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Member rate £492.50
Non-Member rate £985.00
Save £45 Loyalty discount applied automatically*
Save 5% on each additional course booked
*If you attended our Methods School in Summer/Winter 2024.
Monday 5 to Friday 9 March 2018
14:00 - 17:30
15 hours over 5 days
The course deals with concrete ways of using digital technologies for qualitative data collection purposes, which have become essential for empirical research across many disciplines. It is targeted at participants who seek to gain the knowledge and skills to apply qualitative online research methods in their studies. Online research methods are essentially facilitators of ‘traditional’ methods modified in such a way that can be used in a number of online venues, such as email, chat rooms, web pages, various forms of instant messaging and other applications provided by internet. The course starts off with the introduction of basic characteristics of qualitative online research methods and their temporal structure. It provides an overview of advantages and disadvantages of online research methods. The course continues with the examination of different forms of online qualitative data collection. Methods and techniques such as online focus groups, online interviews and virtual ethnography are examined in details. Methodological as well as practical questions of using online research methods are addressed.
The course also provides possibilities of combined use of various online methods. Finally, ethical issues, which require a thorough consideration on how to be dealt with while doing online research, are tackled.
Tasks for ECTS Credits
Bojana Lobe is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, where she teaches various methods courses, including Social Science Data Collection and Digital Technologies.
Her research interests include online qualitative research methods, integration of qualitative and quantitative methods online, qualitative comparative analysis, and researching children’s experiences online with mixed methods.
She is the author of the book Integration of Online Research Methods and of several chapters and articles on conducting online focus groups and interviews. She is a member of the research programme Social Science Methodology, Statistics and Informatics at the University of Ljubljana.
Since 2006, Bojana has been actively involved in researching the experiences of children and young people with internet and digital technologies through various projects:
The course focuses on the usage of digital technologies for qualitative data collection, from a conceptual and applied perspective. Digital technologies are mostly referred to as a research tool, especially as a tool to collect data. The goal of this course is to acquaint participants with the basics of online qualitative research methods, and then to provide training on methodological and practical issues of online focus groups, online in-depth interviews and virtual ethnography (online fieldwork).
The course includes a detailed examination of:
After having completed the course, participants will have acquired in the following skills:
The course consists of lectures and daily assignments. In order to facilitate discussions during the lectures, participants will be expected to read selected texts about methodological issues, critically analyse online methods studies focussing on the use of online research methods, and do some practical exercises by collecting data online. As a take-home assignment, participants will be expected to compose and submit a methodological plan for an online qualitative study, which may be their actual research project or an imaginary project envisioned only for educative purposes.
No particular prerequisite knowledge is required. Some general familiarity with qualitative and ethnographic methods is useful.
None.
Nothing specific. NB each participant should bring a laptop.
Hewson, Claire, Vogle, Carl, Laurent, Dianna (2016): Internet Research Methods. Second Edition. Sage Publicatios.
Fielding, N., Lee, R.M., Blank, G. (ur.) (2016): The Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods. Second Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Janice (Eds.). (2011): The handbook of emergent technologies in social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
Lobe, B. (2008): Integration of Online Research Methods. Ljubljana: FDV.