Training & Education Working Group Scope and Action Plan

Scope:

The Training & Education Committee develops resources and hosts outreach activities that raise awareness and broaden participation in software preservation. Training & Education plays an important translation role — sharing the findings and deliverables of SPN working groups and affiliated projects to digital stewards, maintainers, users of software, software creators, researchers, educators, students and broader publics that have a stake in securing long-term access to software-dependent cultural heritage.

Action Plan:

Winter 2019 – Spring 2020:

• • • Maintain Landscape Analysis
    • Maintain SPN Resources Page
    • Explore potential new projects
      • Webinars for specific user groups
      • Cooperative projects with other working groups
      • Directory

• • Spring 2018 – Fall 2019: 
    • Translate the output of other working groups into education materials and determine the best way to share more broadly
      • Details: 
        • An ongoing project that will facilitate communication both between working groups and between the public and SPN 
    • Build, populate, and publicize a Directory of active SPN members to appear on the SPN website
      • Details:
        • An ongoing project that will facilitate dialogue between the members of the SPN community by enabling active SPN members to communicate their interests, skills, and current projects
    • Create, publish, and publicize a Landscape Analysis
      • Details:
        • A document which describes and contextualizes, within a snapshot in time, projects within the field of software preservation
  • Spring 2018 – Fall 2018:
    • Create, publish, and publicise a Research Software Curation Guidelines for Data Management Coordinators and Curators
      • Details:
        • Intended to help solve software preservation/curation issues farther upstream
        • Provide guidance to data management professionals and researchers to ensure that their research software is transparent and reproducible 
• Creation of educational and training events: 
  • Winter 2018 – Fall 2018: 
    • Design, coordinate, and run a roundtable webinar series on software preservation topics and case studies
      • Details:
        • A more informal approach, meant to bring together people within or adjacent to the software preservation community. 
        • A means to spread awareness of software preservation, particularly the opportunities, challenges, and previous projects
  • Fall 2018 – Fall 2019: 
    • Design, coordinate and run webinars, professional development trainings 
      • Details:
        • A formal approach, meant to help professional at institutions that are beginning to work in software preservation, IS students, and other people interested in learning hands-on tools for software preservation and curation
        • Should use and publicise the educational materials created based on the past and ongoing output of the other working groups
        • Should use and publicise the Research Software Curation Guidelines for Data Management Coordinators and Curators