Qualitative Data for Education Evaluation: A Live Walkthrough with Dots
Explore how qualitative data can be intentionally designed, structured, and analyzed to strengthen education evaluations, rather than being treated as a last-mile reporting add-on.
The webinar attempts to unpack a common challenge in MEL and education research: large volumes of qualitative data that are often unstructured, collected as an afterthought, remain underused, or are expected to generate insights through AI alone.
Co-founders Akshay Roongta and Yashna Jhamb introduce a structured framework for turning qualitative inputs into analyzable “knowledge units” that meaningfully complement quantitative results. Using a teacher training program case study, they demonstrate how qualitative data can be planned upfront, systematically structured, and analyzed to explain the reasons behind observed outcomes, not just report them.
The session includes a live walkthrough of the DOTS platform, showcasing automated annotation, theme management, filtering, summarization, and mixed-method reporting that brings qualitative and quantitative indicators together.
In this session, you'll learn:
How to design qualitative data collection to understand the “why” behind observed outcomes
How to avoid common pitfalls of collecting qualitative data as a last-stage reporting add-on
How to structure unstructured data using metadata and a tiered theme system (Themes, Sub-themes, Tags)
How to quantify qualitative trends while retaining access to original source data
How to use AI as an analytical assistant to surface patterns and summaries, while validating insights through direct references
In the webinar
Akshay Roongta, Co-Founder, Dots
Akshay Roongta has over a decade of experience working across WASH, public health, financial inclusion, agriculture, and education. He brings a deep understanding of how complex, ground-level realities can inform better decisions and systems. He believes that the most valuable insights often lie in lived experience — and that good technology should help uncover and act on those insights without losing their nuance.
Yashna Jhamb, Co-Founder, Dots
With a background in ethnographic research and systems thinking, Yashna Jhamb works at the intersection of design, data, and impact, helping teams make sense of complex realities through storytelling and structure. She is the co-founder of Dots, a SaaS platform built by Ooloi Labs that helps organizations collect, organize, and analyze qualitative data at scale.