The Art of Bioinformatics Learning in Our Arabic World

Abstract

Bioinformatics became a significant field in life sciences that, draws a number of researchers and extends into a wide range of biological disciplines. Rendering bioinformatics analysis techniques are the most desirable skills in a variety of scholarship programs and academic positions. Teaching bioinformatics is very challenging since it is a multidisciplinary field, where most of the undergraduate programs in colleges provide only one area required for bioinformatics. Besides the regular education system, few bioinformatics training courses are offered and less are affordable to fresh graduates in countries most of which are categorized as developing countries. The high cost of learning, confusing education systems, and the complexity of bioinformatics science has made it very difficult to be taught and more challenging to be studied in Arab countries. This review provides possible solutions to most of these issues and offers the best practice to guide future Arab bioinformaticians to learn bioinformatics in a way that fits our social, financial and academic circumstances. Moreover, it discusses the key aspects that a bioinformatician needs to be aware of and the basic knowledge that must be gained. On the other side, it will illustrate how to start learning, to address some of these challenges and how to deal with some of the related social issues.