Abstract
Interactive digital notebooks provide an opportunity for researchers and educators to carry out data analysis and report the results in a single digital format. Further to just being digital, the format allows for rich content to be created in order to interact with the code and data contained in such a notebook to form an educational narrative. This primer introduces some of the fundamental aspects involved in using Jupyter notebooks in an educational setting for teaching in the bio/health informatics disciplines. We also provide 2 case studies that detail how we used Jupyter notebooks to teach non-coders programming skills on a blended Master’s degree module for a Health Informatics programme and a fully online distance learning unit on Programming for a postgraduate certificate (PG Cert) in Clinical Bioinformatics with a more technical audience.
Highlights
Universities and other higher education (HE) institutions are under increasing pressure to provide more online and distance learning courses and to deliver them cost effectively and rapidly [1]
We require tools that cater for students with varying levels of digital literacy and reduce the burden of them having to download and install software, all of which requires support, which is more difficult to provide at a distance
We present 2 short case studies detailing how we have used Jupyter notebooks to teach programming skills to different audiences on 2 of our courses, an MSc module on a Health Informatics programme and an introduction to programming module on postgraduate certificate (PG Cert) in Clinical Bioinformatics
Summary
Universities and other higher education (HE) institutions are under increasing pressure to provide more online and distance learning courses and to deliver them cost effectively and rapidly [1] This increase in demand is partly based on students wanting more flexible study options in comparison to traditional HE course delivery to aid in study around employment and family commitments. This is driven by financial considerations that allow HE institutions to scale course delivery while managing infrastructural provision (e.g., access to rooms for teaching and limited capacity for face-to-face delivery) [2] To meet this challenge, we require tools that cater for students with varying levels of digital literacy and reduce the burden of them having to download and install software, all of which requires support, which is more difficult to provide at a distance. The case studies and methods presented can be applied to both distance learning and face-to-face teaching scenarios
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
