Ten rules for a successful bioinformatics course

08 Nov 2011

In a recent issue of the PLoS Computal Biology Jack Leunissen (WUR, NBIC) and international colleagues present ten rules for developing a short bioinformatics training course.
As a consequence of the introduction of high-throughput technologies, there has been an increase in demand for training relating to the use of computational resources and tools designed for high-throughput data storage, retrieval, and analysis. Biologists and computational scientists alike are seeking postgraduate learning opportunities in various bioinformatics topics that meet the needs and time restrictions of their schedules.
Short, intensive bioinformatics courses (typically from a couple of days to a week in length, and covering a variety of topics) are available throughout the world, and more continue to be developed to meet the growing training needs. The challenges, however, when planning, organising, and delivering such courses, are not trivial, especially considering the heterogeneous backgrounds of participants.
In the PLoS paper they address such challenges and present a consensus of rules derived from the shared expertise of several bioinformatics trainers.

Ten Simple Rules for Developing a Short Bioinformatics Training Course
Allegra Via, Javier De Las Rivas, Teresa K. Attwood, David Landsman, Michelle D. Brazas, Jack A. M. Leunissen, Anna Tramontano, Maria Victoria Schneider
PLoS Comput Biol. 2011 Oct;7(10):e1002245

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