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  1. #1
    Valued member of Brit-Gen MrsPoppy's Avatar
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    Default Free 6 week online genealogy course

    I have just been e-mailed by a friend about a six week free genealogy course online, 4 hours per week, for anyone and you can drop out if it does not suit. - join now for a 14 March start date. It looks like it is run by the University of Strathclyde Glasgow.

    I am not sure if I am allowed to put a link to the site that is hosting the course - can a moderator please okay this or not as the case may be.

    It is a free course, I am not sure if the places are limited. It says everyone, no matter how experienced or not, will get something out of it.

    I am going off to read the small print.

    Mrs Poppy

  2. #2
    Super Moderator - Completely bonkers and will never change.
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    Thanks for that, Mrs P.

    Here's the link https://www.
    futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy

    The course is free, but at the end you can buy a Statement of Participation for thirty four quid.

    If you scroll down the page there's links to more free courses including one about Robert Burns.
    Just hope I don't have to 'attend' between noon and 2 on a Wednesday - that's pub lunch day!

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  3. #3
    Super Moderator - Completely bonkers and will never change.
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    Don't know if you have to be signed-in to see these FAQs. https://
    about.futurelearn.com/about/faq/?category=course-sign-up-and-completion

    Seems there's no formal classroom time to attend lessons.
    Worldwide students welcomed.

    ADDED: Perhaps some of us would like to join the 'Strategies for successful aging' course. Starts the 8th Feb and is obviously geared towards diminishing brain power as it's only two hours a week for five weeks.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  4. #4
    Valued member of Brit-Gen MrsPoppy's Avatar
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    Thank you Pam - I have just been looking at some of the other free courses as well.

    Mrs P

  5. #5
    JackieC
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    Thank you for sharing this Mrs P - I'm particularly pleased that you don't have to be a UK resident to do the course.

  6. #6
    Super Moderator - Completely bonkers and will never change.
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    A little 'bump' for this course which began yesterday, so still plenty of time to sign up. (Link is in post #2.)

    Most of what I've read so far I basically know (though we are still on week one!) but it has re-inforced some details slightly deeper into my brain.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  7. #7
    thewideeyedowl
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    Coming late to the party, I have just been clicking round FutureLearn - not only for the genealogy course that is the topic of this thread. It all looks very interesting. I note that FutureLearn is wholly owned by the Open University and has partnered with a lot of universities/education providers worldwide though the majority of the partners are UK-based.

    There is a video on the About page, explaining how the courses work, but without subtitles so I abandoned that idea. However, there is a full 'How our courses work' page and (hopefully) I can put the live link here: https://www.futurelearn.com/about/how-it-works. This looks very good and, at some stage, I think I will be doing a course through FutureLearn - there is just so much there, you really do have to click and browse.

    A blog post explains how you interact with other course members, but it is too late in the evening to try to explain all that.

    Pam, Mrs Poppy - I do hope you will give us all feedback about how the course actually does work for you. Basically, is the format 'do-able'?

    Off to roost.

    Owl

  8. #8
    Super Moderator - Completely bonkers and will never change.
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    Week 1 is broken down into 21 pages/segments/whatever you want to call them.
    Mainly about analysing documents
    An introduction to the course, who we are and what you'll be learning about.
    1. Welcome to the course
    2 & 3. Introduction of the course educators.
    4. Introduce yourself discussion, in which you can (or not) write a little bit about yourself, why you're doing the course, and what you hope to learn.
    5. Little video about week 1
    6. What will we learn? Guidance for the absolute beginner.
    7. Basics of research
    8. Nature of documentary evidence
    9. Exploring the nature of primary, derived primary, and secondary sources.
    10. Importance of knowing the history of a source
    11. Discussion of the nature of documentary evidence. Again, not compulsory to join in, but it can be interesting to read other people's comments.
    12. Issues in using documentary evidence
    13 &14. What are transcriptions, abstracts and indexes, and how are they created.
    15. Discussion about which records you'd like to see online.
    16 & 17. About an unusual name. (Someone tracing their family history, and coming up with the obstacle of no trace of the name prior to a woman marrying.)

    That's as far as I've got.
    There's a Google hangout on Friday afternoon UK time.
    19. Is a quiz to find out what you've learnt in week one.
    20. Time to reflect. (Discussion)
    21. What's next.

    As I've already said, most of what I've read so far I basically know but it has re-inforced some details slightly deeper into my brain, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot more as we go along.
    One example (before I dash to get ready to go to the pub for lunch!) is how the more remote a document is from the primary source the more room there is for errors to creep in. e.g. a marriage certificate - church - copy to register office - copy to GRO - handwritten copy to enquirer, so there's three opportunities for errors to occur, not withstanding the vicar getting something wrong at the beginning.

    The thing is that you can sign up to do the course, but then drop out at any time if you want to. And if you get behind in one week, then you can catch up the next. There's no homework which has to be handed in at a certain time.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  9. #9
    Allan F Sparrow
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    I went through the first week's course, yesterday, leaving a few comments along the way. It seemed to me a good basic introduction, but I didn't learn anything new, except for a little jargon I hadn't seen before! I'm hoping to benefit more as the course goes on...

  10. #10
    Valued member of Brit-Gen MrsPoppy's Avatar
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    Hi All.

    That is interesting to read the course structure. I'm finding life on the internet very limited using my elderly kindle & I've had a bout of some virus. I never get colds or flu but it's knocked me for six for over 3 weeks, so I've decided it's got to be man flu.

    I'm miffed but I'm saving up for a new laptop. Then I'm hoping they will run other courses.

    Mrs P

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