Melinda,
A couple of quick notes...
In addition to time at computers consider teaching seminar or lecture style with an LCD projector hooked to your computer. Much of what students need to know about with qualitative software is less about mechanics and more about process. Try to see if you can cover process issues to larger groups.
Student versions...people associated with QSR monitor this list and I'll let them speak about their student version...but they do have one that is reasonably priced.
Also, check the current status of their demo disk in regard to saving. I don't think you can save demo work.
Other programs allow that for demos (ATLAS.ti, HyperRESEARCH, ETHNOGRAPH, MAXqda) but they limit project size. At one time QSR didn't limit how big your project could be in a demo...but you couldn't save...both reasonable options for a free tool.
Hope that helps,
Ray
Raymond C. Maietta, Ph.D., President
ResearchTalk Inc.
1650 Sycamore Ave, Suite 53
Bohemia, NY 11716
1-631-218-8875
www.researchtalk.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Melinda Mills [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 11:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Using N6/CAQDAS in large groups
Hello everyone,
I am a 'first time mailer' and therefore my excuses if this is question
that is more frequently asked. I starting a new course in Qualitative
Research (at the Bachelor's level) and desperately try to include an active
component where students will have a hands-on opportunity to work with N6.
But I have a few problems and wonder if anyone else has encountered these
and if they have found different solutions:
1) Since everyone seems to want to study in Amsterdam, we have large
classes of sometimes around 200 students. I need to give the courses in a
computer room with 25 computers (and I try to do it with 2 students per
computer) - thus at the moment I have to give the same class around 4 or 5
times to get to everyone. Anyone who has taught these courses knows that
having this many students in the room at once (and only one assistant) is
already challenging! Does anyone have experiences about giving this type of
education to large groups? This is related to the second problem.
2) There does not seem to be an 'affordable' student version of N6 on the
market (such as the student versions that are available for SPSS for
example - this is what the students complain about constantly). Any
experiences or (legal) suggestions here? My problem is that it is hard to
push the program and spread its usage and give hands-on assignments when
students can't seem to get enough time to get their hands on it to use it.
Any suggestions, experiences or comments are very welcome.
Best regards,
Melinda Mills
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Research Methodology
Faculty of Social Sciences
Free University Amsterdam
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