Robert DeMuth

The Digital Index of North American Archaeology: networking government data to navigate an uncertain future for the past

Abstract The ‘Digital Index of North American Archaeology’ (DINAA) project demonstrates how the aggregation and publication of government-held archaeological data can help to document human activity over millennia and at a continental scale. These data can provide a valuable link between specific categories of information available from publications, museum collections and online databases. Integration improves the discovery and retrieval of records of archaeological research currently held by multiple institutions within different information systems. It also aids in the preservation of those data and makes efforts to archive these research results more resilient to political turmoil. While DINAA focuses on North America, its methods have global applicability.

Teaching Open Science: Published Data and Digital Literacy in Archaeology Classrooms

ABSTRACT Digital literacy has been cited as one of the primary challenges to ensuring data reuse and increasing the value placed on open science. Incorporating published data into classrooms and training is at the core of tackling this issue. This article presents case studies in teaching with different published data platforms, in three different countries (the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States), to students at different levels and with differing skill levels. In outlining their approaches, successes, and failures in teaching with open data, it is argued that collaboration with data publishers is critical to improving data reuse and education. Moreover, increased opportunities for digital skills training and scaffolding across program curriculum are necessary for managing the learning curve and teaching students the values of open science. El alfabetismo digital se ha citado como uno de los principales desafíos para la reutilización de datos y una mayor valoración de la ciencia abierta. Elemento clave para abordar esta cuestión es la incorporación de datos publicados en los programas formativos. En este artículo se presentan estudios de caso en el uso de plataformas de datos arqueológicos existentes en tres países (los Países Bajos, Canadá y Estados Unidos) para la enseñanza a estudiantes de diferentes niveles y habilidades. Al delinear planteamientos, éxitos y fracasos en la enseñanza con datos abiertos, se concluye que la colaboración con los editores de datos es fundamental para mejorar la reutilización de datos y la educación sobre los mismos. Además, es necesario aumentar las oportunidades de formación en habilidades digitales y el andamiaje a lo largo de los planes de estudios para administrar la curva de aprendizaje y enseñar el intercambio de datos y la reutilización como práctica arqueológica.