HULA Code Book

The HULA Codebook outlines the research framework and coding methodology developed by Project Zero’s Humanities and Liberal Arts Assessment (HULA) team to make the implicit craft knowledge of humanistic disciplines explicit and assessable. Recognizing that humanities teaching has historically relied on master-apprentice models, the HULA project aims to formalize the goals, methods, mechanisms, and developmental outcomes of humanistic practices.

Using qualitative data analysis (QDA), HULA researchers apply a dual-layered system of descriptors (metadata about artifacts) and codes (labels for content within artifacts) to archives of humanistic work—such as grant proposals, lesson plans, or student reflections. The code structure maps learning pathways across five dimensions: craft logic, perceptual domains engaged, psychological capacities deployed, intellectual/personality development, and human development. This systematic approach enables researchers to identify “folk learning theories” embedded in humanistic practice and develop assessment tools grounded in those traditions rather than external standards.

Ultimately, the codebook positions humanistic pedagogy as a coherent system of learning—one that cultivates civic, existential, and vocational growth through interpretive, reflective, and relational practices.