Prerequisites:
No prior knowledge by the participants is necessary to participate in this course and it is intended for all scientific audiences. Participants are required to bring their own laptops to work on during the course. Network access (e.g. through Eduroam) is recommended.

Summary:
The Unix shell is a powerful tool that allows people to do complex things with just a few keystrokes. More importantly, it helps them combine existing programs in new ways and automate repetitive tasks so they aren’t typing the same things over and over again. Use of the shell is fundamental to using a wide range of other powerful tools and computing resources. The course will include hands-on live coding sessions where participants exercise the learned commands on their own computers.

Version control is the lab notebook of the digital world: it is used to keep track of what was done and to collaborate with other people. Its use is the state of the art in software development projects of all scales. However, it is not limited to software: books, papers, small data sets, and anything that changes over time or needs to be shared can and should be stored in a version control system. The course will include hands-on live coding sessions where participants exercise the learned commands on their own computers.

Learning Objectives:
After this course the participants will
- Have a fundamental understanding of how and why to use the Unix Shell
- Be comfortable with handling files and directories using the command line
- Have experience with advanced usage of the shell e.g. loops, pipes, redirects etc.
- Know how to write their workflows as reusable shell scripts
- Understand the benefits of using version control
- Understand basic git terminology
- Have a good working knowledge of common tasks in Git
- See how Git repositories can help them to move towards practicing Open Science

Aim:
You will learn to visually communicate your complex research ideas and results so your messages are effortlessly understood by any specific audience (scientists or non-scientists). We will not focus on aesthetics but on how understanding human visual perception can inform your design decision for better comprehension of your scientific images, posters, and slides. You will also design a graphical abstract of your research, discuss it with peer scientists in a group exercise, and get actionable advice and feedback on your own materials. It is an immersive workshop, comprehensive, structured, memorable, easy to follow, useful and fun. More at https://www.seyens.com

Contents & Method:
The training is offered as blended learning that combines a self-study module and a live online workshop. All participants get 12 month access to all materials.

1. Self-study via an online platform (6-8 hours of engaging video content & a useful assignment):
1.1. Communicating with scientific vs non-scientific audiences
1.2. Visual perception and what humans find intuitive
1.3. Layout: simplifying comprehension through structured layout
1.4. Eye-flow: effortlessly guide the audience through the design
1.5. Colors: how to amplify, not ‘fancify’
1.6. Typography for legibility, structure and aesthetics
1.7. Digital images in science: the optimal use of vector and raster images
1.8. Slides that amplify messages and don't distract when presenting
1.9. Posters: strategy and process for creating posters that attract and explain
1.10. Homework: participants submit images and slides to the trainer to receive feedback
2. Live Online Workshop (April 10, 2025, 9 am – 1 pm via Zoom, interactive and hands-on)
2.1. Recap of fundamentals and Q&A: trainer facilitates an effective recap of lessons learned in self-study module and answers all further questions.
2.2. Exercises & group work: participants draw a graphical abstract of their research and share their posters and we form groups so everyone gives and receives informed feedback.

Discussion on pre-submitted materials: participants receive actionable suggestions on how to improve their own images and slides from the trainer and on posters from fellow researchers.

Document formatting and graphic design are still largely the preserve of costly paid software packages (e.g., Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Cloud). This course, aimed largely at humanities scholars, will provide an introduction to open-source alternatives that are often just as capable as their proprietary counterparts.

Topics (1 per workshop, roughly 1½ to 2 hours each):
1. Desktop Publishing with LibreOffice Writer and Scribus
2. Font Creation and Editing with FontForge
3. Diagramming and Visualization (LibreOffice Draw, DIA, Graphviz
4. Image Batch Processing and Editing (ImageMagick, GIMP)
5. LaTeX Basics