Fundamentals II: Plan for Success

Don't Start Research Without a Plan

Does any of this sound like you?

• Do you ever find yourself wandering aimlessly in your genealogy research?
• Do you realize you're looking at the same records over and over, wasting time and energy?
• Have you felt you've hit a wall you just can't break through, and need a new way of looking at what you have?

Learn the tools and strategies to create a focused plan and system for tracking the records you've already searched. Make it a gift to your genealogical research.

Course Outline

What the course covers:

• The advantage of picking one ancestor to work on at a time
• Why developing one BIG GOAL at a time improves results
• How to write effective research questions
• Learn about record sets to support answering those questions
• How using the research plan as your log to document the results of your research prevents you from looking at the same record set… over and over and over again

Skills you will learn

How to plan your research, how to create a research goal, how to name appropriate sources for records, how to prepare a research log.

Format

The class uses the private educational platform Canvas to walk students through two case studies that take students though a step-by-step process to learn how to use the Research Plan Template for planning, logging and to identify next steps in the research process. There is a combination of lessons, videos, three Zoom sessions and various handouts to support a self-paced learning experience.

For all students who complete the lessons, they will come away with an understanding how to use a research plan and log to make their genealogy research easier and more enjoyable.

The three Zoom sessions are primarily to answer questions and show examples not addressed in the Canvas discussions.

Students are also welcome to use one of their own ancestors ALONG with doing the case study exercises, and the instructor is happy to review that work, as well. This is a three-week course, with a bonus fourth week to complete all lessons.

August 2025 course will run from August 3 through August 24.

Instructions and invites to the private Canvas course will begin Wednesday, July 30.

• Sunday, August 3, 12-1pm EDT
• Sunday, August 10, 12-1pm EDT
• Sunday, August 17, 12-1pm EDT

Requirements

No Requirements. For all levels.

Tuition

Part of the Fundamentals Series. Each class $150/ VAS $132. Any other class after the first class is discounted to $132.

Contact Information

For any questions, email the instructor at education@jewishgen.org.

Registration

Open Register here