Aims and Objectives

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Archaeology Post-Graduate Data Management Plans

7. 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.

8. Social Anthropology • Requirement Gathering (Dec 2010 – Jan 2011): • 16 people interviewed through semi-structured questionnaires: • Department’s 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

9. 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

10. 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 Department’s website (issue of updating, maintenance and sustainability, related to resource availability!) • Dissemination of Teaching Materials • Camtools; Department of Social Anthropology website; UKDA; DCC; Jorum.

11. 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

12. Questions? • Contact: • Project Manager Elin Stangeland es444@cam.ac.uk • Archaeology Lindsay Lloyd-Smith lrl20@cam.ac.uk • Social Anthropology Irene Peano ip223@cam.ac.uk • Project website: • http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/preservation/dataTrain/