Free Online Genealogy Course with FutureLearn (Week 3)

[groom]

I'm just looking at 3:8  " Discussion: What other types of sources are useful?" and there are over 1200 comments and suggestions. I'm sure there are some good ones there, but do I really want to read through that many comments? What a shame there isn't some way to sort them into countries or types.

[sugarbakers]

Just totted up the comments so far ...

Week 1 ..... 35,318

Week 2 ..... 19,431

Week 3 ..... 12,128

Total .....  66,877

... this may be why I've given up trying to read them 

[groom]

Interesting though to see that the number of comments has significantly reduced since week one. I wonder if that means people have stopped commenting or if they have dropped out of the course?

[jaywit]

Interesting though to see that the number of comments has significantly reduced since week one. I wonder if that means people have stopped commenting or if they have dropped out of the course?

How many times can they keep repeating ' I've been researching for 20 years but I've learned so much new information this week' ?

[MatildaFlorence]

Interesting though to see that the number of comments has significantly reduced since week one. I wonder if that means people have stopped commenting or if they have dropped out of the course?

How many times can they keep repeating ' I've been researching for 20 years but I've learned so much new information this week' ?

 

[jennywren001]

My favourite has been "I knocked down a brick wall by using a wildcard"! I'm predicting a large drop in comments next week when the emphasis shifts from resources to thinking....but I could be wrong.
Jen

[Gillg]

Enthusiasm is bound to wane a little as the course goes on when people find that it's not the magic bullet which will immediately solve their problems and that genealogy is hard work!  I'm sure we shall all take away something from this course, though, even if it's something quite small.

And of course it's FREE!  Not much is nowadays. 

[hsfam]

Most of the comments are the same. I've become good at unfocusing my eyes and skimming through until something pops up as different. Nevertheless, I can't do every page. For week three, I just check out the comments on the two discussion pages on alternate sources and alternate databases to see if anything turns up as new and interesting.

People always start to drop off from these courses. I know I have as unexpected life events interrupt or the course hasn't delivered what I hoped. Since these courses are free and can be looked at later, they tend to be very low priority in life and hence are the first thing to be dropped.

[Gillg]

I must confess I dropped out of two of the five MOOC courses I had signed up for, mainly because I didn't like the approach taken and wasn't enjoying them at all.  The others were excellent and challenged me, but in an interesting way.  It depends what your motives are.  I want to extend my knowledge, enjoy myself and keep the old brain ticking over.