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Dear all,
(but mostly those in the North of England and Scotland),

TWO QUALITATIVE SOFTWARE TRAINING EVENTS
The CAQDAS Networking Project (funded by the ESRC Research Methods programme) are at:
St Andrews University, Fife, Scotland
on
Monday 23^rd and Tuesday 24^th June 2003.

The School of Geography and Geosciences and the University are hosting two events over two days. The first on Monday morning is a FREE demonstration seminar. The second, over Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, is a hands-on training seminar that will explore how N5 can be used to analyses qualitative data and build grounded theory (see below). It will cost £50 to attend.

EVENT ONE
(FREE) SOFTWARE PLANNING SEMINAR
Introduction to ATLAS.ti, MAXqda, QSR Nvivo, N6, The Ethnograph, QUALRUS.
School II, St Salvator's Quad
University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland,
10.00-14.30
23^rd June 2003
(Includes free lunch)
AVAILABLE PLACES: 42

For details including how to book see:
http://goliath.st-andrews.ac.uk:28080/HR/staff_development/programme_courses/saltire/script_show_information?id=LTF0034

Abstract: available at the bottom of this message.

EVENT TWO
TWO HALF DAY ‘HANDS-ON’ TRAINING SESSIONS ON N5 SOFTWARE (INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEVEL)
School of Geography and Geosciences, Irvine Building Computer Laboratory, North Street, St Andrews
University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland,
2.30-5.00     23^rd June
9.00-13.30    24^th June 2003
Maximum available places: 15
Remaining places: 8
Cost: £50

Details on how to book will appear on the following site very shortly:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/saltire/coursecatframe.htm
Cost only cover the course itself and participants will need to find their own accommodation and refreshments. However: (a) Mike Kesby [log in to unmask] may be able to find you free accommodation with colleagues in the school once you have booked a place on the course with the Universities Staff Development Office. (b) Local and outside participants will all go for dinner together on Monday night at a local restaurant.

The Speaker and Tutor on all sessions will be: Christina Silver of the CAQDAS Networking Project, Dept of Sociology University of Surrey, GUILDFORD GU2 5XH, CAQDAS web site: http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/caqdas/

ABSTRACT: EVENT ONE
It is not always easy to visualise exactly what a package offers when exploring it for the first time yourself. Equally when asking someone else for their opinion, it is not always easy to know what questions you should be asking. Most of the software packages we are aware of, and discuss regularly are excellent products in one way or several! Some times you choose the package that is already in situ and make good use of it; but if you have a choice about what to purchase for your research project, you may be in some uncertainty about how to proceed. You may have basic understanding about what a CAQDAS software package will do, but the differences between what each package offers may be subtly but significantly different. During the seminar Christina Silver will raise some of the issues you may need to consider, and how some of the software programs differ in the way they handle such aspects as:
Handling 'data': Data organisation: Closeness to data: Output/reporting: Coding and alternative ways of handling analysis: Expressing ideas in visual ways: Transportation of projects: Teamwork logistics.
It is hoped that the day will be thoroughly interactive and that you will come along with questions that need answering (or demonstrating) or you will want to generate discussion during the seminar about your project and its requirements.
Within the time limits of the seminar - discussion and demonstration can cover the following software programs ATLAS.ti, MAXqda, QSR Nvivo, N6, The
Ethnograph, QUALRUS.
CAUTION: You should not expect to receive a thorough introduction of any software listed - but you may get a flavour of the major functionalities and characteristics of each- (if that’s the way discussion proceeds!)

ABSTRACT: EVENT TWO
These two half-day sessions will assume some knowledge of Nudist/N4/N5 software and so will concentrate less on how the N5 package works and more on how you can make the N5 package work for you. Conceptual issues relating to different modes of coding as well as questions about how qualitative data management packages can be used in the process of theory building will be the emphasis of these hands-on practical sessions. If you have specific issues related to you own work email them to [log in to unmask] a head of time and I will send them to Christina (for example I would like her to address issues related to the storage and analysis of longitudinal qualitative data).