Free qualitative research course anytime, anywhere…

We have created a course to help you learn qualitative research step-by-step by carefully selecting from our large collection of Quirkos blogs, webpages, and videos. The theme is ‘Doing Qualitative Research’ and you can take the course right now for free.

The benefits of the Quirkos curated course: Doing Qualitative Research

It gets you thinking about you and YOUR research

Just knowing what is supposed to happen in an ideal world isn't good enough, (that’s different for everyone anyway). The course is designed around activities and challenges that take you through the whole process of qualitative research, so that you can think meaningfully about the information and questions that we offer in the context of your own research. You can then build towards making sound justifiable research decisions in the real world.

Here are just some ‘snippets’ from the course and some example questions that you might be asking about doing qualitative research.

What do I need to know or do before I gather any data?

What epistemological approach am I taking, and is it right for my research?

What kind of questions would an Ethics Panel ask, and what should I put in an Ethics protocol look like anyway?

How do I deal with anticipated and unanticipated problems in the field – ‘Oho, they’ve got a dog. I’m scared of dogs.’ ‘Wow they are talking a lot about this. I don’t know if it’s important or not. Should I say something?’

Do I need to transcribe my interviews?

What kind of researcher am I, and does it matter?

Other benefits

It saves you time

Because the course is curated, you don’t have to spend mental energy searching for the next resource; especially when you are not sure what you need to know.

It provides a semi-structured framework for your learning

Our learning model creates a framework of logical progression through our materials. But crucially, it’s not just an ordered list of stuff to read or watch. There is added detail that supports the materials that we have chosen that help you to develop an understanding of how and why to use qualitative research methods. We’ve curated the blogs and videos so that you can understand what is considered foundational or ‘core’ to understanding qualitative research. But we’ve also curated ‘optional’ material that goes into greater depth, which you might go to directly if you are a more experienced researcher.

It gives you control of your learning

Not only have we labelled our materials to help you engage with the material at an appropriate level, we’ve provided the framework and the tools to move around the course easily. You can choose what you engage with, in what order and when. Unlike some online courses there’s:

• no forcing you to watch or click on something before you can move on in the course
• no telling you that you must do this, before you do that
• no limited release of materials based on successful completion of previous elements
• and no hidden elements that are only available for a fee

It’s easy to navigate

Even with all this choice, you won't get lost. All the pages have a navigation side-bar and our clickable model at the top so you can choose where you go next. But if you like a little more structure, we also guide you to a good place to go next at the bottom of every page.

It’s flexible

There’s no start date and no end date. There are no times that you must stick to. You can come and go as you please. Maybe you’ll get started with your planning and then you can come back later to engage with the material on writing. Perhaps you’ll be systematic and take the course from start to finish. Or maybe you’ll dip in and out with areas that you need to refresh yourself in throughout your career. But if you like a little more structure, we also guide you in where might be a good place to go next at the bottom of every page.

It’s free

There is no charge to engage with this course. There’s even a two-week free trial of the software if you decide you want to try Quirkos software to analyse your data.

It’s not an instructional manual on how to use Quirkos

We have other material that supports you in how to use Quirkos software, but do signpost where using Quirkos might be helpful to you. We focus on the common processes in qualitative research, such as "what are memos for?" and use some examples from Quirkos to illustrate. Learning how to do qualitative research is the star of this show, not our software.

But if you would like a guide on how to use Quirkos, we do share our guide with you.

Take a look at the course

Why not take a closer look at the course? The Welcome page is a good place to start and includes some FAQs. And don't forget to tell your colleagues and discuss your learning together!