Content
The Research Data Life Cycle (RDLC) Micro-credential sessions provide knowledge of the research data life cycle, with sessions covering foundational topics, as well as planning, collecting, analyzing, sharing, and stewarding research data. The content is available through Canvas, and is open to all students, staff, and faculty at UNL for no additional cost, and access is not limited to those seeking the micro-credential.
The sessions are offered in various formats - they may be in-person, via webinar, a video, or sometimes offered in multiple formats. To access the recordings and get receive updates when sessions are added and/or available, just follow the link, and enroll in the course. (Enrollment is NOT a commitment to anything more than gaining access to the materials.) New content is added as it becomes available.
Earn A Digital Badge!
A digital badge is a verified, online credential that showcases your expertise in a specialized area, allowing you to display your accomplishments to employers, colleagues, and your professional network. The badges contain metadata tracking the badge to the institution or company that offered the course. The Research Data Life Cycle Micro-credential was approved by the UNL Micro-Credential Committee and completing the requirements comes with a digital badge that can be shared with your community, potential schools, employers, clients, etc.
Skills covered in the RDLC Micro-credential include foundational data knowledge, research data basics, software and analyses, and preparation for sharing and storage of research data. This micro-credential requires the completion of 15 hours of approved sessions, with the majority selected by the learner to meet their own interests and/or needs.
The Sessions
The sessions are offered in a variety of formats - some are videos that you can access when you have time, others are webinars that require availability at a certain time, and still others will be offered in-person. The sessions are offered by providers from across campus, including the Engineering and Computing Education Core, Holland Computing Center (HCC), the Libraries, the Methodology, Analytics, and Psychometrics (MAP) Academy, and the Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility (MERC), among others.
To earn the micro-credential, learners must complete three required sessions (representing 3 of the required 15 credits towards the micro-credential), and an additional 12 credits from the elective sessions.
Required sessions
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
This is the campus-wide training program that covers the University of Nebraska's expectations, policies, and resources for the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). This is completed in Bridge, and the completion certificate uploaded here, in Canvas. RCR is required for many UNL researchers, and if you already completed it, congratulations! You are that much closer to completing the micro-credential.
A Crash Course in Research Data Management
Offered by UNL Libraries, this workshop provides strategies and insights for managing your data for effective collaboration, to meet funder requirements, or to preserve it for reuse or sharing in the future. Available as a recording within Canvas, or offered via webinar through the Libraries typically twice a year. After watching the video, you complete a short quiz to receive credit towards the micro-credential.
ORCID 101
This short video from the Libraries is a tutorial that will introduce you to ORCID (a digital persistent identifier that helps track your work), explain its benefits to your research and the institution, and give you tips on populating your ORCID profile. After watching the video, you upload an image of your ORCID registration to receive credit.
Elective Sessions
Learners must choose at least one session from each of the following categories, and must meet the additional 12 hours to complete their 15 credit requirement. Beyond those requirements, learners should choose topics that meet their own needs, interests, and/or timelines.
Basics | Software/Analyses | Data Futures |
| Data Management and Sharing Plans (1 credit, live from the Libraries, 1-2x a year) | Applied Data Cleaning (3 credits, live, waitlist) | Choosing a Repository (forthcoming) |
| Data Quality (1.5 credits, video + quiz) | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (forthcoming) | Introduction to Data De-identification (1 credit, video + quiz) |
| Developing a Strong Research Infrastructure (1 credit, video + quiz) | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning using HCC (4.5 credits, live from HCC, 1-2x a year) | Methods of Data De-identification (1 credit, video + quiz) |
| Ensuring Data Integrity through Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance (1 credit, video + quiz) | Introduction to Holland Computing Center (2 credits, live from HCC, offered 1-2x a year) | Navigating Research Data Repositories to Support Secondary Analyses (1 credit, video + quiz) |
| Finding Secondary Data (1 credit, video + quiz) | Introduction to Python (6 credits, live from HCC, 1-2x a year) | Prepare Now for Your Digital Dark Age (1 credit, live from the Libraries, 1-2x a year) |
| Human Data Collection (4 credits, 5 part video + associated quizzes) | Introduction to R (6 credits, live from HCC, 1-2x a year) | Telling Stories with Data (forthcoming) |
| Introduction to Qualitative Methods (forthcoming) | Introduction to REDCap (1 credit, video + task) | |
| Preparing Your Data for Openness (1 credit, live or webinar through the Libraries, 1-2x a year) | Mixed and Multi Methods (0.5 credits, video + quiz) | |
| Qualtrics 101 (1 credit, video + task) | ||
| Qualtrics 201 (1 credit, video + task) | ||
| RAPID Qualitative Analysis (forthcoming) |