Research Data Services @ Georgia State University Library: Get DATA Certified!

Get RDS@GSU Data Certified!

Here's how:

1. Learn about our various Research Data Services (RDS) workshops:
   • ​​See these pages for descriptions of our workshops on data analysis tools/software, data analysis/collection methods, and mapping and data visualization.
2. Find listings of the dates/times/location of our RDS workshops on the Library Calendar.
   • ​Look for the logo with the GET DATA CERTIFIED seal (see image at right), or
   • Filter by: Category = Data Services Workshops.
3. Attend a minimum of five unique RDS workshops during the certification period.
   • LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOPS have no registration and no attendance restrictions -- the more the merrier! RECORDED WORKSHOPS also count toward the certificate -- find the RECORDED WORKSHOPS here.
     • For when it's safe to have in-person workshops again: ​IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS have no registration -- the first 25 people to arrive *on time* will be able to attend the workshop; workshop instructors may choose to refuse admittance to those arriving more than 5 minutes late. Please also review our Workshops Etiquette & Policies page, which has important information about our policy for arriving late to workshops and non-GSU attendees.
   • During a live workshop or recording, you will be given a link to check-in to the workshop. It is your responsibility to check-in via our online check-in link provided -- it is the only way that we are tracking workshop attendance for the certificate requirements.
     • Once you submit the online check-in form, you will receive a confirmation email listing the individual workshop title and its date.
     • We collect this check-in data in our check-in system; we then use this check-in data at the end of the certification period to compile your check-ins and generate your certificate (if you meet the minimum 5 unique workshops requirement).
     • We will not retroactively check you in to a workshop if you failed to do so, and we will not count workshops toward the certification if our online check-in system does not show you as having attended.
   • There are two certification periods per year: (1) Summer & Fall semesters, and (2) Spring semester.
     • You cannot count workshops you took in one certificate period for the next certificate period -- in other words, you cannot count any Summer/Fall workshops you attended toward a Spring certificate, and you cannot count any Spring workshops you attended toward a Summer/Fall certificate. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this policy.
     • Certificates are only distributed at the end of the certification period. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this policy, regardless of GSU or non-GSU status.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the GSU Summer semester? The certification period is for both Summer and Fall semesters -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Fall semester, which is in December.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the GSU Fall semester? The certification period is for both Summer and Fall semesters -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Fall semester, which is in December.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the GSU Spring semester? The certification period is for the Spring semester -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Spring semester, which is in May.
   • What does "unique" mean? While you're welcome to attend the same workshop multiple times in a certification period, to earn the data certificate you need to attend a minimum of five *unique* workshops within the given certification period:
     • For example, if you take SPSS 1 two times within a certification period, it can only count once toward your five workshops during that specific certification period. If you take SPSS 1 and SPSS 2, those count as two workshops toward the five needed for the certification in that certification period.
   • You can repeat a workshop in a different certification period and have it count toward the new certification:
     • ​For example, if you took SPSS 1 during the Spring certification period, and you wish to earn another certificate in the Summer/Fall certification period, it is alright to take SPSS 1 again in the Summer/Fall certification period and have it count toward the five unique workshops you need for that new certification.
   • Attending a Data in the ATL talk *does not* count as a workshop toward the certificate.
     • ​Only workshops/sessions in which a methodology and/or a software application is taught and that involve learning specific data/methods skills are counted toward the certification; Data in the ATL talks do not meet these specific outcomes.
   • There is no enrollment or registration for the certificate program -- just attend and check-in for your minimum five unique workshops in a certificate period, and we'll do the rest.
   • You do not have to be a Georgia State University (GSU) affiliate to attend the workshops or participate in the certificate program. Non-GSU folx are welcome to attend workshops and are eligible for the certificate program under the same rules/regulations described on this page.
4. If you've attended a minimum five unique RDS workshops during a certification period, you get certified!
   • At the end of the certification period (on a specific date posted on this site and on the workshop check-in form), we'll tally attendance to determine who should be awarded certificates.
   • If you've made your minimum five, you will receive a PDF version of the certificate via email.​

So get RDS@GSU Data Certified!

Here is what some of the RDS@GSU Data Certificate awardees had to say about the experience:

The certificate is a great opportunity to become a more competitive candidate while applying for a job. The workshops were very interactive.

I thought the RDS@ GSU Data Certification incentivized my participation in the RDS workshops. The workshops themselves were great and it definitely helped me brush up on prior skills and knowledge.

Certification looks amazing on resumes, I also found what was covered useful to my practice of SAS & SPSS.

It is essential for me as a student majoring in Epidemiology. I will be involved in research, and the only way to answer some of the world’s health problems is making sense out of data. I’m confident this certificate will prove useful for me in getting a job. The entire program is flexible, and the materials are very helpful in understanding the course content.

Questions?

Direct questions to the RDS Team Leader, Dr. Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh (aswygarthobaugh@gsu.edu).

Data Skills = Jobs, and Free Workshops are a Bargain

Data skills -- even just basic data skills -- are highly valued by today's employers -- being called "the most lucrative skill[s] to have" and "the most valuable skill[s] you can learn." By getting RDS@GSU Data Certified, you demonstrate to potential employers that you are committed to growing the data skills that they look for in hires. 

Best of all, our data workshops are all free.

You may be thinking, "So what if they're free?" Well, we researched how much workshops on our various topics would cost out in the real-world market, and what we found may make you re-think that "so what" reaction:

• You could expect to pay $110 on average for a 1.5-hour workshop (the typical length of our workshops).
• You could pay as low as $61/1.5-hour workshop, or as high as $200/1.5-hour workshop.

In other words, our free workshops are clearly quite a bargain and something you should be taking advantage of while you can...

Add it to your résumé or CV

– See sample language below and adapt as you see fit:

Research Data Services @ Georgia State University (RDS@GSU) Data Certification: Completed workshops on data analysis tools (SPSS, 3 hours; SAS, 3 hours; Stata, 4.5 hours; NVivo, 3 hours), data analysis methods (Survey Design, 3 hours; Mixed Methods, 2 hours; Networks, 3 hours; Logics & Logistics of Qualitative Methods, 1.5 hours), data visualization (Tableau, 3 hours; GIS, 4 hours), and finding data (ICPSR, 1 hour; Marketing Data, 1.5 hours).

Add the PDF of your certificate to Portfolium or LinkedIn

– Learn more at success.students.gsu.edu/portfolium and create a Portfolium account at gsu.portfolium.com

– Add PDFs as Featured Media content on your LinkedIn profile

Describe it using College-to-Career (CTC) Competency Skills

– Learn more at collegetocareer.gsu.edu