Applying best practices to enhance bioinformatics training in Switzerland - presented at ISMB 2020, Education COSI

SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics training courses (https://www.sib.swiss/training/upcoming-training-courses) are created by following a cycle of best practices in training, which have been defined by the trainers’ communities in ISCB, GOBLET, ELIXIR and the SIB Training group. Trainers from the SIB Training group are encouraged to attend Train the trainer courses. As a consequence, SIB courses are clearly defined with specific learning objectives, target audiences, prerequisites, and active learning activities. Course pages are described with Bioschemas specifications and metadata, which provide valuable information to enable trainees to assess whether the courses meet their needs and background knowledge, a step towards FAIR training. Quality and impact metrics, together with training needs, are continuously collected, providing indications as to whether courses and the annual program need to be adapted. The integration of these best practices, together with the extensive expertise in bioinformatics from the SIB scientists, has resulted in courses that are consistently well evaluated and appreciated by PhD students, postdocs, and their PIs.