Best Strategies for Field-based Training in Data Recording and Management

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Capacity Building or Community Making? Training and Transitions in Digital Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A student’s first experience with archaeological recording is frequently in a field school setting. Yet, field school data recording practices can quickly evolve as archaeological projects integrate new technology, change excavation strategies, and investigate new research questions. How do these changes impact how archaeological data recording is taught, what data are being recorded, and in turn, how might this affect future data reuse? In the Secret Life of Data (SLO-Data) research project, we explored these questions through observations and interviews of archaeological field schools in Africa, South America, and Europe during the 2016-2018 field seasons. We specifically evaluated how field school participants trained in data recording and management, and the way data recording strategies were communicated, changed and implemented during fieldwork. This paper evaluates the relationship between training and data outcomes in both digital and paper-based data recording strategies. Examples from our research highlight ways that training and communication in the field may influence the consistency and re-usability of archaeological data. Through analyzing and comparing training and communication in data management at our field sites, we suggest strategies for field-based training that can help bridge the divide between data recording and reuse.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Capacity Building or Community Making? Training and Transitions in Digital Archaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26036