Multidisciplinary instruction with the Natural Language Toolkit

The Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK) is widely used for teaching natural language processing to students majoring in linguistics or computer science. This paper describes the design of NLTK, and reports on how it has been used effectively in classes that involve different mixes of linguistics and computer science students. We focus on three key issues: getting started with a course, delivering interactive demonstrations in the classroom, and organizing assignments and projects. In each case, we report on practical experience and make recommendations on how to use NLTK to maximum effect.