The TIER Network is a forum for exchange of ideas among instructors, researchers, and data support specialists working to integrate transparency and reproducibility into the training of students in quantitative research methods.

What are the benefits of joining the TIER Network?

• Members are invited to participate in live, moderated discussions with other members of the Network on topics of mutual interest.

• Each member is given a dedicated page on the Project TIER website where they can make their work visible to other Network members as well as the general public.

To join the TIER Network

To join the Network, just fill out this brief form to let us know about your work. We will set up a new page on the TIER website for you to populate with information about yourself and your work, and keep you up-to-date as moderated conversations among Network members are organized. And to thank you for joining, we will send you a Project TIER water bottle.

Moderated Conversations Among Network Members

These conversations are an opportunity for Network members to exchange ideas about any dimensions of research transparency or reproducibility in which they share an interest.

Our goal is to facilitate these conversations in such a way that they are flexible, informal, and easy to convene, yet planned and structured enough that they are focused and productive.

This mode of interaction among Network members was inspired by a conversation that emerged organically this spring, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carolina Curvale, a political scientist at FLACSO Ecuador and a TIER Faculty Development Workshop alum, suggested that Project TIER should do something to help quantitative methods instructors adapt to remote teaching. So we chose a time and date for a Zoom meeting about that topic, and invited everyone in the TIER Network to join the meeting. Carolina moderated the meeting, and beforehand prepared an outline of issues to discuss and resources to suggest, but we made it clear to everyone involved that the event was not intended to be a formal presentation or program. Instead, Network members wishing to participate were asked to give some thought in advance to questions or suggestions they would like to contribute, and be prepared to join a genuine discussion of resources and strategies for teaching quantitative methods remotely. The meeting took place just one week after Carolina suggested the idea, and the broad goal we have for these conversations was achieved: all five of the participants offered ideas of their own and responded constructively to the issues raised by others; Carolina moderated with a light touch that allowed the discussion to develop organically, while maintaining focus and coherence.

This conversation about remote teaching provides a model for future conversations:

• A network member proposes a topic for a discussion.
• All members of the Network are invited to join a Zoom meeting for a conversation about the topic.
• A network member (probably the one who suggested the topic) moderates the discussion, but is not expected to give a formal presentation or program; instead, all participants bring their own ideas and engage in an open-ended exchange of ideas.

Within this general model, there is lots of room for flexibility in the topics chosen for the conversations and role the moderator plays. Choices about those aspects of the discussions should be driven by the interests and goals of the Network members who initiate and/or participate in them.

Fall 2020 Launch of a Series of Network Conversations

This summer, we will send out more information and ask Network members to suggest topics for discussions. If there is sufficient interest, we will schedule a series of Network conversations at regular intervals (maybe every other week) starting in September. At least one person will be designated as the moderator for each conversation; Network members will be welcome to participate in any of the conversations that are of interest to them.

In the meantime, if you have any ideas or suggestions about the kind of conversations we have described, you do not need to wait until we reach out for feedback this summer to let us know what is on your mind. We would be interested in hearing your thoughts at any time; feel free to send an e-mail to info@projecttier.org.

Member Pages on the Project TIER Website

Network members use their pages on the Project TIER website to share information about themselves and publicize their work to a wide audience.

Activities that members have highlighted on their pages include:

• incorporating principles or techniques of research transparency in a quantitative methods course they teach
• leading or contributing to workshops or conference presentations on reproducible research
• organizing or participating in a department- or campus-wide initiative to promote research transparency
• articles or blog entries they have written about transparency and reproducibility

To see what other Network members have posted on their pages, click on the tiles in the roster of members below.