Have you attended a genealogy institute course this year or in recent years? Maybe it’s been a few years. What have you done with the syllabus? Whether it is in Dropbox, in a file on your computer, printed and on a shelf in your genealogy workspace, it’s time to pay more attention to it. Hundreds of pages of education.

1. Have you consulted it since you participated in that course?
   
2. Have you ordered some of the recommended books?
   
3. Have you checked some of the recommended websites?
   
4. Have you let the course coordinator, or the specific instructor(s) know that you have solved or are working on a long running genealogy problem due to what they taught or shared in the syllabus?

I am continually amazed at the breadth of information that institute faculty add to the syllabus for a course. The things they know about that I may have missed or don’t yet know about! I do refer to those from courses I have taken or been involved with as an instructor.

Why am I posting about this today? I had a meeting earlier today with four women whose institute contributions are extensive. We are working on something that is not yet public information but will be soon. I was astonished at the thinking, ideas, and how much we all nodded or said “thought that too” in agreement to almost every statement made. We had ideas to help the course, ideas to help each other’s sessions, and ways to make it all work together. I ended the meeting with a feeling of exhilaration.

It doesn’t stop there. Use the syllabus for each course you have been a part of or in which you were an instructor. Education continues at all times.

 

 

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