Qualitative Coding Assistant

Northeastern University•Boston, MA

About The Position

You will serve as the ground truth for AI validation by manually coding student simulation transcripts using detailed rubrics. This role requires meticulous attention to detail, strong qualitative analysis skills, and the ability to apply complex coding schemes consistently. Your ratings establish the validity benchmark against which AI scoring will be evaluated.

Requirements

Master’s degree or Doctor of Education (EdD) in Education, Economics, Public Policy, Psychology, Sociology, Communication, or related social science
Demonstrated experience with qualitative coding using established frameworks such as thematic analysis, content analysis, or discourse analysis
Familiarity with inter-rater reliability concepts and procedures
Strong writing skills for documentation and analytical memos
Ability to work independently while maintaining consistency across coding sessions
Comfort with ambiguity during iterative rubric refinement

Nice To Haves

Experience with education assessment or program evaluation
Background in adolescent development or youth workforce development
Training in qualitative analysis software such as MAXQDA, NVivo, or ATLAS.ti
Understanding of psychometric concepts, including validity, reliability, and construct definition

Responsibilities

Study and internalize 18-indicator rubrics across 3 skill domains
Code 50–80 student simulation transcripts using detailed rubric criteria
Participate in calibration sessions to establish inter-rater reliability
Document edge cases and ambiguous scenarios requiring rubric clarification
Provide systematic feedback on rubric usability and clarity
Identify indicators with low inter-rater agreement requiring revision
Calculate inter-rater reliability metrics, including Cohen's kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)
Compare human versus AI ratings to identify systematic differences
Contribute to validation methodology documentation
Support qualitative findings write-up for research reports