The digital demands in educational and research institutions are increasing dramatically. Data Stewards are supposed to help meet them. But their specific tasks and competencies are unclear. So is the question of the right institutional positioning.
Data Stewardship is still a very young field of work and profession, but looking at the list of tasks and duties of the new Data Stewards, one inevitably thinks: how is all this supposed to work?
Expansion, updating, and maintenance of an educational or research institution's data assets
Adapting their digital infrastructures and tools to the specific requirements of researchers and educators
Providing specialized solutions for the creation, maintenance, or networking of educational content or research results, preferably with customized applications of artificial intelligence
Designing and managing relevant development projects
Advising staff on sustainable concepts, strategies, and technologies of data management
Monitoring data policies and data standards
Ensuring data quality and promoting best practices in data management
and much more
How can all these challenges be realistically addressed? And how do small institutions manage, which lack the funds for their own Data Stewards?
Data Stewardship Services for Research Institutions
The digital transformation presents educational and research institutions with ever-new challenges, and even large institutions with specialized Data Stewards quickly reach their limits.
Experience shows that some tasks can be handled more efficiently through external Data Stewardship Services. For example, providing professional expertise on data management concepts, strategies, or techniques. Or developing complex applications, which can be implemented much faster and more resource-efficiently with experienced specialists. – This leaves more time for individual consultation and support.
Data Stewardship Services for Educational Institutions
When Data Stewardship is mentioned, most people immediately think of research institutions. But educational institutions face the same requirements. Some even say they are more demanding, due to the diversity of target groups and their different needs.
In educational institutions, the demands for preparing digital educational content are higher. Guided Authoring solutions can support educators step by step in creating digital educational media. The most concrete form of Data Stewardship.
Task Shifting and Training on the Job
When the funds for Data Stewards are lacking, digital challenges are usually handled via task shifting, by redistributing them to the staff of an institution. The advantage: it saves costs. The disadvantage: processes are often inefficient and the results inadequate. Which in turn causes costs.
External Data Stewardship Services are a practical compromise. They support staff on an ad-hoc basis in developing digital projects or optimizing digital processes. They ensure efficient project development with convincing results and sustainably strengthen digital competencies.
An investment that usually pays off immediately.
With the development and provision of decentralized Data Stewardship Services, we too are breaking new ground. We only know that sooner or later there's no way around it, but we don't know the best way to get there. That's why we welcome all thinkers, fighters, and developers who want to explore the new possibilities of the decentralized Web 3.0 with us.