Glasgow's University of Strathclyde has launched a free online genealogy course on FutureLearn, the Open University's platform for massive online open courses (MOOCs) created by top educational establishments around the world.
The Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree course is not specifically geared to Irish genealogy nor any other individual country's records. It is more generic. The course details say that it aims to 'help you develop an understanding of the basic genealogy techniques and how to communicate your family history. We will consider how to effectively find and analyse sources and explore the potential of DNA testing as applied to genealogy. We’ll help you add historical context to your family history and discuss how to record and communicate research findings in a clear fashion.
No special knowledge or previous experience of studying is required for the course, which will start on 14 March.
The main 'educator' of the course is Tahitia McCabe, a genealogist based at the University and course leader for the MSc in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies (distance learning).