E-PACERR: ENHANCING PROFESSIONALISM, ADVOCACY, AND CAPACITY FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESPONSIBLE BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH - PROJECT SUMMARY
This project will develop free, open, self-paced online modules on the Canvas LMS for exposing and
educating bioinformatics trainees on knowledge that is typically considered to be outside of formal
training in a traditional research education program. The topics to be covered include professionalism,
tenets of reproducibility and replicability, standards for excellence, technical writing skills, best practices
for data and code sharing, and advocacy in research. By exposing trainees to this knowledge, which
can often be institutional and dependent on mentorship, we will (1) build confidence in trainees' ability
to perform reproducible research in their own laboratory, research group, or workplace setting; (2)
support a more active and engaged bioinformatics research workforce; and (3) provide a piloted
curriculum for other bioinformatics research training programs to implement in their own educational
settings.
Direct trainings on ethics, responsible research, or professionalism are notably absent in most formal
training in bioinformatics. While a number of supplementary responsible conduct in research trainings
exist, many of these focus on achieving compliance instead of best practice. To build a standard of
excellence in bioinformatics research, trainees need a sense of community and knowledge of the
historical context of biomedical research to understand and motivate the need for excellence in
bioinformatics research in practice. Our modules will teach trainees about the bioinformatics
community, and how to engage that community in a number of scenarios depending on their personal
ability to do so. Content will be broken down into a minimum of 12 major modules, and will be presented
as a combination of videos, quizzes, audio interviews, at-home exercises, coding exercises, and open-
access reading material. All exams/quizzes/assignments will be auto graded. The proposed project will
serve to complement ongoing training in bioinformatics education at any point in one's career. Provision
of short, online, self-paced modules allows the user to compare their results to other common results,
as well as informing trainees how to most effectively join in their local, regional, and international
science communities to discuss and engage other users on their approaches.
By demonstrating the value of this training through addressing questions that trainees typically
have about the `non-formal' aspects of research training, we will achieve better trainee
engagement and therefore a more effective “responsible conduct in research” experience,
improving professional competence in bioinformatics trainees.
