Developing disciplinary focussed data management training courses in Archaeology and Social Anthropology

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• Developing disciplinary focussed data management
  training courses in Archaeology and Social
  Anthropology
• Lindsay Lloyd-Smith, Irene Peano, and Elin
  Stangeland
• Cambridge University Library
• JISC MRD Programme Workshop, Birmingham, 29th
  March, 2011

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Aims and Objectives

• The broad aim of the DataTrain project is to
  improve research data management training
  available within UK HEIs, by providing exemplars
  and resources for others to use.
• Investigate current data curation practices and
  requirements within the Departments of
  Archaeology and Social Anthropology.
• Design data management course modules based on
  the requirements identified.
• Pilot the new data management course modules.
• Embed the course modules within each
  department.
• Deliver resources and findings to the ADS, DCC
  and JISC for wider dissemination and use.

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Context

• Departments keen to meet research support
  requirements for their post-graduate students
• Tailor data management training guidelines and
  requirements to specific disciplines and their
  methods
• Courses which are seen as useful and interesting
  by students
• Ascertain that courses are embedded within the
  departments

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Approach Similarities and Differences

• Research-student focused courses led by recent
  Cambridge PhDs
• Overlaps in the kinds of data produced through
  research
• Discipline focused - leads to different emphases
  in data management

• Anthropology
• Often individual, self-reflexive research
  (especially at PhD level)
• Ethos of private data, and problems with
  informed consent model
• Non-visual presentations (except for photographs,
  quotes and sometimes video)
• One-day interactive workshop

• Archaeology
• Often collaborative inter-disciplinary research
• Ethos of data sharing and historical significance
  of research data
• Image rich powerpoint presentations
• 4 x 2 hr sessions

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Data Management in Archaeology

• 4 X 2 hr sessions for Post-Graduate students
  (Masters 1st year PhD)
• Creating and Managing Data - thinking about data
  and talking to each other
• Defining data in post-graduate projects
• Working with digital data - practical stuff for
  doing a PhD
• File structure, naming and formats.
• E-theses
• Data Management Plans for post-graduate projects
• Project and Professional Data - larger research
  projects and the real world
• Case studies of data management on larger
  research projects.
• Archiving and Re-using Data - wrapping up
  projects, letting go and moving on
• Depositing digital data
• Intellectual Property Rights and research data
  in archaeology

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Archaeology Post-Graduate Data Management Plans
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Archaeology

• Lessons Learnt
• Students are most interested in data management
  that is directly relevant to their work.
• Simplified teaching materials appreciated
  student focused but not patronising.
• Group-discussion exercises effective.
• One-day workshop more effective than 4 x 2 hr
  sessions avoiding drop-off in attendance.
• Future at Cambridge
• Mandatory 2 hour session for 1st PhD students in
  Autumn Term.
• Post-Graduate Data Management Plans as part of
  1st 2nd year reports for PhD students.
• Potential one-day workshop in Data Management in
  Archaeology
• open for post-graduates, post-doctoral
  researchers and academic staff.
• Dissemination of Materials
• On-line Open Access teaching materials hosted by
  the Archaeology Data Service and Jorum.
• Positive interest by other university departments
  for re-purposing teaching materials.

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Social Anthropology

• Requirement Gathering (Dec 2010 Jan 2011)
• 16 people interviewed through semi-structured
  questionnaires
• Departments computer officer
• 5 academics at various stages of their career
• 2 writing-up PhD students (post-fieldwork)
• 7 pre-fieldwork PhD students (focus-group
  discussion)
• Key findings
• Limited departmental provisions, especially at
  post-graduate level
• More resources (both technical and didactic)
  welcome, but not strict guidelines or policies
• Electronic data not always crucial, reliance on
  pen and paper (often with no backup) across
  generations
• Metadata and documentation not necessarily
  created or developed, for lack of time and
  because the research process is cyclical and
  continuously evolving (categories never stay the
  same!)
• Memory as key

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Social Anthropology

• Workshop aims and outline (5 May 2011)
• Aims
• To provide pre-fieldwork postgraduate students
  with an understanding of data management issues
  and techniques across the data life cycle, with a
  special focus on the fieldwork phase of the
  research
• To allow students to reflect upon and expand
  their understanding of research data to share
  their experiences, skills and issues in this
  respect
• Outline
• Introduction why this course?
• Participants introduce themselves and their
  research
• Data creation, capture and organisation
• Data organisation Part II
• Data Protection and Ethics
• Looking after data
• Working with data at different levels of research
• Group discussion and final wrap-up

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Social Anthropology

• Lessons Learnt
• Need to keep the flexibility and distinctiveness
  that underscores the ethnographic method as a
  whole also in data-management training and
  practice
• Sharing data often seen as problematic and not
  necessarily worthwhile
• Future at Cambridge
• The course will be part of the research training
  program offered to pre-fieldwork PhD students in
  the coming years.
• Teaching material will be made available on
  University online platform and on Departments
  website (issue of updating, maintenance and
  sustainability, related to resource
  availability!)
• Dissemination of Teaching Materials
• Camtools Department of Social Anthropology
  website UKDA DCC Jorum.

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Summary and Future

• Tailored to student needs and led by recent PhD
  graduates
• Improving data management skills by teaching each
  other
• Students only do what they need to
• Mandatory Post-Graduate Data Management Plans in
  Archaeology
• One-day workshops early in academic year in
  Archaeology
• Mix of students, early career researchers and
  staff important to share best practices,
  challenges and long-term vision

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Questions?

• Contact
• Project Manager Elin Stangeland es444_at_cam.ac.uk
• Archaeology Lindsay Lloyd-Smith lrl20_at_cam.ac.uk
• Social Anthropology Irene Peano ip223_at_cam.ac.uk
• Project website
• http//www.lib.cam.ac.uk/preservation/dataTrain/