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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Qualitative Research Methods by University of Amsterdam

4.6
stars
1,264 ratings

About the Course

In this course you will be introduced to the basic ideas behind the qualitative research in social science. You will learn about data collection, description, analysis and interpretation in qualitative research. Qualitative research often involves an iterative process. We will focus on the ingredients required for this process: data collection and analysis. You won't learn how to use qualitative methods by just watching video's, so we put much stress on collecting data through observation and interviewing and on analysing and interpreting the collected data in other assignments. Obviously, the most important concepts in qualitative research will be discussed, just as we will discuss quality criteria, good practices, ethics, writing some methods of analysis, and mixing methods. We hope to take away some prejudice, and enthuse many students for qualitative research....

Top reviews

DR

Oct 8, 2016

The teacher is really passionate, everything's very clear and easy to understand. It's full of all the basic knowledge one needs to know about qualitative research methods to begin working with them.

KF

Dec 20, 2018

I found this a very useful way of getting a basic introduction to qualitative research methods, without just sitting down with some text books. The content was engaging and at the right level for me.

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26 - 50 of 424 Reviews for Qualitative Research Methods

By Dinara Z

Feb 23, 2019

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I strongly reccomend this course!

By Raditya B W

Jan 2, 2019

Excellent course and interesting topic!

By Hong W

May 12, 2016

Good theory and presentation

By Stephen

Apr 13, 2019

a complete joy! thanks!

By Laura C

Jul 5, 2019

This course was well designed and the content well chosen--I learned a great deal. Some of the assignments would benefit from some tweaking --the instructions were not always clear---and I'd love to see the instructor incorporate more recent works of qualitative research, perhaps even touch on some of the AI methods that are emer

By Shyama D

Mar 6, 2019

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and have learnt a lot. The assignments were really helpful in improving the understanding. However, Providing correct answers for wrong attempts in the quiz would help in clearing our doubts.

By Μαρία Χ

Mar 13, 2019

Compared to the Quantitative Methods, this one was more chaotic and not as structured/ Still, really good and the only thing that could be improved is to have the transcripts in pdfs and not just the ppts.

By Filip Č

Apr 1, 2019

Not bad. The exam questions could be formulated better.

By Mateja K

Mar 13, 2016

The instructor's presentations are so irritating due to him acting in a jumpy, nervous, and hyper-excited manner that I could not stand watching the lectures. If you don't mind that, it's probably not a bad course.

By OPARE A

Jun 3, 2019

I got charged without being told...how does that happen?

And that is the money I have for food and my general upkeep for the whole month as am a student. So cruel!!

When I subscribed it stated a 7 day free trial

Can I please get a refund?

By Rachael W

Apr 13, 2017

This course is not free. You must pay to access assignments and quizzes.

I am really annoyed with the direction Coursera is moving in regard to premium content. If they keep up this trend, I'll move to Class Central or other MOOCs.

By Sima B

Sep 29, 2019

A truly wonderful course thanks to Gerben Moerman's intelligence, competence and enthusiasm.

I am relatively new to the field of qualitative research, having previously done mostly quantitative research, and this course has given me a great introduction. I did not have time to do the full course though, had only several days to watch all videos (which did not take too long, and the readings were not 10 min as stated probably by default on the Coursera platform, but one sentence and then the reference lists linked to citations on the slides); unfortunately I did not have time to do the exams/assignments, which sounded quite useful though.

I loved the fact that Moerman managed to get at least some order into the endless variety and contradictions within the so complex field of qualitative research, each time showing his great knowledge by citing a wide range of historical and current experts. I am not an expert myself, and am not in a position to rate the quality of the content, but given that he gave so many different views, it seems to me that he is extremely competent and at the same time tried to be fair to different approaches and different research paradigms.

Moerman has a great talent in presenting complex issues clearly using different categories and graphs that were depicted nicely on the slides. I also liked the cartoons and other drawings.

Many of the categories and themes were explained using great examples from the literature that prevented me from getting bored. First and foremost though, it has been the great enthusiasm and his true desire to teach and make you understand, which has made the course so interesting and memorable. Often he would jump up and down and run towards the camera to emphasise a point - probably to the great despair of the person behind the camera, who had to often cut the film; he would also often stand in front of the slides, covering some of the images/content, which is why the quality of the videos is not perfect in a technical sense - I did not get motion sickness from it though (which I always do if something is filmed by hand camera) - so my compliments to the person at the camera and thank you to all involved for allowing Moerman to remain natural without 'forcing him into form'/ a stiff person - because then his lectures would have lost all of his charm.

Overall, it is not only his charm and the great slides, but the depth and honesty and presentation of different views in a clear and visual way that made me love this course and long for more - e.g. additional courses about all the other types of qualitative research methodologies and methods that he could not go into for time reasons and giving further examples in more detail.

A big thank you to everyone involved in the development of this course!!

By Judith T

Apr 6, 2016

This course covered a broad swath of diverse material in an admirably compact form. The instructor was surprisingly passionate! about the topic, but once I got used to his style I could see it was because he was really invested in this type of work and really invested in getting us to understand it. Comprehension quizzes along with the lectures would have been nice to help absorb all the new vocabulary. There was also a creative use of the Coursera system to get us to do actual data gathering and coding (at least at a beginning level) on our own. As for the material, I felt like I was getting to see a secret world that everyone else around me already somehow knew about. As I am new to social science, I wondered how to find out about this secret arsenal of tools for dealing with interview and ethnography data that always seem to be referred to but never explained. Well, here they are! And now I have them too! Much appreciated.

