Open your data

Collaborative qualitative data sessions @ the IMC

2019.06.06 | Anne-Mette Pedersen

A growing group of IMC researchers does ethnographic and other qualitative research. With Open your data, we wish to open up a shared analytical space where we discuss our data problems and collaboratively support analytical processes in the individual projects. Hence, this new IMC initiative establishes a qualitative data group that will meet monthly to work on data problems and foster curious reflection between IMC affiliated research projects.

Each month will feature one researcher to present a data problem and a piece of data for the group to analyze. Only the presenting researcher will need to prepare – everyone else just shows up on time, curious and ready to share their reflections and discuss ideas for the analysis.

Outline for the meetings:

13:00 – 13:15: “Here’s my data problem”
– presenter gives a 15-minute presentation of the data problem of the day and shares a piece of material that the discussions of the day will focus on.

13:15 – 13:45: “What do you think?”
– the group reflects collaboratively, aloud on the data problem presented and discuss how they understand the challenges; what it makes them curious to know; how they might suggest moving forward. The presenter is not allowed to speak – only provide clarification when asked directly.

13:45 – 14:00: “This makes me wonder….”
– the presenter of the day is given time to reflect on the comments and suggestions emerging from the group, suggesting new questions that develop from the group discussion and understanding of the problem.

14:00 – 15:00: Reflection time & around the table, scheduled as:

10 minutes of individual work – each participant individually reflects on the data problem, writing notes, doodling suggestions, brainstorming ideas for the presenter.
30-35 minutes feedback round – everyone will give feedback on the data problem and the ideas and potential solutions they have been working with individually.
15-20 minutes discussion in the group of the ideas and analytical venues to pursue arising from the day’s topic and discussion.

Fall schedule 2019: August 15, September 12, October 10, November 14, December 12.

It’s our ambition that this will evolve as a productive, safe space for curious discussions on qualitative knowledge production collaboratively advancing our different ideas and approaches for tackling qualitative data analysis.