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

Authors :
McGrath, Annette
Champ, Katherine
Shang, Catherine A.
van Dam, Ellen
Brooksbank, Cath
Morgan, Sarah L.
Source :
PLoS Computational Biology. 6/27/2019, Vol. 15 Issue 6, p1-12. 12p. 3 Diagrams, 2 Charts.
Publication Year :
2019

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1553734X
Volume :
15
Issue :
6
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
PLoS Computational Biology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
137196206
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006923