NASA Open Science Training: Free Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 Courses

NASA is offering free Open Science training courses designed to help researchers, students, managers, and members of the public develop practical knowledge of open science principles and practices.

The training includes Open Science Essentials, a concise introductory course that takes approximately 2 hours, and Open Science 101, a comprehensive five-module course that takes approximately 12 hours to complete.

Both courses are available to the public through NASA’s digital learning platform. Learners can complete the courses at their own pace, and those who successfully complete the training are eligible to receive a digital badge and certificate.

About NASA Open Science Training

Open science is a collaborative approach to research that promotes the sharing of scientific data, information, tools, knowledge, and results to make research more transparent, accessible, reproducible, and collaborative.

NASA describes open science as a culture enabled by technology that supports the sharing of data, information, and knowledge within the scientific community and with the wider public.

The NASA Open Science training programme provides learners with practical knowledge they can use to understand and apply open science practices in research.

Open Science Essentials

Open Science Essentials is designed as a high-level introduction to the principles, practices, and tools associated with open science.

The course takes approximately 2 hours to complete and is intended for learners looking for a concise overview of open science concepts. Researchers, managers, and students outside NASA can create an account and register for the course online. The training can be completed at the learner’s own pace, with progress saved between sessions.

What You Will Learn

The Open Science Essentials course covers topics including:

• The meaning and principles of open science
• Common challenges and barriers to adopting open science
• Open data and data ethics
• Open peer review
• Collaborative research practices
• FAIR principles
• Open Science and Data Management Plans
• Open-source software
• Open research results
• Persistent identifiers
• Open licensing
• Repositories and version control
• Pre-registration
• The role of artificial intelligence in open science

The course is structured into five lessons covering the fundamentals and practical tools needed to begin applying open science approaches.

How to Register for Open Science Essentials

Researchers, managers, and students outside NASA can register through NASA’s online learning platform.

Course: Open Science Essentials

Duration: Approximately 2 hours

Format: Online and self-paced

Eligibility: Open to the public

Register: NASA Open Science Essentials

Open Science 101

Open Science 101 is a more comprehensive training programme for learners who want to develop a deeper understanding of open science and how it can be incorporated into research projects.

The course consists of five modules, with the complete training taking approximately 12 hours. Each module takes around 2.5 hours to complete. Like Open Science Essentials, the course is free and self-paced for public learners.

What You Will Learn

The five modules cover:

Module 1: Open Science Fundamentals

Explore what open science is, current practices, benefits, and challenges.

Module 2: Open Science Tools and Practices

Learn about open science fundamentals, including the Use, Make, Share framework, FAIR principles, and essential tools.

Module 3: Open Data

Learn practical approaches for finding, assessing, creating, and sharing open data.

Module 4: Open Code

Discover how to apply open-code practices throughout the development lifecycle using the Use, Make, Share framework.

Module 5: Open Results and Collaboration

Learn how to establish scientific collaborations, develop ethical contributor guidelines, discover and assess open results, and publish and properly credit research outputs.

How to Register for Open Science 101

Researchers and students outside NASA can create an account and register for the course through NASA’s online learning platform.

Course: Open Science 101

Duration: Approximately 12 hours

Modules: 5

Format: Online and self-paced

Eligibility: Open to the public

Register: NASA Open Science 101

Who Can Take the Training?

The NASA Open Science courses are available to the general public, including:

• Researchers
• Students
• Scientists
• Research managers
• University professionals
• Early-career researchers
• Members of the public interested in open science

NASA also provides access to the training for its internal workforce through SATERN, the agency’s learning management system.

Course Certificates and Digital Badges

Learners who successfully complete the NASA Open Science training can receive a digital badge and certificate, allowing them to demonstrate their completion of the training and showcase their achievement.

Why Open Science Matters

Open science promotes greater transparency and collaboration in research. NASA’s approach emphasizes making scientific processes and results as open as possible while improving accessibility, reproducibility, and participation.

NASA identifies several key principles of open science, including open and transparent research, accessible scientific data and tools, reproducible research, and collaboration among researchers and organizations.

The training therefore provides learners with an opportunity to understand how modern research can be conducted and shared more openly.

 

How to Apply for the NASA Open Science Training

There is no competitive application process described for the public courses. Interested learners can register directly through NASA’s online learning platform.

Step 1: Choose a Course

Select Open Science Essentials if you want a short introduction to the fundamentals of open science.

Choose Open Science 101 if you want a more comprehensive five-module learning experience.

Step 2: Create an Account

Follow the registration instructions on the relevant NASA course page.

Step 3: Complete the Training

Both public courses are self-paced, allowing learners to progress through the material according to their own schedule.

Step 4: Receive Your Certificate and Digital Badge

After successfully completing the course requirements, eligible learners can receive a digital badge and certificate.

Conclusion

The NASA Open Science Training programme provides free online learning opportunities for researchers, students, managers, and members of the public who want to understand and apply open science practices.

With Open Science Essentials providing a two-hour introduction and Open Science 101 offering a deeper five-module learning experience, learners can choose the course that best matches their needs.

Those interested in open data, open research, scientific collaboration, research transparency, reproducibility, open-source software, and modern research practices can register through NASA’s official training platform.

Discover more opportunities on the OFY Webpage.