Assessing Education Needs of Graduate Students for Data Management

Uncertainty remains as to areas of greatest need for instruction in research data management, and whether perceived needs differ between disciplinary faculty and graduate students. Data sharing requirements of research funders have provided the impetus in recent years for librarians to provide data management services. Instructional approaches ranging from workshops to credit courses are being developed, often without the benefit of first conducting a needs assessment. A study of education needs in research data management was conducted jointly at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Wyoming. Graduate students in science-based programs with research thesis or dissertation requirements were surveyed about the importance of 12 data management competencies, and self-assessment of their knowledge levels. They also were asked how they learn about research data management. Faculty were similarly surveyed about their perceptions of their graduate students regarding the importance and knowledge levels of the 12 data management competencies. Graduate students and faculty ranked the following areas most important: ethics/attribution, data visualization, and quality assurance. Graduate students indicated they were least knowledgeable and skilled in data curation and re-use, metadata and data description, data conversion and interoperability, and data preservation. Faculty perceptions of their students’ knowledge gaps were similar. Results indicated that graduate students utilize self-learning most often and that faculty may be less influential in research data management education than they perceive. The study findings provide a basis for identifying ways librarians might collaborate with campus partners to help graduate students improve certain research data management skills

Education Needs in Research Data Management for Science-Based Disciplines: Self-Assessment Surveys of Graduate and Faculty at Two Public Universities

Research data management is a prominent and evolving consideration for the academic community, especially in scientific disciplines. This research study surveyed 131 graduate students and 79 faculty members in the sciences at two public doctoral universities to determine the importance, knowledge, and interest levels around research data management training and education. The authors adapted 12 competencies for measurement in the study. Graduate students and faculty ranked the following areas most important among the 12 competencies: ethics and attribution, data visualization, and quality assurance. Graduate students indicated they were least knowledgeable and skilled in data curation and re-use, metadata and data description, data conversion and interoperability, and data preservation. Their responses generally matched the perceptions of faculty. The study also examined how graduate students learn research data management, and how faculty perceive that their students learn research data management. Results showed that graduate students utilize self-learning most often and that faculty may be less influential in research data management education than they perceive. Responses for graduate students between the two institutions were not statistically different, except in the area of perceived deficiencies in data visualization competency

Exploring Data Management: Identifying Signposts for Graduate Student Researchers

As graduate students embark on research projects, they often are not fully aware of what paths they should take or the obstacles they may encounter. Effectively managing research data is a skillset that needs to be honed along the way. Trail guides, including librarians, can establish instructional signposts for relevant data management concepts. To be effective, guides need to be familiar with the knowledge and skill gaps of the explorers. Surveys were conducted at two medium-sized universities to assess perceived importance and knowledge of 12 research data management competencies, with a goal of informing education planning. Results set the foundation for pathways to research data management education. Attendees may share ideas and recommendations for augmenting learning about concepts and practices in research data management

A study of the psammon community in Douglas Lake.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/52933/1/1366.pdfDescription of 1366.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

EC86-1548 Common Insect Pests of Trees in the Great Plains

This publication was developed by entomologists on the Pest Management Task Force of the Great Plains Agricultural Council Forestry Committee to provide the public and professionals with information needed to identify and manage common insect pests of trees in the Great Plains. It is designed for those with no formal training in entomology and is not intended to summarize everything known about a particular insect

Mountain pine beetle in ponderosa pine : effects of phloem thickness and egg gallery density /

no.36

Comparison of risk/hazard rating systems for mountain pine beetle in Black Hills ponderosa pine forests /

R2-5