Expanding the Reach

of Bioinformatics Training

Jennifer McDowall, Ph.D.Senior Scientist

What type of training is required?

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Two types of training:

1) Training the bioinformaticians of the future

• Universities and affiliated institutes

• EMBL-EBI affiliated with

• Graduate training (MSc & PhD)

• Post-doctorate training

• Visitors’ program

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Two types of training:

2) User training

• Wide diversity of end users

• Bioinformaticians• Biologists• Environmental scientists• Agricultural scientists• Clinicians• Medical informaticians• Chemoinformaticians…

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Two types of training:

2) User training

• Wide diversity of end users

• Broad range of training – level and method

• EMBL-EBI:

• Hands-on training programs

• Bioinformatics Roadshows

• eLearning programs

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User-training program

www.ebi.ac.uk/training

Hands-Hands-ononTrainingTraining

BioinformaticBioinformatics Roadshowss Roadshows

E-E-learninglearning

Courses and workshops

Courses and workshops

Training comes to

you

Training comes to

you

Training anywhere, anytime, at any

pace

Training anywhere, anytime, at any

pace

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Hands-on training

• Interactive training through a combination of talks and practical exercises.

• Different levels of training from general overviews to focusing on specific data types and programmatic access.

• Learn from experts in the field.• Full programme at www.ebi.ac.uk/training/handson

Wellcome Images

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Hands-on programme 2009/2010Genomes

29–31 Mar 2010

Genomes29–31 Mar 2010

Transcriptomes18–23 Oct 2010

Transcriptomes18–23 Oct 2010

Proteomes9-13 Nov 2009

Proteomes9-13 Nov 2009

Small molecule resources25–29 Jan 2010

Small molecule resources25–29 Jan 2010

Integrating resources for systems biology11–13 Apr 2010

Integrating resources for systems biology11–13 Apr 2010

Dip into the EBI’s data resources19–22 Oct 2009

Dip into the EBI’s data resources19–22 Oct 2009

Programmatic accessto the EBI’s DBs22–26 Feb 2010

Programmatic accessto the EBI’s DBs22–26 Feb 2010

StructuresSep 2010

StructuresSep 2010

Walk through the EBI’s data resources

14–18 June 2010

Walk through the EBI’s data resources

14–18 June 2010

NextgenSequencing

2010 Date tbc

NextgenSequencing

2010 Date tbc

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Bioinformatics Roadshows

• Takes hands-on training to the user

• Host selects content relevant to their institute

• Universities, Institutes, Industry• Presentations with hands-on practical sessions• Use host computer facilities

• Coordinated by EMBL-EBI in collaboration with:• Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics • European Patent Office• BRENDA project

• Details at www.ebi.ac.uk/training/roadshow/

• or contact Jan Copeland (copeland@ebi.ac.uk)

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Support for Roadshows

• EU Integrated Infrastructure Initiative FELICS• Supported hosted hands-on training

• SLING (Mar 2009-Feb 2012)

• Fully funded roadshows within Europe

• Some funds for individuals who cannot host a roadshow to attend one elsewhere

• Annual networking sessions with trainers and hosts to develop a sustainable system for training

• Roadshow hosts encouraged and supported to develop own local training program

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36 roadshows in three years

>550 users trained

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eLearning

• Allows users to work at their own pace

• Experts in field create and monitor each course• Challenges

• Keeping material up to date

• Better to teach concepts than provide step by step guides

• Motivating trainees to complete courses

• Better to incorporate time-limited elements

• eg Trainer online on specific days

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Video tutoriallearn by watching

and listening

Video tutoriallearn by watching

and listening

Modular courses

Print tutorialLearn by reading

Print tutorialLearn by reading

QuizLearn by testing

your understanding

QuizLearn by testing

your understanding

Reflective taskLearn by practicing

Reflective taskLearn by practicing

eLearning

• Courses contains 3–5 modules (~30 min each)• Each module contains…

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Building sustainability into training programs

• Cannot train every user.

• We can support other trainers by…• Providing training materials• Guidelines for running training courses

• We can support users by…• Developing eLearning courses • Providing training materials online• User feedback• Provide helpdesk for databases

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EBI and the ELIXIR training strategy

• ELIXIR is an EU-funded project

• www.elixir-europe.org

• Development of data resources should be tightly linked to provision of training materials

• Centralized coordination of bioinformatics user training through a training support unit

• EU funded

• ELIXIR’s training recommendations:

• Provision of training/outreach staff should be built into funding mechanism

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• Improve accessibility of bioinformatics training materials by:

• Build a registry of freely available training materials

• Develop bench-marking systems

• Act as a main point of contact with other training infrastructures

Aims of EBI and ELIXIR

• Build communities of trainers, trainees and other stakeholders

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