www.isb-sib.ch Contact: training@isb-sib.ch

First steps with: a training course series to launch life scientists on the road towards bioinformatics Diana Marek1,2, Grégoire Rossier1,2, Ivan Topolsky2, Frédéric Schütz1,3,4, Vassilios Ioannidis2,5, Ioannis Xenarios2,4,6,7, Patricia M. Palagi1

1. Training and Outreach group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland, 2. Vital-IT, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland, 3. Bioinformatics Core Facility, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland, 4. University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 5. SIB Technology, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland, 6. Swiss-Prot, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland 7. University of Geneva, Switzerland

Information: www.isb-sib.ch/training

Goal and concept

ü Conceive and teach interactive basic courses, containing blocks of theory combined with relevant practicals to provide life scientists with basic skills and good data management practices to enable individual research progress.

Current background

First Steps with concept

² Face-to-face one-day workshop ² Targeted to beginners ² No programming skills required ² E-learning modules as

supporting material ² Major emphasis on integrated

hands-on experience ² Progress assessment of

participants' knowledge level ² Online feedback form ² Applicable to several tools like

Unix, R, Perl, Python…

•  Basic UNIX commands •  Unix e-learning module •  Usage of a common

homogeneous UNIX environment

•  Quizzes and hands-on sessions right after each chapter

•  R environment and basic commands

•  R tutorial and quiz •  Usage of R studio •  Hands-on sessions right

after each chapter

First steps with UNIX

First steps with R

Ste

p-by

-ste

p tra

inin

g

First steps

Intermediate

Advanced

Bio

info

rmat

ics

expe

rtise

Take home messages ü  This series responds to an identified need of a step-by-step training approach. It allows attendees to acquire specific knowledge and hands-on

practice that will later be required by most common bioinformatics tools and workflows.

Copyright Atelier Valenthier

Copyright Atelier Valenthier

ü  Technologies in life science and medicine have evolved so rapidly that big data storage requirements and analysis have now become a bottleneck.

ü  Life scientists are often not equipped to get the most out of currently available technologies, left without appropriate skills to manage, analyse, and interpret their data with confidence.

ü  SIB Training and Outreach aims to bridge the skills gap with its offer of bioinformatics courses and in particular with its First steps with course series intended for beginners willing to start with data analysis.

The possibility to practice immediately what I've learnt.

No background knowledge was required to be able to follow it and achieve the objectives of the course.

What about a UNIX intermediate and advanced?

5 courses in 9 months in different cities gathering over 100 attendees

Appropriate pace for beginners. Enough instructors to follow-up trainees closely.

Clear and interactive teaching. Teaching materials well structured and handy to use.

Practicals really in link with our work using real relevant biological data and concrete examples.

What about an intermediate "R" course for biologists?