FutureLearn Genealogy MOOC: The Second Half

Well, I have completed the Massive Open Online Course I was taking through the University of Strathclyde via FutureLearn called "Genealogy : Researching Your Family Tree." What an experience! 

I came to learn that there were over 12,000 people enrolled in the course. Yes - 12,000! Three zeros. 

That being said there wasn't much interaction with peers or professors. The information that was disseminated was fabulous but honestly, it wasn't much different than reading a book on the topic. Yes, there were some videos and suggested activities but it wasn't really like taking a college course. I wasn't graded, there were no due dates, etc. I just went at my own pace reading through or watching the materials presented for the week. It really took no more than 2 hours each week. And in all honesty, that is what I wanted.

The first half of the course I wrote about week by week. The second half was really the type of instruction I was really looking to see presented online; it focused on the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), really reading documents, filling in family tree forms, placing your genealogical finding into historical context, local history resources, and DNA testing as a genealogical tool, just to mention a few of the topics covered.

For my next genealogy learning experience, I have signed up to participate in some webinars through The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) called  "Mastering New York Genealogy." It is being offered exclusively to NEHGS members for $125 and is a series of five presentations that can be viewed online either in real time or after the recording. They are taught by expert genealogists employed by NEHGS. They include: Christopher C. Child, Lindsay Fulton, Henry B. Hoff, David Allen Lambert, and Rhonda R. McClure. Most of whom I have seen speak before at genealogy conferences and presentations.

I will keep you posted on how that experience goes but anyone who is looking to get just a little more insight on how to do genealogy research, I highly recommend taking  "Genealogy : Researching Your Family Tree" by the University of Strathclyde through FutureLearn.

The Lead Educator, Tahitia McCabe was wonderful. I sincerely loved Graham Holton's information DNA. I also loved watching Chris Atkins family research story unfold.