By Eleanor S

Sep 29, 2021

This is a well written course and a comprehensive introduction/overview to qualitative research methods. It is very much an introduction for the complete novice and I think would serve as a good foundation for completion of more in depth training in specific qualitative methods. My only criticism is that there doesn't seem to be any organiser moderation of the discussion forums which is a shame - it seems to have been designed by the organisers as a MOOC to run by itself entirely on peer review & support, where I think some external moderation once in a while would stimulate debate and energise the learning environment. I think this could be done without stifling peer to peer contribution which obviously has its own merits.

By Sen W

Mar 19, 2016

For a Chinese student who rarely had experience touch on Western Philosophy, the startling line is a little complex and hard to gain the "pure meaning" of the course. But after look the videos over and over again, I feel better now. In China, I never witnessed a teacher jumping in front of the students, in front of the camera or in the livid classroom. So I really appreciate to see Mr. Moerman who show his passion in the field of study and teaching itself. I really love this course and the "elephants".

Now I have less than 24 hours to finish the first assignment. Though many website are forbid by the "Great wall", such as google, I will do my best to finish the assignment which is the first English homework in my life.

By Hernani M

Aug 25, 2020

The approach of the course makes it very interesting as Prof Goerben has truly mastered his piece. Though I have been into quali-quanti (Mixed) research in the past, and some of my research outputs were already recognized (awarded) by various organizations, I still feel that I need to know more (the more I know, the more I do not know) on this research domain. Indeed, I learned a lot more, and consequently I feel guilty of my previous inadequacy, as I discovered more essential concepts the course has offered. Thanks to this course. My horizon has widened. My perspective has gone further, and most importantly, some of my doubts were clarified. I never regret spending my summer in this course.

By Arman B K

Oct 31, 2018

As an economics student, I enjoyed this course tremendously. I had many biases when it came to qualitative methods but this course proved some of my views were completely wrong while some were proven to be justified. I appreciate the use of mixed methods as I have come to realise no single method of analysis is sufficient if we are to seek the truth. I will probably stick to quantitaive methods most of the time but this course has been an eye opener and will help me when researching topics which are researched in multiples disciplines (e.g economics and sociology).

Dr Moerman is a great teacher who can really make you fall in love with the subject matter.

By Pereira�Alexius�Anthony

Apr 24, 2021

Course is well prepared and is serious about teaching students about qualitative research. Some parts are probably too technical (debates about the theories, ontological etc. ) and it says that all these debates are pretty much not necessary and can be left in library. My only comment will be that the course is very practical in that it trains students to go out to do fieldwork and interviews, but there is a whole world of qualitative research where no fieldwork is necessary (these include text analysis, interpretive social media analysis etc.). Overall, i would recommend this course regardless of whether you plan to go out into the field or not.

By Soh W K

Apr 22, 2020

This course is NOT easy at all! However, it could be one of the most important Courses that I attended and expanded on my Qualitative Analysis, Interviewing Skillsets. Overall, I had learnt how to analyze using principles of Ontological Philosophies, and Epistemology Styles of Approach (8 Types to be exact, 4 Axis) I can assure you that after you go through this course, your style of thinking would be changed, and improved, to accommodate MORE types of research thinking and interview style... This is just an introduction. Worth all your effort and time.

By Rosalie S

Dec 29, 2015

Engaging and broad-based course on qualitative research methods. Real world assignments were required, so there was a considerable commitment, which of course led to a sound learning experience. Generally I prefer courses with multiple lecturers, but the lecturer here was entertaining and interesting to watch, and very committed to ensuring that we learnt from the course. Also I noted that when students raised issues about the quizzes or assignments they were dealt with. Thanks Coursera and University of Amsterdam.

By Dr. B J

Oct 12, 2020

Thank you Dr. Moerman for putting this course together. I found it very interesting, useful, and informative. The additional videos of Charmaz and Gibbs have been icing on the cake :):):).

I also loved the assignments, especially their timing and the skills they helped me learn, use and polish.

Thanks also, for the energy and quirky humour you brought to the course, Qualitative Research can be time consuming and tiring, your humour and energy made it easy. Kindly thank your team as well. Thank you ever so much.

By Joshua T

Dec 15, 2015

Very clear and concise explanation with fantastic examples to help with retaining information. The lecturer is full of life and it is very contagious.

I joined this course to learn more about qualitative research. I am not new to qualitative research but i learn more each time I revisit the subject.

If you intend to conduct some form of qualitative research as part of your job or preparation towards a postgraduate research degree, this course is a must enrol. Excellent

By Patricia B

Jan 7, 2020

I learned such a lot in a fun, informative and animated way, and the reference lists were very helpful in stimulating further research on questions I had. I enjoyed the peer-review process, which also stimulated more questions about the diversity of the experience of those doing the course. The tests helped me to recognize further steps I needed to take in my own thinking and understanding to help me with my PhD research. Thanks Professor Gerben!

By Stacy A

Dec 16, 2015

I am a strictly Quantitative Scientist so I was not sure if I would like this course or enjoy it. Surprisingly, I both liked it and enjoyed it. It was interesting learning about the Qualitative Methods that I had no idea about. The professor is very animated and keeps your interest throughout the course. I now have an appreciation for Qualitative Research Methods instead of looking down my nose at them. Great Course with a great professor.

By Md. K h

Mar 8, 2020

This course is worth participating. Really learned a lot from this course and it is really helpful for all who are engaged with qualitative research. I would like to thank Coursera for giving me the opportunity to participate in this course for free. I would also like to express my gratitude to Gerben Moerman for his excellent presentation through out the time. Thank you very much Sir! and finally thanks to all of my course mates.