National Institute for Genealogical Studies


Please take the next few minutes to review information on various topics. Most of your questions should be answered. BUT if you still have questions or that you find something confusing, then simply send us an e-mail at information@GenealogicalStudies.com.

What do I do when it just doesn't work? How do I subscribe? What courses are offered? Who can attend courses? When do courses begin? How long are courses? How much do courses cost? What about homework and assignments? How do I get my grades? How are credits assigned? How do I get a certificate in Genealogical Studies from the University of Toronto? How do I register for a course? How do I remit the fees? How do I participate in a registered course? How can I communicate with classmates? How do I drop a course? Can a course be cancelled? How do I add another course? How do I choose my password? How do I change my e-mail or other information? How do I check my student file? What books or supplies will I need? A final word

What Do I Do When It Just Doesn't Work?
The most frequent problem when things just don't work are usually related to either your browser or cookies. Browsers First you must have a compatible browser. These browsers work with our courses: Netscape Communicator 4.78 or higher, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. If you don't already have one of these browsers, you can download the necessary software free from one of these web sites: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/default.htm http://cgi.netscape.com/cgi-bin/upgrade.cgi To be able to receive your course material, BROWSER COOKIES must be accepted. (See below for information regarding cookies). If your browser does not already accept cookies, follow these easy steps to enable this feature. Netscape Communicator 4.x On the browser menu, click Edit, then Preferences, and select Advanced. Click "Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server" in the Cookies section. Uncheck "Warn me before accepting a cookie" or you will get frequent messages, which might be annoying. Click OK to close the dialog box. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x On the browser menu, click Tools and Internet Options. Click Security and then click the Custom Level button. Click the radio button Enable on both fields under Cookies. Click OK to close the dialog box. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box. Browser Cookies Browser cookies and your privacy are often a topic of concern. Much has been written about "browser cookies" and privacy. We hope that this will help you understand a little more about cookies. A "browser cookie" is a tiny file (no more than a few hundred bytes) which our web server sends to your machine, allowing the server to build personalized menus to help you reach your classrooms quickly and easily. This way, you don't have to type your password and e-mail address again and again to reach your briefcase, enter a course, or view a lesson. Many rumors have surfaced regarding cookies. Let's hope this clears up your concerns. A cookie cannot grab data off your computer or spy on what programs or files you might have. Cookies do not contain viruses and cannot damage your computer. A cookie cannot be "stolen" by one web site to spy on what you are doing elsewhere. The server of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies generates a cookie which permits the system to identify each user during a session. It contains specific information like your name, your password, and other information about your courses. We require this information while you are in your Student Briefcase area. PLEASE NOTE: at no time is your credit card number recorded on our cookies. As a matter of fact, our site never sees your credit card information because we use a secure credit card processing site. People worry that cookies waste precious disk space. In fact, when you view a web page, every button, graphic and word on that page is stored on your hard drive - lots of files, large and small, adding up to megabytes of data. A cookie is a minuscule grain of sand compared to all the other material that accumulates on your drive as you surf around the Net! Some commercial sites use cookies to try and figure out what you are viewing on their site. This information can also be found in the server log on every web site. Besides, if they would actually pay attention to this data, they would be able to build better sites that users would find more useful and entertaining! Keep in mind that our cookies are temporary cookies. Once you have disconnected from your session the cookie does NOT remain on your hard drive. We hope this will clarify our use of cookies and reassure you that this programming technique is simply that a protocol that can be used to make your participation in our courses easier and more enjoyable. If you have further concerns or questions, please contact the National Institute for Genealogical Studies at information@GenealogicalStudies.com

How Do I Subscribe?
If you would you like to be made aware of new courses, or our new course calendar or simply what's new at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, you should subscribe to our automated information network. An e-mail message will automatically be sent to you when changes and new information is available. To subscribe, simply click on Subscribe and complete the form following the instructions on the screen. When you have completed the form, click on Subscribe. A confirming e-mail will be sent to you indicating that your subscription has been accepted. Please subscribe now so that you can start receiving our news releases...

