1. Managing Entity IMI EMTRAIN, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
2. current address: Eli Lilly Regional Operations, Austria
3. EMBL – EBI, United Kingdom
4. Coordinator IMI EMTRAIN, AstraZeneca, United Kingdom
5. Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research, University of Manchester, United Kingdom

on-course^® [1] has proven to be a helpful tool for career development in biomedical sciences. The structured data gathered in on-course^® allows us to investigate the pan-European biomedical education and training landscape. Here we present how, by means of an API (application programming interface), on-course^® data can be visualised in statistical charts and graphs which are easy to read and understand. By means of a visualization API on-course^® data (collected and updated between January 2010 and April 2016) was analysed and visualised. We observed an increase of English-medium learning opportunities in Europe. This increase correlated with student and staff mobility. We also show the distribution of courses by tuition fees grouped by categories. Here we show substantial inter- and intra-country variation with masters course tuition fees for students ranging from less than 500 to 25,000 Euros. Using our tool users can create similar charts for each particular country, language of instruction, attendance mode, and much more. We demonstrate how a free and open-source visualization API can provide a useful overview of biomedical course demographics. This information will enhance the free movement of students across Europe, enable courses to be developed based on more accurate “gap analysis” and provide “real-time”, comprehensive data to be investigated by policy makers.

Link:

1. http://www.on-course.eu