From trainees to trainers to instructors: Sustainably building a national capacity in bioinformatics training

Abstract

Demand for training life scientists in bioinformatics skills led to the development of a train-the-trainer collaboration between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory–European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and 2 Australian organisations, Bioplatforms Australia and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 2012. The goal of the collaboration was to establish a group of trained instructors who could develop and deliver short bioinformatics courses nationally. A train-the-trainer course introduces instructors to aspects of andragogy and evidence-based learning principles to help them better design, develop, and deliver high-quality training. Since then, both the number of trainers in the network and the course portfolio have grown. Best practises have been developed and shared between the Australian cohort and EMBL-EBI to address common challenges in bioinformatics training. The Australian trainer cohort undertook a train-the-trainer instructor course, again with EMBL-EBI, and subsequently successfully delivered train-the-trainer courses to interested bioinformatics trainers within Australia. We conclude that a train-the-trainer approach can help build national capacity and maintain a critical mass of trained instructors.

Making Workshops Work: Insights from EDAMAME

“…It is not enough for workshop instructors to have subject matter expertise ( 6 ) and physical space. Even before diving into frequent deeper issues such as how to assess if learning is occurring ( 7 ), a number of questions arise. What is the “right” length for a workshop?…”

“…Success in designing and delivering a successful bioinformatics workshop is no small feat. The value of sharing experiences and perspectives among instructors teaching short bioinformatics courses has been noted in national programs ( 7 ) and is highlighted by the founding of the Life Science Trainers community ( https://lifescitrainers.org/ ). Shade et al generously walk readers through the workshop process from the inception of the EDAMAME workshop to what came next.…”

Application of a bioinformatics training delivery method for reaching dispersed and distant trainees

“…Australia is no exception in having a critical need to upskill biologists to handle biological data at scale [ 6 , 7 ], and a number of bioinformatics training programs and resources that are intended for national, state, or institutional audiences have been developed ( S2 Table ). A significant past national effort focussed on developing a network of bioinformatics trainers who travelled to deliver hands-on bioinformatics workshops around the country [ 8 ].…”

Ten simple rules for making training materials FAIR

“…They are also often scattered across different repositories, are siloed in their home institutions, or lack the metadata required to enable their (re)use. If we are to meet the demand for bioinformatics and computational biology training, we need to share and deliver training materials consistently, following best practices that enable their (re) use and adaptation [4,5].…”