Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research – “Genetic Genealogy for Professional Genealogists”

Are you familiar with the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research? The Virtual Institute is online platform offering a wide variety of courses by well-known instructors. Each 6-hour course is presented over the course of two consecutive Saturdays. The course is recorded and all participants receive a copy of the recording! Live attendees have the benefit of Q&A periods in each session.

Earlier this year I presented “(Finally!) Understanding Autosomal DNA” through the Virtual Institute, and the course was very well received (see some example reviews here and here).

Genetic Genealogy for Professional Genealogists

This November 7th and 14th (or at your convenience if you’re listening to the recordings), I will be teaching my second course through the Virtual Institute, entitled “Genetic Genealogy for Professional Genealogists.” The course is designed for anyone interested in genetic genealogy, but especially for genealogists that help others understand DNA test results whether as a paid professional or simply as a knowledgeable friend.

Although I’ve written some client reports incorporating DNA, I certainly haven’t seen many other client reports incorporating DNA test results and interpretation. And you can Google to your heart’s content, but you won’t find any online either! In order to have client reports to share with the class, I’ve begged some of my genetic genealogy colleagues for copies of their reports, and we’ll take a look at some of these during the course.

More information about the course, including dates and classes, is below. If you’re interested, you can register here!

Course Schedule (all times U. S. Eastern)

7 November 2015:

• 11:00am: “Genetic Genealogy for the Professional Genealogist”: An introduction to the common – and not-so-common – issues encountered by professional genealogists offering DNA services, including how to properly manage client expectations, how to handle unexpected results, and much more.
• 1:00pm: “DNA Education”: How can the professional genealogist educate himself or herself about the fundamentals of genetic genealogy? How do you stay on top of the latest developments in the field? Where do you go for help?

14 November 2015:

• 11:00am: “Logistics of DNA Consulting”: An analysis of how to incorporate DNA test results and analysis into your business, including how to access or manage your client’s results, how to contact your client’s matches, and more.
• 1:00pm: “DNA and the Client Report”: An analysis of how to organize and construct DNA reports for your clients, with examples.

Plus Session (to be scheduled):

• “DNA and the Client Report: Part II”: A review of sample client reports prepared by students using supplied DNA test results.

Course description:

Genetic genealogy is becoming an increasingly common tool for even the most basic genealogical research, and more than 2 million people have undergone DNA testing. As a result, there is a growing demand for genealogists who can understand and apply DNA test results. Despite this demand, there are only a small number of experienced genetic genealogy consultants.

Together we will review the aspects of Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing that are most commonly encountered by genetic genealogy consultants. We will also look at the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) and how DNA can be incorporated into traditional genealogical research. It is also important to understand some of the logistics of incorporating DNA testing and analysis into your business, including how to find DNA clients (or encouraging your clients to add DNA testing), how to access or manage your client’s (or your cousin’s!) test results, how to contact your client’s matches, and how to transfer an account, among other topics. Finally, we will analyze how to best organize and construct DNA reports, including how to cite DNA test results.

Although the course is directed to genealogists working with clients, any genealogist who takes this course will benefit from learning how to best organize their results, incorporate DNA and traditional records, and write detailed reports.