Outside the R1: Equitable data management at the undergraduate level

Abstract

Universities within the California State University System are given the mandate to teach the students of the state, as is the case with many regional, public universities. This mandate places teaching first; however, research and scholarship are still required activities for reaching retention, tenure, and promotion, as well as important skills for students to practice. Data management instruction for both faculty and undergraduates is often omitted at these institutions, which fall outside of the R1 designation. This happens for a variety of reasons, including personnel and resource limitations. Such limitations disproportionately burden students from underrepresented populations, who are more heavily represented at these institutions. These students have pathways to graduate school and the digital economy, like their counterparts at R1s; thus, they are also in need of research data management skills. This paper describes and provides a scalable, low-resource model for data management instruction from the university library and integrated into a department’s capstone or final project curriculum. In the case study, students and their instructors participated in workshops and submitted data management plans as a requirement of their final project. The analysis will analyze the results of the project and focus on the broader implications of integrating research data management into undergraduate curriculum at public, regional universities. By working with faculty to integrate data management practices into their curricula, librarians reach both students and faculty members with best practices for research data management. This work also contributes to a more equitable and sustainable research landscape.