Broadening Data and Digital Skills within Communities to Access Digital Research Infrastructures

This paper advances understanding on how computational and data-driven research methods can be expanded within the Arts and Humanities community, including researchers and practitioners in the Cultural Heritage sector. In particular, the research investigates the catalysts and motivators to enhance the digital and data literacy of researchers and practitioners and recommendations for longer term adoption of these skills. The research is contextualised within current efforts to expand access to national and European Digital Research Infrastructures. It is conducted through a series of scaffolded learning interventions implemented through a training initiative in the United Kingdom (UK). The paper describes this training initiative and the evaluation of the effectiveness of these interventions employing a mixed data approach. The research concludes with a set of recommendations for designing training programmes amongst learning communities, including using skills curricula based on domain-specific data processes and infrastructures as well as active learning approaches.