Gaps Become Bridges: Using Skills Assessment Insights to Shape Digital Humanities Training in Research Infrastructures

ABSTRACT

As digital methods become increasingly central to Humanities research, especially now in the era of large language models, training initiatives face the challenge of preparing scholars with the skills needed to work effectively in data-rich, collaborative, and rapidly evolving digital environments.

Drawing on insights, from the ATRIUM Skillset Assessment and Gap Analysis report (Delmazo et al. 2025), this presentation proposes a set of evidence-based recommendations for improving professional training programs and digital humanities curricula.

ATRIUM ( https://atrium-research.eu/) is a four-year EU-funded project with the goal of bridging leading research infrastructures in arts and humanities (DARIAH), archaeology (ARIADNE), languages (CLARIN), and open scholarly communication in the social sciences and humanities (OPERAS). Dozens of services offered by these RIs are listed in the ATRIUM Service & Software Catalogue (https://atrium-research.eu/services/), supporting all stages of digitally enabled, data-driven research: creating, processing, analysing, preserving, and reusing digital data across a wide range of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) disciplines. To ensure meaningful and effective use of this rich catalogue, a study was conducted to identify researchers’ current skills and their needs in terms of learning and training.

We employed a twofold strategy to gather concrete evidence. First, we assessed the specific skills needed for the active use of the services offered by ATRIUM. Then, we conducted a survey of 334 AHSS researchers to assess their skills (or lack thereof), their practical needs for training, and their learning behaviours. The results reveal a community eager to upskill but hindered by specific roadblocks. Researchers expressed a strong demand for "core data competencies," specifically ranking Data Analysis (39.22%), Data Visualisation (35.33%), and FAIR Data Principles (19.46%) as top priorities. However, they do face significant barriers to engagement, including difficulties in locating relevant resources, concerns regarding the credibility of training materials, and a lack of formal recognition for their learning efforts.

Drawing on these community insights, our presentation proposes a set of recommendations to enhance the current training provision offered by research infrastructures via their training platforms, e.g. DARIAH-Campus, CLARIN Learning Hub and ARIADNEplus Training Hub. For instance, managers of training platforms are recommended to explore ways to implement microlearning, personalised learning paths based on current skills and training needs, and certification schemes (e.g. Open Badges) to motivate learners. Furthermore, specific suggestions are provided to tailor the courses within the ATRIUM Curriculum to the identified training needs. University programmes in AHSS can use these recommendations to upskill their course offerings and benefit from the wide range of services and open educational resources offered by the project.

By connecting empirical data on researcher needs with pedagogical strategies, this contribution aims to support institutions and research infrastructures alike in building a robust and inclusive training ecosystem.

References

Delmazo, Carol, Iulianna van der Lek, Anastasia Gasia, Sarah Bénière, and Maria Ilvanidou. 2025. “The ATRIUM Skillset Assessment and Gap Analysis Report.” Project deliverable, Zenodo, August 21. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16918112.