What Courses Are Offered?
You may be choosing courses for your own enjoyment; or your choice may be for credits towards a Certificate in Genealogical Studies from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information Studies, Professional Learning Centre and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To help you plan your learning schedule, we have described all compulsory and elective courses offered. If you click on Courses you will read a description about each course, including prerequisites, credits to be received, homework and assignment procedures, fees and course leaders. If you click on Course Calendar you will see three lists. The first list indicates Compulsory Courses and Elective Courses. This list will be important to you if you would like to receive a Certificate in Genealogical Studies. The second list of courses offered is in Alphabetical Order. Check this list to see when specific courses begin. The third list will give you the scheduled courses in Chronological Order. This list should help you decide on the time frame you will choose to complete your courses.

Who Can Attend Courses?
The courses have been designed so that everyone can participate. You may want to become your family's historian, or you may aspire to become a Professional Genealogist. You may be a librarian who would like to assist patrons in a more complete way or you may want to follow a career in an archive. A passionate hobby or a fulfilling career, whatever your reasons, a variety of courses are included to help guide you along.

When Do Courses Begin?
Click Course Calendar to see the date that each course is offered. There are two lists available for this: an Alphabetical list and a Chronological list. Some courses will be offered only once a year where as other courses may be offered several times a year. We will continue to add courses of interest to you and your fellow genealogists. Should you have a new topic to recommend, click We Need Your Help. You may feel you have the knowledge to assist in that particular course or you may simply want to suggest a topic you feel you need more knowledge in. Please make us aware of any course or topic you would like to see added to our course selection. Who knows, the next group of courses may include your suggestion!

How Long Are Courses?
Courses vary in length, but most will last 6 to 8 weeks. Click Courses and then click on the specific course you would like to take to see the length in weeks required to complete that particular course.

How Much Do Courses Cost?
The fees for courses vary. Click Courses and then click on the specific course you would like to take to see the cost for that course. If you register for a specific package of courses, discounts will apply. Click Packages for available packages and applicable fees. If books or supplies are required, they will also be shown. Course fees are indicated in both Canadian Dollars and US Dollars. Payment may be made by cheque, money order, or credit card. Cheques or money orders should be made payable to 'FIS Cont. Educ., UT'. Cheques payable in US funds, drawn on a US bank are acceptable. VISA and MasterCard payments may be mailed, faxed or sent via the University of Toronto's new, secured web registration system. Web credit card payments are highly secured transactions. Click Contact Us for mailing address and fax number. When we receive your fee, your student file will be activated and you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration, the name of the course you have registered for and the beginning date of this course.

What About Homework and Assignments?
Most courses will have homework and assignments included in the course material. Homework and assignments will be provided with the weekly course material. Even though you will have registered for specific courses, you will not be required to complete the homework or assignments. This will be optional. Naturally, if your purpose in taking the courses is to receive a Certificate in Genealogical Studies, homework and assignments will be mandatory for evaluation purposes. The type of homework and assignments is described in the course detail. Often the homework and assignments will form part of the final exam or assignment. Click Courses, then click on the specific course of interest for a description of the homework and assignments.

How Do I Get My Grades?
Within six weeks of the deadline date for the Final Exam or Assignment, your grade will appear in your Student's Briefcase. Your grade will form part of your student file. Click My Briefcase to access your grades for all the courses you have taken. Course leaders use a standard scale to grade exams and assignments: A+ (95-100%) A (91-94%) A- (87-90%) B+ (83-86%) B (79-82%) B- (75-78%) C+ (70-74%) C (65-69%) C- (60-64%) D+ (55-59%) D (50-54%) F (less than 50%) If you would like a paper confirmation of your grade and credits, please request this at the time of your final exam or assignment. A $5.00 fee will be required for all Hard Copy Transcripts. This should be remitted directly to the National Institute for Genealogical Studies at the time the final exam or assignment is submitted. Payment by Cheque, MasterCard or VISA may be made by mail or fax. Click Contact Us for the mailing address or fax number of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.

