Using Annotation for Transparent Inquiry (ATI) to Teach Qualitative Research Methods

In political science, qualitative analytic methods are rarely taught using “active learning” strategies. We discuss a novel approach to teaching such methods: having students engage with scholarship that has been annotated using Annotation for Transparent Inquiry (ATI). ATI allows authors to annotate passages in a digital publication to clarify methodology, add detail about evidence or analysis, or link to data sources. Learning methods through engagement with annotated articles allows students to interact with original data and to better understand and evaluate how authors collected, analyzed, and used those data. This leads students to learn research methods in a way that more closely approximates how they will use those methods in their own research. We present a general description of strategies for teaching with ATI. We illustrate the approach using three examples of instructors teaching both undergraduate and graduate students. We conclude with recommendations for effectively using ATI in the classroom.