GenClass.com: Many instructors join NIGS

When a door closes, a window opens, goes the old proverb. This aptly demonstrates recent developments at GenClass.com.

As a GenClass co-founder, I had wanted to explain what happened to the education site, but my good friend Thomas MacEntee beat me to it at his blog Destination: Austin Family.

Thomas reported on the heads-up post by GenClass instructor Michael Hait, the African-American Genealogy Examiner.

An announcement is also at the GenClass website.

The good news is that many GenClass instructors will continue to provide these practical, economical, short-term classes with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.

The stand-alone courses are not part of the NIGS certification program (see below for more information).

Micha Reisel will teach Jewish Genealogy Internet class, while I will offer Jewish Genealogy Basic. We developed these classes prior to joining MyFamily (way back when), where we taught them for several years, continuing to update and offer them through GenClass for an additional few years.

According to NIGS managing director Louise St. Denis, "Adding the classes offered by instructors at GenClass will be a terrific addition to our course offering. The instructors offer valuable information for proper strategic research plans. We look forward to working with the GenClass team to continue offering this type of valuable education."

When MyFamily cancelled its education classes - which had been called "the best-kept secret in the genealogy world" - Micha and I co-founded GenClass.com with our talented colleagues, so that we might continue to provide these classes in diverse areas of genealogical research.

Everyone at GenClass thanks the students who have taken our courses and who have followed us on Twitter and Facebook. It's been a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic fellow family historians and we've enjoyed sharing our knowledge.

Under the NIGS format, weekly lessons will be provided as modules on the NIGS platform. In addition to email support, a weekly chat will use Microsoft LiveMeeting, which allows multimedia in addition to voice and video. Thus, it will be possible to demonstrate PowerPoints, webpages and even a blackboard - termed a whiteboard in contemporary terms!

Can't make a scheduled chat? Don't worry, each will be recorded and archived on the class website.

The NIGS celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009, and is affiliated with the University of Toronto's St. Michael's College. It offers a Certificate in Genealogical Studies. In addition to many Records courses (American, Canadian, English, German, Irish and Scottish), students may also obtain certificates in General Methodology and Librarianship.

For more information, click to view NIGS.