The Department of English and Cultural Studies organized a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) titled “Content Analysis and Use of AntConc Software in Media and Linguistic Research” in collaboration with Nucleus of Learning and Development. The programme was conducted online from 27 August to 2 September 2026. It aimed to strengthen digital and computational research skills among faculty members and researchers working in media, communication, linguistics, and related disciplines. The programme provided participants with an opportunity to understand contemporary approaches to textual research and integrate technology with established research practices in the humanities and the social sciences and communication.
The FDP addressed the growing need for practical training in digital and computational research methodologies. Researchers increasingly work with large volumes of textual data, yet many require greater familiarity with systematic content analysis, corpus construction, and computational text analysis. The programme bridged this gap by combining qualitative and quantitative approaches with corpus linguistics and software based research. Participants were introduced to the importance of developing coding schemes, constructing text corpora, organizing datasets, identifying research questions, and interpreting textual evidence systematically. The training also demonstrated how digital tools can support efficient analysis of textual data and support reliable academic conclusions across disciplines and contexts. A central component of the programme was hands-on training in AntConc, a corpus analysis software used to examine textual datasets. Participants explored concordance, word frequency, collocation, clusters, and keyword analysis through guided demonstrations and practical exercises. These features help researchers identify recurring linguistic patterns, examine relationships between words, compare datasets, and support interpretations with measurable textual evidence. The sessions highlighted the relevance of corpus-based methods in media and linguistic research, particularly when large collections of articles, interviews, transcripts, advertisements, or other texts need systematic examination. Participants were encouraged to apply the software to their own research interests and datasets. The FDP had three principal objectives.
The first was to provide hands-on training in AntConc and its key analytical features. The second was to enable participants to apply computational text-analysis methods to their own media, communication, or linguistic datasets. The third was to enhance research skills through practical exercises, project work, and peer feedback. The expected outcomes included effective use of AntConc for concordance, frequency, collocation, cluster, and keyword analysis. Participants were also expected to interpret corpus-based findings appropriately and present research results clearly using suitable analytical methods. The programme therefore combined conceptual understanding with practical application and research competence. The resource person was Dr. Suruchi Agrawal, Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, AURO University, Surat. She holds a PhD from Galgotias University, Greater Noida, and qualified UGC NET in December 2018. She has extensive experience in teaching, research, and media practice. Her academic expertise includes Journalism, Advertising, New Media, Film Studies, Event Management, and Ethics. Her research interests include digital media, climate change communication, OTT platforms, and public health messaging. She has published journal articles and book chapters, presented research at international conferences, and served as a resource person and panelist for workshops and FDPs.
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