This software offers bioinformatics training by using metagenomic sequence annotation. It helps users to understand and enhance their skills related to analyzing genetic data.
Annotathon is a unique online teaching platform designed for university students pursuing bioinformatics courses. The platform aims to offer students the opportunity of gaining in-depth knowledge by "turning data into knowledge." It provides a conducive internet teaching environment that enhances teamwork and apprenticeship of students on how to analyze metagenomic data using in silico analyses.
The Annotathon platform follows a comprehensive process that guides students from ORF identification to functional and phylogenetic classification. The exercise focuses more on critical assessments of raw results and their interpretations. The online format of the platform allows for easy student involvement outside classroom sessions, while the continuous feedback from instructors keeps the annotation process on point.
The iterative evaluation cycle allows students to respond constructively to criticism and produce improved versions of their annotations. Student exit surveys reveal that 75% of participants see the study of yet-to-be-annotated sequences as a significant incentive of the Annotathon experience.
The success of the platform is based on three key factors which are learning by doing, learning by repetition, and learning from constructive criticism. The practical nature of the platform makes it easier for students to grasp the theoretical considerations of bioinformatics.
Over the past three years, 502 students have taken part in Annotathon, analyzing a total of 2.3 Mb of ocean microbial DNA, which represents 9500 hours of cumulative annotation. Interestingly, student-made annotations were very much in agreement with those obtained using automatic annotation pipelines. This achievement has led to calls for the creation of a worldwide "grid of undergraduate annotators," which would stimulate scientific contributions and enhance the educative annotation community.
The open-source nature of the Annotathon platform (available at ) is offered as a foundation for this collaborative initiative. Overall, the Annotathon platform is an excellent tool for undergraduate students pursuing bioinformatics courses.
The Annotathon platform follows a comprehensive process that guides students from ORF identification to functional and phylogenetic classification. The exercise focuses more on critical assessments of raw results and their interpretations. The online format of the platform allows for easy student involvement outside classroom sessions, while the continuous feedback from instructors keeps the annotation process on point.
The iterative evaluation cycle allows students to respond constructively to criticism and produce improved versions of their annotations. Student exit surveys reveal that 75% of participants see the study of yet-to-be-annotated sequences as a significant incentive of the Annotathon experience.
The success of the platform is based on three key factors which are learning by doing, learning by repetition, and learning from constructive criticism. The practical nature of the platform makes it easier for students to grasp the theoretical considerations of bioinformatics.
Over the past three years, 502 students have taken part in Annotathon, analyzing a total of 2.3 Mb of ocean microbial DNA, which represents 9500 hours of cumulative annotation. Interestingly, student-made annotations were very much in agreement with those obtained using automatic annotation pipelines. This achievement has led to calls for the creation of a worldwide "grid of undergraduate annotators," which would stimulate scientific contributions and enhance the educative annotation community.
The open-source nature of the Annotathon platform (available at ) is offered as a foundation for this collaborative initiative. Overall, the Annotathon platform is an excellent tool for undergraduate students pursuing bioinformatics courses.
What's New
Version 0.2: N/A