Effective outsourced training for biomedical software

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The post-genomic era has yielded tremendous software resources for the dissemination and analysis of biological data. However, the providers of these tools often lack outreach and training programs due to limited funding and time constraints. As a result there is a widespread lack of awareness and underutilization of the data and tools throughout the biomedical community. OpenHelix's vision is to bridge the gap between bioinformatics tools and under-trained users through outsourced training. The founders possess cross-disciplinary skills which are especially well-suited to creating, providing and bringing to market bioinformatics training and outreach programs. The objective of the proposed research is to develop, present, and measure the effectiveness of specific outsourced training programs. First, through collaboration with software providers, OpenHelix will develop training programs on the three main genome browsers. Next, we will present those programs using three methods: (1) on-site training at customer facilities; (2) live web-conference training, and (3) pre-recorded, on-demand web courses. Finally, the effectiveness of the training and methods of delivery will be measured using statistical analysis of surveys administered pre-training, immediate post-training, and two-month post-training. The product of this study will be an innovative, highly-effective bioinformatics training and training delivery methods. These programs will make the ever-growing amount of genome data more easily accessible and effectively utilized-thereby advancing biomedical research itself.