Open Science practices.

Supporting Resources

Provide additional materials, including templates, guidelines, and tools, to help participants deepen their understanding and apply best practices in DMP creation and management.

Details

• Language: English
• Resource Types: Interactive sessions, slides, exercises, study cases
• Audience: Data stewards, librarians, archivists, research support staff, and managers in academic and research institutions

Research, and how it is conducted, is ever-changing and requires those that are tasked in its support to also keep up-to-date in Research Data Management, Open Access and Open Science in general. OpenAIRE's train-the-trainer bootcamps, organised twice a year since 2022, aim at empowering trainers with the knowledge and the know-hows of Open Science so they can pass it onto others, and help create a more open, transparent and accessible research ecosystem. 

This course is a compilation of all the presentations and some of the discussions that happened during the bootcamps. 

Programme

Open Science being a fast-moving area, the programme of the bootcamp is revised for each iteration. The bootcamp is designed around three axes: presentations from experts, exchanges of individual experiences and independent learning assignments. 

Short presentations from experts cover the latest 'hot topics' and more in-depth knowledge of lesser-known subjects (e.g. pedagogy theory) and useful tips and tools. The course is meant as a student-centered learning experience and a horizontal knowledge exchange. The presentations are there to encourage participants to engage in group discussions and share their individual experiences as trainers throughout the week. The conversations usually continue beyond the live sessions through the text forum provided on OpenPlato to participants. The networking dimension is also fostered through the platform and additional optional gamified activities, demos and informal get-together. Mandatory assignments ensure every participants engage in peer-to-peer exchange and use the week for self-reflection on the design of a training plan.

Competencies

• plan and conduct engaging training activities following best practices for online, face to face and hybrid events; 
• evaluate impact of training and make training materials FAIR;
• understand the financial and ethical implications of Open Access;
• provide training on Intellectual Property Rights in the context of Open Access;
• recommend RDM tools for the different stages of the data curation lifecycle; 
• train on FAIR and open data; 
• identify good and bad practices in preparing a Data Management Plan (DMP);
• give insights into emerging trends in relation to Open Science practices (e.g. citizen science, pre-registration, research assessment, funder requirements, Artificial Intelligence).