Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to be present at an NVIVO training workshop for the Center for Women and Work's (CWW) Emerging Scholars Program (undergraduates working with faculty mentors).
My former doctoral student, Stuart Robertson, NVivo trainer par excellence, led the three hour event. It is so exciting to see our UMass-Lowell graduates taking on the qualitative research world as consultants, trainers, and leaders in the NVivo world (In addition to Stuart, Stacy Penna, and Cindi Jacobs are also NVivo experts working for QSR).
The software continues to grow and complexity but Stuart makes it seem so easy and natural. He calms all fears and answers all questions--but he was doing this even as a graduate student. What a gift.
I am excited to see undergraduates thrown into the NVivo soup pot and seeing what happens. It doesn't seem to hurt them to start their learning about qualitative research from this place--a software. One told me that he hadn't been formally been introduced to qualitative research before, but from figuring out the software he could extract the ideas about qualitative research. [This would be anathema to some researchers...but really do we need to have all that theory and philosophy before we start doing it?]
My two emerging scholars have been working for the last few weeks in the software...same way...here's what you need to do, here is how the tool works...and I wrap in comments about qualitative research as we go along. They don't seem to be the worse for it, and I feel like I am teaching in a very fluid and natural way. Focusing on the project (sexting) keeps us organized. It makes me wonder how could I move classes that are formally named "Qualitative Research" more toward this model of "do".
An exciting evening. But then any time spent with our Emerging Scholars is time well spent.
Showing posts with label UMass-Lowell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UMass-Lowell. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Qualitative Research Brown Bags on the UMass Lowell Campus
The Qualitative Research Network (QRN) on the UML campus is going to sponsor a series of brown bags across this year. For the Fall 2011 semester we are meeting the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. For the first few sessions we are in Rm 513 O'Leary Library from 12:30-1:30 pm.
These are meant to be informal, not polished, opportunities to discuss research in the rough.
Our first presenter was Alan Williams from the music department. In addition to being a skilled musician and sound recording expert, he is also a darn good ethnomusicologist. We had a fascinating discussion with him about work he is doing to build an international group that will examine the dynamics of sound recording (something he looked at for his dissertation). It's so much fun to hear about qualitative research in other realms.
Coming up next week Tuesday 10/25/2011, Ellen O'Brien from the Graduate School of Education will be talking about how to use qualitative computing software (NVivo) to support undergraduate honor's students to learn to conduct a literature review and write academic papers based on that review.
On Tuesday November 8, I am going to be talking about the Sexting project I am working on and showing what an NVivo project can look like in a mature stage. I hope to be joined by some of my colleagues on the project...and our Emerging Scholars who have been working in the NVivo Data base.
We have two dates for the end of the semester 11/22/11 and 12/13/11 that I am looking to find presenters for.
Every time I attend one of these I get goosebumps again, to think of how many good and innovative qualitative researchers we have on campus. If you are in the area, come join us!
These are meant to be informal, not polished, opportunities to discuss research in the rough.
Our first presenter was Alan Williams from the music department. In addition to being a skilled musician and sound recording expert, he is also a darn good ethnomusicologist. We had a fascinating discussion with him about work he is doing to build an international group that will examine the dynamics of sound recording (something he looked at for his dissertation). It's so much fun to hear about qualitative research in other realms.
Coming up next week Tuesday 10/25/2011, Ellen O'Brien from the Graduate School of Education will be talking about how to use qualitative computing software (NVivo) to support undergraduate honor's students to learn to conduct a literature review and write academic papers based on that review.
On Tuesday November 8, I am going to be talking about the Sexting project I am working on and showing what an NVivo project can look like in a mature stage. I hope to be joined by some of my colleagues on the project...and our Emerging Scholars who have been working in the NVivo Data base.
We have two dates for the end of the semester 11/22/11 and 12/13/11 that I am looking to find presenters for.
Every time I attend one of these I get goosebumps again, to think of how many good and innovative qualitative researchers we have on campus. If you are in the area, come join us!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Barbara Hogan at UMass-Lowell
Then the very next day...I am back in the same ballroom, listening to the remarkable Barbara Hogan from South Africa. She was receiving an honorary doctorate from UMass-Lowell for her life-long struggle for the end of apartheid and the development of a free and democratic South Africa.
Again, here is an endarkened photograph of her in her robes:
A member of the ANC, tried and convicted of high treason, jailed for 8 years, freed as apartheid came to an end, she went on to be part of the transitional government, then Minister of Health and Minister of Public Enterprises.
This was a different kind of freedom fighter than the two women I had heard the evening before. They demanded peace as women--refusing to take sides or arms; she participated in a political group that supported armed resistance (not terrorism as she carefully defined it). She worked in an environment that had powerful racial issues to sort out, much different than the Liberian context. However, the Liberian context provided an opportunity for religious differences to be bridged. She also worked as an insider in a government that included men and women, whereas the women's movement in Liberia drew upon women for its numbers.
In both cases there were lots of "lessons to be learned"--a great opportunity to compare two different and related cases of the search for peace, safety, and freedom.
Again, I was so glad that UMass Lowell brought these speakers to campus.
Again, here is an endarkened photograph of her in her robes:
This was a different kind of freedom fighter than the two women I had heard the evening before. They demanded peace as women--refusing to take sides or arms; she participated in a political group that supported armed resistance (not terrorism as she carefully defined it). She worked in an environment that had powerful racial issues to sort out, much different than the Liberian context. However, the Liberian context provided an opportunity for religious differences to be bridged. She also worked as an insider in a government that included men and women, whereas the women's movement in Liberia drew upon women for its numbers.
In both cases there were lots of "lessons to be learned"--a great opportunity to compare two different and related cases of the search for peace, safety, and freedom.
Again, I was so glad that UMass Lowell brought these speakers to campus.
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