CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Conestoga leads development of research data management modules

Oliver Goodison-Powell, a research data and policy analyst with Conestoga, led the project that included a group of Ontario institutions and colleges that partnered to develop training modules for researchers and staff aimed at increasing their awareness of RDM best practices. 

"These modules provide a much-needed resource to colleges and small institutions adapting to the challenge of providing RDM support to their campus communities. Many of the existing resources are aimed at a university audience, so this opportunity demonstrates the importance of colleges and small institutions working together to address common concerns," said Goodison-Powell.

The project was funded by Compute Ontario and is in response to the federal government's Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy. Conestoga's partners on this project include:

• Ontario Colleges Heads of Applied Research  
• Ontario Colleges RDM Community of Practice 
• Centennial College 
• Ontario Tech University 
• Durham College 
• Niagara College 
• Humber College 
• Georgian College 
• Fanshawe College, OER Design Studio 

"I am very grateful to Compute Ontario for the funding, my project team members from around the province for their hard work, the Conestoga Office of Research Services team for providing administrative support, and the Online Learning Centre for their work on an earlier version of the project," Goodison-Powell added.

Available in both English and French, the modules are free to use and share, and cover data curation, data sharing and governance, data deposits and repositories, and industry data and research partnerships.  

"Oliver's key leadership role on this project demonstrates the calibre of talent we have available at Conestoga, as well as our strong position as a leader and collaborator in the college research ecosystem," said Michelle Chrétien, vice president, Research.   

Conestoga's Office of Research Services is the central hub for research partnerships at the college. The office offers comprehensive support to industry and community partners, faculty, and students throughout the entire research project lifecycle and ensures successful project outcomes by providing project management and operational support.

The office is part of Conestoga's Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship team that brings together multidisciplinary expertise, state-of-the-art resources, and collaboration to tackle real-world challenges and address the needs of industry.