title: Bioinformatics training: a review of challenges, actions and support requirements.
abstract: As bioinformatics becomes increasingly central to research in the molecular life sciences, the need to train non-bioinformaticians to make the most of bioinformatics resources is growing. Here, we review the key challenges and pitfalls to providing effective training for users of bioinformatics services, and discuss successful training strategies shared by a diverse set of bioinformatics trainers. We also identify steps that trainers in bioinformatics could take together to advance the state of the art in current training practices. The ideas presented in this article derive from the first Trainer Networking Session held under the auspices of the EU-funded SLING Integrating Activity, which took place in November 2009.
authors.affiliation: EMBL Outstation, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK. vicky@ebi.ac.uk
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Attwood
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rother
authors.forename: Aidan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Budd
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDowall
authors.forename: Allegra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Via
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nyronen
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blicher
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Blatter
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Las Rivas
authors.forename: David Phillip
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Judge
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van der Gool
authors.forename: Cath
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brooksbank
mesh_terms: D019295:Computational Biology / Q000193:education*; D012106:Research / Q000193:education; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods