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Lab · Researchers Researchers & academics

The Lab · Researchers curriculum

A result that cannot be reproduced is not yet knowledge. Lab is organised around the evidence chain — data, method, compute and review — so every claim is traceable from raw data to published finding.

6 units450 guided hoursRolling · project-basedAdvanced · research level
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The course at a glance

6 units · 450 guided hours

The full curriculum, top to bottom. Tap any unit to open its detailed record.

Built from first principles

Reasoning before tools, evidence before opinion

A result that cannot be reproduced is not yet knowledge. Lab is organised around the evidence chain — data, method, compute and review — so every claim is traceable from raw data to published finding.

  1. Problem
  2. Understanding
  3. Reasoning
  4. Design
  5. Implementation
  6. Testing
  7. Reflection
  8. Improvement

Every unit runs the loop, then goes round again — deeper each time.

Core competencies

Built and assessed in every unit, not taught as an add-on.

Communication & collaborationCritical thinking & problem solvingCreativity & imaginationCitizenshipDigital literacyLearning to learnSelf-efficacy

Ethics & responsible practice

Woven into the real briefs and decisions each unit tackles.

Digital citizenship & online safetyData protection & privacyAI ethics, bias & fairnessEnvironmental sustainability (compute cost)Financial literacy & entrepreneurshipInclusion & accessibilityMental well-being & healthy screen habitsCareer & life skills
The units

6 units · 450 guided learning hours

Open any unit for its full record — learning outcomes, assessment criteria, competencies and grading.

Strand: Research data foundations 70 GLH Phase 1 Internal portfolio

Key inquiry: “Where did this data come from, who does it represent, and what may we ethically do with it?”

You ship: A versioned, documented, citation-ready dataset with a datasheet and licence.

Curation

  • Source, clean and version a dataset with clear provenance
  • Write a datasheet documenting collection and limits

Ethics & representation

  • Assess representation, consent and privacy risk
  • Apply an appropriate licence and access policy
Core competencies
Critical thinking & problem solvingDigital literacyCitizenship
Ethics & responsible practice
Data protection & privacyAI ethics, bias & fairness
Hands-on practice
  • Curate an African/global dataset and document its provenance.
  • Audit it for representation and privacy risk.
  • Publish a datasheet others can cite.
Proficiency (Emerging · Proficient · Expert)
Emerging

Versions a dataset with support.

Proficient

Documents provenance and ethics independently.

Expert

Publishes a citation-ready, ethically sound dataset.

What you walk away with

A portfolio of 6 real, shipped artefacts

Not certificates — working things you built. Every unit ends in a real artefact you own, assessed to standard and ready to show a school, an employer, or an investor.

Unit 1

A versioned, documented, citation-ready dataset with a datasheet and licence.

Unit 2

A reproducible experiment pipeline with baselines, seeds and a compute budget.

Unit 3

An experiment suite with baselines, ablations and honest statistical analysis.

Unit 4

A peer-reviewed paper and reproducible artefact submitted to a venue.

Unit 5

A fully reproducible artefact — pinned code, data and environment — released under an open licence.

Unit 6

An open, collaborative research output plus a partner-facing translation of the findings.

Assessment

One proficiency rubric, Emerging → Expert

Every level describes the same evidence — a working artefact and the reasoning behind it.

Proficiency levelWhat the evidence shows
EmergingCompletes the work with guidance; the artefact functions for the core case and the practitioner can explain what it does and why.
ProficientWorks independently, handles real-world edge cases, evaluates the result, and justifies design decisions from first principles.
ExpertDelivers work adopted by real users or partners, reasons explicitly about trade-offs — cost, risk, safety — and extends beyond the brief with original contribution.
Read the full document (print / PDF)

The complete curriculum in one printable, saveable document.

Follow it through with a mentor in your corner

Every unit ends in a real artefact — assessed to standard and added to your portfolio.

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