NASA’s Open Science Trainings as a Resource in the Higher Education Community

Open science is a collaborative culture, enabled by technology, that empowers the open sharing of data, information, and knowledge within the scientific community and the wider public.  The practice of open science accelerates scientific research and understanding by encouraging researchers to harness new technologies and collaborative practices, enabling access to information and expertise that may otherwise be out of reach. In order to build an open science community, NASA has developed two courses, Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101, designed to teach researchers, students, and the general public about the principles and practice of open science. Open Science Essentials provides introductory knowledge of the principles, practices, and tools necessary to conduct open science. This knowledge empowers learners to make their research more transparent, reproducible, and available to all. The course covers key topics such as open data, open peer review, and collaborative research practices and takes about 2 hours to complete.The Open Science 101 curriculum provides a deeper, foundational knowledge of the principles and best practices for conducting open science. The 12 hour, 5-module course provides researchers, students, and the general public with a solid foundation on the principles of open science; how to plan, conduct, and participate in open science research projects; legal and ethical considerations when planning open science projects; and open science best practices. Both trainings are available to learners anywhere in the world through free online courses.  Additionally, a slide deck is available to educators to facilitate incorporating the Open Science Essentials course into their own curriculums. This presentation will share information about NASA’s open science courses, how aspects of the courses could be incorporated into curricula and how these courses help build scholarship capabilities in higher education students.