Breaking Down Barriers to Using OSS in Graduate Research
This perspective article by Cereceda and Quinn discusses the barriers graduate students face when it comes to interacting with open-source software (OSS) and proposes methods for overcoming these obstacles. OSS is defined as software that provides users with access to the underlying source code, allows for free redistribution, allows for modification and distribution of derived works, and has no discrimination against persons, groups, or fields of endeavors. Research quality can greatly be improved from the graduate student’s ability to understand and use OSS, which allows individuals to collaborate both locally and globally on developing analytical programs and other beneficial tools.
Effective programming requires the user to understand the underlying processes, the application and interpretation of solutions, and the implementation of the code to accomplish specific tasks. Unfortunately, graduate students typically experience several barriers to learning these computational skills. Inconsistencies in training provided to students, either prior to or during graduate school, result in students not understanding how programming and research are linked. Lack of adequate skill assessments can lead to students not understanding their current level of programming skills, what skills they still need to learn, or where to further develop their skills. Supervisors, even knowledgeable ones who are highly skilled at planning and conducting research, can be less successful at guiding their students through developing their computational skills if their own OSS experience is limited or outdated. The additional task of learning programming can also overwhelm the capacity of a student’s working memory during a time when their mental resources are already stretched thin, creating a cognitive obstacle. When a lack of available guidance and resources compounds with psychological demotivators, students experience knowledge constraints. Students may also hesitate to ask for help or ask unclear questions in help-based communities due to a lack of accurate terminology or lack of clear supplemental information. Additional barriers to contributing to OSS include cultural obstacles, since academic culture lauds traditional manuscript whilst treating OSS contributions as superfluous, and the constraint of many graduate students not being prepared for the role of contributor.
Cereceda and Quinn recommend the following actions in order to address these barriers in a systematic and intentional manner:
For graduate students
·????????communicate with other grad students and supervisors about what computational skills are required for conducting their research and how long it will take to acquire those skills.
·????????Create a plan with a learning strategy, set of expectations, and list of tasks to complete.
·????????Ask for help when needed.
·????????Build local communities by promoting and sharing use of OSS.
·????????Form or join local discussion groups on or off campus.
·????????Follow software communities on social media to stay up to date.
·????????Validate code by asking for feedback and encourage others to do the same.
·????????Encourage informal or formal mentoring by connecting with experts and act as a mentor.
For supervisors
·????????Stay up to date by attending seminars and workshops and keeping an open mind.
·????????Acknowledge the limitations of your personal expertise and identify alternative resources when necessary.
·????????Instill a growth mindset among your students and colleagues through encouragement.
·????????Connect your students with a variety of resources.
·????????Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration by organizing university seminars.
·????????Help your students get involved with local or online projects and praise them for their contributions.
·????????Discuss the benefits of this work with students.
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·????????Encourage your students to publish code, technical documentation, software, and software articles, defend these publications as research contributions, and discuss how to reward or appropriately recognize these products.
For administrators
·????????Regularly survey the needs of your graduate students.
·????????Explore ways to integrate necessary skill development.
·????????Cultivate long term expertise by providing training opportunities.
·????????Support the operation and sustainability of centralized resources on campus and encourage their use.
·????????Support local OSS communities by integrating graduate students, faculty, and other researchers.
·????????Offer students and faculty guidance on the process and systems around publishing software and encourage collaboration.
For members of the OSS community
·????????Reach out to the academic community and offer encouragement to students.
·????????Improve traditional and nontraditional documentation efforts.
·????????Structure online discussions ranging from low to high complexity.
·????????Help develop and support platforms where students can publish their code and software and be cited appropriately.
·????????Offer newcomers constructive feedback about the applicability and implementation of their code and other contributions.
·????????Take on mentorship roles by being approachable, supportive, and accessible.
OSS can be a valuable tool to graduate students participating in research efforts. These students are an impactful group that continuously press upon the boundaries of knowledge. Unfortunately, the steep learning curve they face with regard to programming or computational skills can delay or reduce their scientific contributions. The engagement of end-users, developers, and people in supportive roles is necessary to minimize this delay and improve upon the processes used to conduct research, analyze data, and publish works.
This article was a little less exciting to read, for me. I tend to experience a lot of frustration with technology because there’s usually no physical part or object that I can manipulate to work through issues that arise. I also don’t enjoy sitting behind a computer for too long, so I tend to gravitate away from adding more computer-based work to my plate than is necessary. However, I am aware enough to realize that tech is a major and very important component of our modern lives so I try to put some effort into understanding how it works and the roles it plays. Cereceda and Quinn’s article was informative and includes more valuable insight than what I summarized here. Even if you are not a graduate student, administrator, developer, or supervisor, I encourage you to give this one a read.
This will be the last review I write for a while. Preparations for school are starting to kick into gear and life is getting pretty busy. I may continue writing reviews once I get a school schedule established but, more likely than not, I will be focusing on my studies and not have the additional time to continue this project. In the meantime, I hope to see all of you stay active in your pursuit of knowledge!