QualCoder

Hello everyone,

We are proud to announce the release of the latest QualCoder, version 3.6.

Apart from a range of additional functions and improvements, this version now has the capacity to use artificial intelligence to assist with coding text, and another AI function for a general chat – on topics related to your project.

The release details, source code, and executable for Windows, macOS, and, yet to be added, Ubuntu are avaible from here:

https://github.com/ccbogel/QualCoder/releases/tag/3.6

Please let us know what you think of QualCoder, and whether there are larger teams or research groups using the software. Also please if you enjoy using QualCoder promote it among your colleagues or even via publishing an article using QualCoder.

Temple University Libraries, is featuring QualCoder, a free, open-source qualitative data analysis (QDA) software that can help save time and support many stages of qualitative research.  Resources and comparison with NVivo and ATLAS.ti will also be shared.

QualCoder for Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA)
Tue, Feb 04, 12:00 pm -1:00 pm

• Project, File and Data Management
  Thu, Feb 06, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Research Design and Data Collection
  Tue, Feb 18, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Coding Scheme and Codebooks
  Thu, Feb 27, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Transcription and Formatting Files for Qualitative Data Analysis  
  Fri, Feb 21, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Coding Strategies and Data Processing
  Thu, Mar 13, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Manual and Auto Coding and Querying
  Thu, Mar 20, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• AI Coding and Querying
  Thu, Mar 27, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Organizing, Synthesizing and Displaying Data
  Tue, Apr 01, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Writing and Disseminating Results for Qualitative Data Analysis
  Thu, Apr 10, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

We are getting close to the release of the 3.6 version, which among other changes will have an artificial intelligence modelling option. The AI component is optional and will allow the use of several language models currently available. This can be used to apply automated coding of text, based on a project memo, code names and memos and various prompts. Kai Droege has worked on and developed this for some time, and we have had a soft availability of this code to obtain feedback from various users to improve the installation and usage of the AI functionality.

There has been an impressive uptake of the 3.5 version that was released a year ago on 23rd December 2023 with over 10,000 downloads of the executables (as at 22 Jan 2024) for Windows and Ubuntu.

It is great to see that saashub https://www.saashub.com/ which shows comparisons between similar software indicated that QualCoder is very favourably viewed compared to the very well known Nvivo software (as at 22 Jan 2024).

with regards Colin

Thanks to Adrisya Tech for these videos

How to install and set-up Qualcoder for Qualitative data analysis in windows? || Part-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayf9_a6zApw

How to create project, manage cases, files and do set-up in Qualcoder ? || Part-2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMBFKRZdfk4

How to do create code book and do coding in text files? || Part-3 || Qualcoder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcHNdqsR_E4

How to calculate intercoder reliability in Qualcoder ? || Part-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPJzk5A1zkA

How to generate report, charts, word cloud and export them ? || Qualcoder || Part-5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUQcIDSqHLs

Introdução ao QualCoder

Alfonso Robles has made a YouTube video (in Spanish) to create a coding match matrix and GEPHI Network Visualisation using data from QualCoder and the R statistics package.

You need to extract the data in QualCoder and export to a csv file. The data source is from the menu Reports > Database queries. Then in the list on the side: Default Queries > GET CODING TABLE

The network visualisation

The YouTube video (Spanish)

Since I began releasing QualCoder, interest and use of the software has continued to grow. The first release was a 1.3 version on 17th April 2019 as a Debian install for Linux. Currently I try to release the software as a Windows executable (exe) and an executable for Linux Ubuntu.

It would be really appreciated if there were independent researchers who could write and publish independent and in depth articles about the QualCoder software. How is has been used, what the advantages and disadvantages are.

This chart is from data obtained on 9th August 2024. It shows executables downloaded from the GitHub releases, https://github.com/ccbogel/QualCoder/releases. These executables comprise Linux Debian install files, Windows executables and Linux Ubuntu executables. The most recent bar comprises 1,049 Ubuntu executables and 3,590 Windows executables.

In the near future, further developments to the software will include more functionality such as:

• Incorporating an artificial intelligence coding capacity, developed by Dr Kai Dröge, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrQyTOTJhCc.

• Adding a code organiser function, so that the code tree hierarchy can be shuffled around easily, to move initial codes and organisation into an improved representation of the concepts and theory that emerge, on deeper understanding of the data. A grounded theory approach.

I have finally managed to make a video for the 3.5 version of QualCoder.

I am using the Window exe for this video. The Windows exe has a flaw with the Audio/Video coded segments – the context menu does not display (for playing, editing deleting coded A/V segments). This does not occur with the manual install method, and in the next 3.6 version I will add extra workaround for this issue.

The video covers how to create a project and using files, cases and journals, as well as coding and creating reports. It does not cover audio/video transcription and a couple of other features.

There is a discussion of QualCoder in Persian here:
در اینجا بحث QualCoder به زبان فارسی وجود دارد:

 https://yabesh.ir/4444873/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%A9%D8%AF%D8%B1qualcoder

A few universities around the world are presenting workshops on QualCoder.

Universiti Malaya

Temple University

Illinois University

Uppsala Universitet

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Europa-Universität Flensburg