Meeting title: Accreditation and certification schemes: stakeholders and goals
Please give a short introduction describing the scope of the group and if any previous activities
We propose to convene a BoF that will discuss approaches to analyzing and comparing data science related accreditation and certification schemes and related practices for data science and data management professions in different countries around the world.
The BoF topic was proposed at the last IG-ETHRD meeting, RDA Plenary 7, to respond to research community interest in formalising the necessary education, training and career development to obtain minimum necessary knowledge how to manage research data produced in research projects and individual research.
This activity is aligned with the goals of the EU-funded EDISON project and as such, EDISON partners would be proactive in supporting the work of this BOF. The committed involvement of others would be very much welcomed also. The idea and motivation for this BoF have emerged from discussions within the ETHRD IG and it is envisaged that the BoF will provide advice and input to create a new WG that further contributes to the sustainable development of the data science profession.
The intention is at the end of 9 months the BoF will collectively deliver a report that presents a succinct but representative picture of the various accreditation and certification schemes that exist around the world together with recommendations for future actions.
Please provide additional links to informative material related to the group i.e. Case statements, working documents etc
For related supporting material please see the work of the ETHRD IG and also the outputs of the EU-funded EDISON project: http://edison-project.eu
Please list the meeting objectives
The objectives for the meeting are as follows:
- Identification and agreement of key issues and opportunities relating to accreditation and certification for Data Science
- Discussion and finalisation of the objectives of the case statement
- Identification and agreement of follow-up actions before next meeting (including group roles, communication mechanisms and other matters)
- agreement on co-chairs for the group
Meeting agenda
The proposed agenda for the inaugural meeting is as follows (facilitation: Steve Brewer):
- Welcome and introduction from Chair(s)
- Goals and vision for the BoF (see above)
- Vision and role of EDISON project in building the data science profession
- Why certification and accreditation matters
- The role of RDA and the inter-relationships with other RDA groups
- Introductions to those present: who they are, what they do, what they want out of this activity
- Discussion:
- Identification and agreement of key issues and opportunities
- Discussion and finalisation of the objectives of the case statement
- Identification and agreement of follow-up actions before next meeting (including group roles, communication mechanisms and other matters)
- AOB
- DONM
The minutes of the meeting will be published latest one week after the session as an attachment to the session’s web page and in the RDA filerepository associated with the RDA group page.
Audience: Please specify who is your target audience and how they should prepare for the meeting
We are particularly interested in participation from those involved in education and training, including continuing professional development (CPD). We would also be interested to hear from those involved in recruiting and employing Data Scientists and who would see benefits from a professional framework.
One of the key goals of the BoF is to produce a representative picture of the various accreditation and certification schemes that exist around the world. If attendees can bring any insight into current situation in terms of accreditation and certification in the wider aspects of computing and data that relates to Data Science that would be beneficial. Any insight and knowledge about accreditation and certification bodies would be appreciated, particularly in a specific professional context.
We see this BoF as an opportunity to draw in people from outside RDA who are new to the activities of the Alliance.
Familiarisation with the current outputs of the EDISON project which are available on the EDISON website would also be beneficial.
Group chair serving as contact person Steve Brewer