Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program

Introduction: It is known that graduate students work with research data more intimately than their faculty mentors. Because of this, much data management education is geared toward this population. However, student learning has predominantly been assessed through measures of satisfaction and attend...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tina M Griffin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Iowa State University Digital Press 2021-10-01
Series:Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/jlsc/article/id/12906/
_version_ 1797222110387503104
author Tina M Griffin
author_facet Tina M Griffin
author_sort Tina M Griffin
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: It is known that graduate students work with research data more intimately than their faculty mentors. Because of this, much data management education is geared toward this population. However, student learning has predominantly been assessed through measures of satisfaction and attendance rather than through evaluating knowledge and skills acquired. This study attempts to advance assessment efforts by asking students to report their knowledge and practice changes before, immediately after, and 6 months following education. Method: Graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and health science disciplines self-enrolled in an 8-week pilot data management program that used their research projects as the focus for learning. Three surveys were administered (pre-, post-, and 6 months following) to determine changes in students’ knowledge and practices regarding data management skills through self-assessment. The survey consisted of approximately 115 Likert-style questions and covered major aspects of the data life cycle. Results and Discussion: Overall, students increased their data management knowledge and improved their skills in all areas of the data life cycle. Students readily adopted practices for straightforward tasks such as determining storage and improving file naming. Students improved in but struggled with tasks that were more involved, such as sharing data and documenting code. For most of these practices, students consistently implemented them through the 6-month follow-up period. Conclusion: Impact of data management education lasts significantly beyond immediate instruction. In-depth assessment of student knowledge and practices indicates in which areas this education is effective and in which areas it needs further support. It is likely that this effect is due to the program length and focus on implementation.
first_indexed 2024-04-24T13:16:07Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7e2daef792344dd596e31b7f33ca6634
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2162-3309
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-24T13:16:07Z
publishDate 2021-10-01
publisher Iowa State University Digital Press
record_format Article
series Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication
spelling doaj.art-7e2daef792344dd596e31b7f33ca66342024-04-04T17:34:15ZengIowa State University Digital PressJournal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication2162-33092021-10-019110.31274/jlsc.12906Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education ProgramTina M Griffin0University of Illinois at ChicagoIntroduction: It is known that graduate students work with research data more intimately than their faculty mentors. Because of this, much data management education is geared toward this population. However, student learning has predominantly been assessed through measures of satisfaction and attendance rather than through evaluating knowledge and skills acquired. This study attempts to advance assessment efforts by asking students to report their knowledge and practice changes before, immediately after, and 6 months following education. Method: Graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and health science disciplines self-enrolled in an 8-week pilot data management program that used their research projects as the focus for learning. Three surveys were administered (pre-, post-, and 6 months following) to determine changes in students’ knowledge and practices regarding data management skills through self-assessment. The survey consisted of approximately 115 Likert-style questions and covered major aspects of the data life cycle. Results and Discussion: Overall, students increased their data management knowledge and improved their skills in all areas of the data life cycle. Students readily adopted practices for straightforward tasks such as determining storage and improving file naming. Students improved in but struggled with tasks that were more involved, such as sharing data and documenting code. For most of these practices, students consistently implemented them through the 6-month follow-up period. Conclusion: Impact of data management education lasts significantly beyond immediate instruction. In-depth assessment of student knowledge and practices indicates in which areas this education is effective and in which areas it needs further support. It is likely that this effect is due to the program length and focus on implementation.https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/jlsc/article/id/12906/data management educationdata management knowledgedata management practicesgraduate students
spellingShingle Tina M Griffin
Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication
data management education
data management knowledge
data management practices
graduate students
title Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
title_full Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
title_fullStr Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
title_short Knowledge and Practice Changes Following a Student Data-Focused Data Management Education Program
title_sort knowledge and practice changes following a student data focused data management education program
topic data management education
data management knowledge
data management practices
graduate students
url https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/jlsc/article/id/12906/
work_keys_str_mv AT tinamgriffin knowledgeandpracticechangesfollowingastudentdatafocuseddatamanagementeducationprogram