FAIRifying STEM Data Ecosystem to Enhance Data Reuse

In the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community, academic and research workflows and work practices are increasingly mediated and informed by data. However, making digital materials and resources findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) for teaching, learning, and research is an under-researched area. Thus, it is vital to examine the current data practices of STEM students and faculties and acquaint them with the FAIR data concept. FAIR Data Principles is a set of guidelines that underscore metadata, vocabularies, licences, and standards to enhance data reuse. A study was conducted among students and faculties in the STEM community of the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) to unpack their current data practices and explore areas for improvement using the FAIR Data Principles. The STEM students and faculties of the RUB share and reuse digital materials and resources for teaching, learning, and research. Nevertheless, their data practice is not as widespread or desired in the literature on optimum data reuse. Moreover, the compliance of current data practices to the tenets of FAIR Data Principles is not satisfactory. A pragmatic solution is complementing data practices with policies and infrastructural systems that underscore FAIR Data Principles. A sensitisation programme such as seminars and hands-on exercises on data FAIRification is crucial to familiarise people with the essentialness of FAIR data, and doing so will provide a platform to develop their repertoire for FAIRifying data and encourage systematic sharing and reuse of data. An in-depth account of the FAIRifying STEM data ecosystem in the study contributes to the growing knowledge base on adopting FAIR Data Principles in other areas of data-informed work and life.