Saturday, July 10, 2010

Video on NGS American Genealogy Home Study Course

There is a new video available about the NGS Home Study course. This course on American Genealogy is sponsored by the National Genealogy Society.  The course can be completed from home and at your own pace. It is a good comprehensive course on genealogical records and methods that can be taken by those new to genealogy, or those with experience who want to be sure they have a firm foundation in research skills.

The course is available on three CDs that can be purchased together or separately. You can choose the graded option or the non-graded option. The syllabus for the course details each of the sixteen lessons.  The lessons cover each of the major genealogical record types, source citation, and evidence analysis.

For each lesson there is reading material, a self-grading quiz, and a practical assignment to complete. These practical assignments give students experience in working with records and repositories. This is one of the elements that makes this course such a valuable educational opportunity.

The highlights of the Home Study Course include:
  • Assignments that provide experience with research on the Internet and in libraries, courthouses, and archives
  • Instruction on using a variety of genealogical records
  • Experience analyzing documents and citing sources
  • Self-correcting exams for each lesson
  • An online mail list where you can ask questions and receive help

I have completed the NGS Home Study course and found it to be a very useful course for learning genealogical records, and I would recommend this course to others. This course also  fulfills the prerequisite for attending advanced courses at genealogical institutes such as IGHR.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Angela!

    I recently discovered your blog and am finding it to be a treasure trove! Thanks for all your efforts here. I am planning on taking the HSC as Step 1 of a comprehensive personal education and training plan I am developing. I am curious how long it took you to complete the course and about how much time per week you spent on it? Perhaps you have heard from others on average completion times? Hard to sequence the HSC with fixed calendar courses/training like IGHR or other programs without knowing how long it might take. Any insight appreciated.

    Thanks!

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    1. Skip,

      I am glad you are enjoying my blog. I have tried to fill it with information on all types of educational opportunities for genealogists. I took over a year to complete the NGS HSC, but I have kids at home. Some of my friends were able to complete the program in about six months, and others have taken a year or more depending on how much time they can devote to the assignments.

      I am so glad to hear that you have a personal education plan! This is one of the topics I lecture on as I feel it is very important. I hope you were able to read the study blueprint at http://genealogyeducation.blogspot.com/2012/06/elizabeth-shown-mills-ten-point-study.html
      There are many suggestions that can be done in between attending other programs.

      Angela

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    2. Thanks for your response, Angela. You can claim partial credit for motivating me to put the plan on paper! And yes, I read your entry with ESM's 10 point plan and am factoring that in as well.

      Thanks again!

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