The Research Computing and Data (RCD) Capabilities Model is rolling out a new web-based version of the assessment tool that offers a much better user experience and is backed by a database that provides a more robust platform for data analysis. We need volunteers to beta test the new tool.
Whether you are one of the over 180 institutions who requested a past assessment, or if you are new to the process, your feedback and perspective is valuable as we work to continually improve the tool. We will retain all data from the beta testing period, and so (barring any unforeseen problems), you can complete your actual 2023 submission, while also providing us valuable feedback to improve the new tool.
How do I participate in beta testing?
Check out our Beta Testing guide, and then just log in to the portal using your institutional credentials (you can also use Google or Microsoft to authenticate). Along the way, please use this Feedback Document to share any issues, challenges, or successes you experience. If you’d like a refresher on the RCD Capabilities Model, see the updated User Guide.
Not familiar with the RCD Capabilities Model? Keep reading to learn more.
About the RCD Capabilities Model
The RCD Capabilities Model allows participating institutions to:
- Assess their support for computationally- and data-intensive research.
- Identify potential areas for improvement.
- Understand how the broader community views Research Computing and Data support.
Have questions or need help?
Contributing institutions help build the Community Dataset, and enrich the resulting picture we have of our community. You will also get an individualized benchmarking report that compares your assessment to the community at-large, as well as segments of the community (R1s, R2s, Public or Private institutions, etc.). And for those who really like digging into data, you get access to the anonymized, aggregated dataset.
You can get help, including advice on how to approach your assessment, understanding the questions, and interpreting the results by emailing capsmodel-help@carcc.org, or joining our RCD CM Office Hours on the second Tuesday of each month at 1pm ET. You can also subscribe to the capsmodel-discuss@carcc.org discussion list (click here to join), to hear how other institutions are completing their assessment and using it as part of strategic planning.
Want more information?
To find more information and background on the RCD Capabilities Model visit the RCD Nexus website.
This work is supported by RCD Nexus, an NSF CI Center of Excellence Pilot under grant OAC-2100003, and the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC).