If you are new to research, this course plus the next course will give you a solid foundation for seeing how patterns arise from the data. It replaces the imperative to just “find affinities.”

If you are an experienced researcher, these two courses will add the craft of synthesis to your skill set. Synthesis allows other people’s perspectives and ideas to take precedence over your own way of making sense of what was said. Synthesis is different than analysis. You might have learned analysis in the university, not knowing there was another method.

If you manage a research team, mentoring people and helping them grow their skillsets is key to your team’s success. Getting a taste of what qualitative data synthesis produces, and how it is used, will give you clarity into what kind of time and resources your team needs for different types of studies.

If you manage a product, inclusivity and reducing harm might be one of the strategic directions you want to follow. If you follow how data synthesis works, its power will actually unlock some of your other strategic directions, such as growing the number of people you support with your solution. You may not need to take these courses, but you need to understand what is going on here, and how it is different than data analysis. Skim through the videos and pick up some clarity, and some inspiration.