Information about the bootcamp

Open Science Trainer (OpenAIRE) badge

The current badge is awarded to anyone who successfully completed one of OpenAIRE's Train-the-Trainer Bootcamp. Please note that this course does NOT count as participating in the bootcamp and no badge will be awarded for completing the activities.

Competencies

• plan and conduct engaging training activities following best practices for online, face to face and hybrid events; 
• evaluate impact of training and make training materials FAIR;
• understand the financial and ethical implications of Open Access;
• provide training on Intellectual Property Rights in the context of Open Access;
• recommend RDM tools for the different stages of the data curation lifecycle; 
• train on FAIR and open data; 
• identify good and bad practices in preparing a Data Management Plan (DMP);
• give insights into emerging trends in relation to Open Science practices (e.g. citizen science, pre-registration, research assessment, funder requirements, Artificial Intelligence).

Overview

Research, and how it is conducted, is ever-changing and requires those that are tasked in its support to also keep up-to-date in Research Data Management, Open Access and Open Science in general. OpenAIRE's train-the-trainer bootcamps, organised twice a year since 2022, aim at empowering trainers with the knowledge and the know-hows of Open Science so they can pass it onto others, and help create a more open, transparent and accessible research ecosystem. 

Programme

Open Science being a fast-moving area, the programme of the bootcamp is revised for each iteration. The bootcamp is designed around three axes: presentations from experts, exchanges of individual experiences and independent learning assignments. 

Short presentations from experts cover the latest 'hot topics' and more in-depth knowledge of lesser-known subjects (e.g. pedagogy theory) and useful tips and tools. The course is meant as a student-centered learning experience and a horizontal knowledge exchange. The presentations are there to encourage participants to engage in group discussions and share their individual experiences as trainers throughout the week. The conversations usually continue beyond the live sessions through the text forum provided on OpenPlato to participants. The networking dimension is also fostered through the platform and additional optional gamified activities, demos and informal get-together. Mandatory assignments ensure every participants engage in peer-to-peer exchange and use the week for self-reflection on the design of a training plan.

Assessment

Participants selected for OpenAIRE's bootcamp have to create several written and oral materials. This 'Open Science Trainer' badge is awarded manually by the organising committee to those that successfully completed all of the mandatory assignments on the week of the bootcamp. 

Mandatory and optional activities/assignments are adapted for each iteration, but have included:

• Design of a training plan or training strategy, either based on a real-life project or a set of predetermined training parameters (e.g. cohort size, mood of the learners, external issues). This mandatory activity is either done as an individual self-reflection exercise or a group activity, and is presented to the group on the last day of the bootcamp;
• 'Horror and Hooray Stories' where participants share experiences about a training that went really well and one that was bad. Lessons learned from these experiences are shared with the group orally (live or recorded);
• Contributing to an Open Science glossary by adding new entries;
• Answering quizzes;
• Design of gamified activities;
• 'One-minute madness' where participants present one lesson they are taking away from the bootcamp;
• Additional content such as reading materials, video-recordings and tools to explore are provided on the platform for participants to access either as pre-work for a session or for continuous learning.  

Selection process

Participants had to go through an application process describing the motivation and impact to conduct training on Open Science in their institution, country and/or community, as well as detailing their previous experience as a trainer, particularly on topics related to Open Science. 

It is an intermediate-level course and applicants were expected to have, at the very least, some basic knowledge of the state-of-the-art, including awareness around research data management topics and have an intermediate knowledge of Open Access publishing. Librarians, data stewards, research support staff or any other professional stakeholders planning to deliver Open Science training to researchers, research support staff and/or students could apply. 

Each application are reviewed and scored by at least four members of a review panel, made up of a diversity of experts part of the OpenAIRE network. Based on the number of participants (~20-40), those with the highest score get selected. However, are taken into account in the selection process: geographical balance (e.g. over-representation of a specific country or of Western European countries) and gender ratio (based on the ratio of applicants received rather than a 50:50 distribution, since it tends to be skewed with women representing ~80-90% of applicants). Preference might be given to the OpenAIRE A.M.K.E. members if they represent less than 30% of selected candidates. Since 2023, the scoring is done on pseudonymised applications (name, gender, country, institution). The geographical, gender and OpenAIRE member balance are fine-tuned at a second stage.  

Disclaimer

OpenAIRE is not an accreditation body and this 'Open Science Trainer' badge only reflects this person has successfully completed one of OpenAIRE's Train-the-Trainer Bootcamps. Open badges are a digital representation of skills, achievements, or experiences that individuals can earn and display online. They are designed to provide a more granular and flexible way of acknowledging learning accomplishments compared to traditional certifications or diplomas.