Skip to content

2. Planning and Designing a FAIR training

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Describe pedagogical frameworks and methods that support Learning Outcome development (including Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Smartie Principles)
  • Create Learning Outcomes relevant to their own training
  • Understand how Nicholl’s Five Steps and the Training Life Cycle relate to FAIR
  • Describe how documentation pedagogically supports FAIR trainings
  • Describe methods for and means for documenting trainings in a FAIR way

2.1 Presentation

Here you can find the presentation for this session:

The full presentation can be viewed in Google slides or copied for reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license

2.2 Developing Effective Learning Outcomes

What Are Learning Outcomes?

Learning outcomes define the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) learners should demonstrate upon completing a learning activity. They clarify what instructors can evaluate and assess.

Connection to FAIR

  • Interoperability: Clearly stated outcomes make materials easier to align with new contexts.
  • Reuse: Defined outcomes provide a clear purpose for application.

Writing Good Learning Outcomes

Use the SMARTIE framework:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-limited
Inclusive
Equitable

Combine this with Bloom’s Taxonomy to select appropriate action verbs—from “remember” and “understand” to “analyze,” “evaluate,” and “create.”
Avoid vague or unmeasurable verbs like “know” or “appreciate.”

2.3 Syllabus Creation

Best Practices

A good syllabus includes:

  • Basic information about the training (title, course code, meeting time and place, credits, etc.)
  • Contact information for instructors
  • Course description
  • Eligibility for participation
  • Key dates and times (course times; if applicable, assessment dates)
  • Expectations for completion of the course
  • Grading criteria (if applicable)

Iterative Design

Training development is cyclical. It evolves through:

Nicholl’s Five Steps – from defining outcomes to evaluation:


The Training Life Cycle – identify, design, develop, deliver, evaluate:

Each phase encourages continuous refinement through feedback and adaptation.

2.4 Documentation

Levels of Documentation

  • Data-level: Details about specific datasets (structure, variables, processing)
  • Project-level: Contextual information (who, when, why, quality assurance)

Examples include:

Data-level: Readme files, data management plans
Project-level: Syllabus, instructor guides, recordings

Metadata vs. Documentation

  • Metadata: Tags that make training findable
  • Documentation: Textual descriptions that make training understandable and reusable

Both are complementary and should be synchronized early in the project.

2.5 Activities

Create Learning Outcomes for your training (Individually)

  • Reflect on your training
  • Define teaching/learning objectives (describe your goals and intentions as the instructor)
  • Write learning outcomes (think about what learners will be able to do by the end of this instruction; using Bloom’s taxonomy; actionable verbs)
  • Identify the target audience and prerequisites

How does the Training Life Cycle relate to FAIR?

Take two minutes to discuss with the person beside you

Why is documentation important to the FAIR process?

  • Think about this question yourself for 1 minute
  • Pair up with someone nearby you, and discuss your thoughts together, for approximately 2-3 minutes
  • If there is time, share a point you have come up with that you feel is especially relevant

How can we best document our trainings to make them FAIR?

Discuss in small groups

What are the differences between metadata and documentation?

  • Think about this question yourself for 1 minute
  • Pair up with someone nearby you, and discuss your thoughts together, for approximately 2-3 minutes
  • If there is time, share a point you have come up with that you feel is especially relevant