Introducing Undergraduates to Research Data Management: A Marine Science Case Study-Based Asynchronous Express Course

ABSTRACT

Experiential learning can connect undergraduate students with research projects where they create and analyze data. Research Data Management (RDM) competencies are needed to ensure that research data are effectively organized, described, stored, and curated for future use. In recent years, undergraduates have been taught RDM in credit classes and workshops, but opportunities to learn RDM competencies are not widespread in undergraduate education. This study describes a one-credit asynchronous express RDM course that was developed and taught by an academic librarian as a 100-level undergraduate class between 2021 and 2023. Students applied RDM theory and best practices to marine science case study-based assignments to experience organizing and describing research data firsthand. The course culminated with students writing proposals to implement RDM practices at a research institution. Evaluation of the course is described from the librarian-instructor perspective and using enrollment, grade, and student course evaluation data. Teaching asynchronously at an express pace presented challenges in keeping some students engaged and progressing throughout the seven-week course, requiring proactive outreach and instructor attentiveness. While the asynchronous mode adds flexibility to student schedules, a reduced scope or slower pace is recommended for providing undergraduates a meaningful experiential introduction to data management.

KEYWORDS:

• Data literacy competencies
• library special topics courses
• online learning
• research data management
• undergraduates

Acknowledgments

Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Amanda Whitmire, Britney Prebis, and Autum Blanchard for their review of the manuscript during its development.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).