Managing Creative Arts Research Data (MCARD) training module

Module content can be accessed directly online.

Alternatively, the module and related documents are free to download:

Zip file containing module content as stand alone .html files

PDF of optional, summative exercise

PDF version of this introduction

Summary

This post-graduate teaching module for creative arts disciplines is focused on making data and digital documentation which is highly usable and has maximum impact. The module content is particularly well suited for inclusion within MA programmes dealing with ephemeral art forms such as dance, music, visual art, theatre or media design. Learning is self-directed. MCARD-ExcersiceV1.0.pdf is an optional, summative assessment exercise.

This module, funded as part of the wider JISC Managing Research Data programme, offers data management knowledge tailored to the special requirements of the creative arts researcher who is producing non-standard (i.e. non-textual) research outputs. The module aims to develop the development of skills required by arts researchers to effectively self-archive and then disseminate data made through research activities. The module can also help researchers to better understand data management issues and then communicate needs to third parties, such as institutional repositories, in order to negotiate appropriate levels of service.

Justification

Research data created by the UK’s performance and visual arts departments is often rich, technically complex and amazingly varied in nature. This work is often non-text based and may, for example, involve interconnected documents of a single live event or interactive software.
In addition to enriching our cultural heritage sector, this research underpins the scholarly record and is commonly used, re-used and reinterpreted by subsequent researcher-practitioners as the basis for creative new works. The challenges involved in preserving and facilitating the use of such non-standardised research data can be considerable.
This open education resource was the result of the JISC-funded CAiRO (Curating Arts Research Output) project.

Format

Module content is provided as a collection of independent .html and related media documents, designed to be stand-alone for easy inclusion within existing VLEs. All teaching and learning materials are made freely available under a Creative Commons licence and adaptations are permitted. Learning is self-directed and self-paced, around 8 hours for completion of the entire module excluding the optional, summative assessment exercise (MCARD-ExcersiceV1.0.pdf).
The module is broken down into four units, these are:

Unit 1: Introducing art as research data

Unit 2: Creating art as research data

Unit 3: Managing art as research data

Unit 4: Delivering art as research data

Each unit has a suggested order (accessible via the navigation on the left of each page) and addition ‘Focus on’ content which further illustrates topics covered in the main body.

Unit one: Introducing art as research data

Unit 1 is an introductory unit, designed to cover the essentials of research data management within the creative arts. This module distils much of the content from the other three units. Unit 1 may easily be worked into existing post graduate Research Methodology modules. The content of the unit is as follows:

Introduction to Unit 1

The challenge of evidencing practice-as-research

Who is likely to use creative arts research data and for what?

Benefits of retaining research data

Threats to research data

Arts data workflow

Next steps

Focus on: Laura Malacart case study. Laura explains her approach to documenting the site specific video work, Voicings.

Focus on: A theoretical perspective. Dr Paul Clarke sites data within theoretical arguments over documenting work.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

Appreciate some of the challenges involved when evidencing art as research

Identify the types of user likely to access arts research data

Understand the most significant threats to research data

Recognise some of the benefits of retaining research data in a usable form

Unit 2: Creating art as research data

Unit 2 focuses on actions which should be taken before any research data is actually created. Research funders, as key stakeholders are discussed in detail. Legislation which may impact on creative arts research, such as copyright and aspects of the Data Protection Act are also covered.

Introduction to Unit 2

Planning to make research data

Data management expectations of funders

Copyright

Model release

Data protection

Next steps

Focus on: Sample AHRC Technical Appendix. A detailed look at a hypothetical research funding application. The example given is a involves documenting performance using video.

Focus on: Adrian Howell case study. Adrian shares his experiences of working with the University of Glasgow’s Ethical Approval Committee when making the performance work Held.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

Appreciate some of the data management expectations of research funders

Understand the importance of acquiring permissions required to use data

Gain an understanding of how copyright works

Create a basic management plan for research data

Unit 3: Managing art as research data

Unit 3 examines what to do in order to maximize the usefulness of existing research data. Certain questions need to be considered at the close of a project or the completion of a work such as: ‘What research data is important and what can be disposed of?’ or ‘What’s the best way to describe digital documents to better reflect what actually happened during a project?’

Introduction to Unit 2

What should be kept?

Self-archiving

Selecting file formats

Open vs. proprietary

Metadata (cataloguing information)

Long-term digital preservation

Next steps

Focus on: An approach to metadata. A suggested set of information which might be usefully collected in order to describe a creative arts research output.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

Understand some of the criteria for retaining research data

Appreciate the differences between open and proprietary technologies

Understand metadata and see its importance

Identify some long-term challenges relating to research data

Unit 4: Delivering art as research data

Unit 4 looks at issues which come to light after data has been created, typically at the close of a research project. Work then needs to be exposed and made accessible to maximise impact. This might be done for general consumption, to meet the requirements of research funders or to facilitate examination.

Finding a home for research data

Institutional repositories

Using a social platform

Licensing and providing attribution information

Next steps

Focus on: Rosie Ward case study. Rosie discusses her motivations for documenting the video work Breathing Space and explains why that documentation has been useful.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

Identify different ways to share research data

Understand the role of an institutional repository

Appreciate why some arts researchers use social platforms to deliver work

Recognise the importance of attribution and copyright permissions