How Are Credits Assigned?
Many individuals taking these courses will do so for personal enjoyment or additional knowledge. For these people, credits will not be important. Others may wish to receive a Certificate in Genealogical Studies. Naturally, in this case, credits are required. Each course will be worth a specific number of credits, most will be one credit per course. To receive a credit for a course you must meet the following requirements: Be properly enrolled in the course. Submit all homework and assignments posted in the course materials. Submit the Final Exam or Assignment by the due date. Receive a grade of no less than D on the Final Exam or Assignment. Course leaders use a standard scale to grade exams and assignments as outlined above. Within six weeks of the deadline or due date for the Final Exam or Assignment, your grade and credits will appear in your Student's Briefcase. Your grade and credits will form part of your student file. Click My Briefcase to access your grades and credits for all the courses you have taken. If you would like a paper confirmation of your grade and credits, please request this at the time of your final exam or assignment. A $5.00 fee will be required for all Hard Copy Transcripts. This should be remitted directly to the National Institute for Genealogical Studies at the time the final exam or assignment is submitted. Payment by Cheque, MasterCard or VISA may be made by mail or fax. Click Contact Us for our mailing address or fax number.
How Do I Get a Certificate in Genealogical Studies From the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information Studies, Professional Learning Centre and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies?
You will receive a Certificate in Genealogical Studies after successfully achieving a minimum grade of D and appropriate credits for all compulsory courses and additional elective courses. If an individual does not feel the need to complete each course, but would still like to receive a Certificate in Genealogical Studies, the final exam or assignment can be taken to assure the course leaders of the relative capabilities of the participants. This will provide a mechanism to acknowledge those in our community who have achieved proficiency and a recognized standing in this chosen profession. A list of Exam & Final Assignment Packages with fees included is found in the Courses page. Click Exam & Final Assignment Packages.

How Do I Register For a Course?
Registration is easy. Simply click Registration, complete the form and click Submit. Your registration form will be sent immediately to the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. You will then receive a message confirming receipt of your registration form. Before you click on Submit, review your form. Make sure all information is complete and accurate. When your fee is received, your student file will be activated and you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration, the name of the course you are registered for and the beginning date of this course. You may register for as many courses as you wish. Your e-mail address and your password will control your student file. So make sure this information is accurate and always entered exactly the same way. This will ensure that your complete student file is kept together. You will then be able to verify your student file by clicking My Briefcase. If you have registered for several courses but did not enter the e-mail or password in exactly the same manner, your student file will not contain all your information. For administration purposes, a $10.00 fee will be charged if a student's files need to be merged.

How Do I Remit the Fees?
Payment may be made by cheque, money order, or credit card. Cheques or money orders should be made payable to 'FIS Cont. Educ., UT'. Cheques payable in US funds, drawn on a US bank are acceptable. VISA and MasterCard payments may be mailed, faxed or sent via the University of Toronto's new, secured web registration system. Web credit card payments are highly secured transactions. Click Contact Us for mailing address and fax number. Fees are indicated and accepted in both Canadian Dollars and US Dollars. Fees outside Canada and the United States can be remitted by International Money Order (Western Union or Postal money orders are acceptable). Sometimes, conversion fees can be quite expensive. If you would like to submit fees in other currency, send an e-mail message to registration@GenealogicalStudies.com with your request. Within 72 hours, we will respond to your request. When we receive your fee, your student file will be activated and you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration, the name of the course you are registered for and the beginning date of this course.

How Do I Participate in a Registered Course?
You will be advised by e-mail, as to the date course material will begin to be posted for the course you are registered in. On or after that date, click My Briefcase, to access the course material. Every week thereafter, for the specified number of weeks, homework, assignments and course material will be posted. If you would like to receive a grade or a credit for this course, homework and assignments must be submitted as directed. After you click My Briefcase, a form with only two fields will be displayed. Your e-mail and password will need to be entered accurately to access your file. So make sure you enter this information exactly as you entered it on your enrollment form. Once you are in the course material page, links will be provided for various functions and discussion groups.

How Can I Communicate with Classmates?
Class Discussions - Course Bulletin Boards An interactive bulletin board has been setup to discuss weekly study topics with your classmates. A compatible Web browser is required to use this feature. Click What Do I Do When It Just Doesn't Work? if you cannot access this bulletin board. Bulletin Boards are only for discussion of topics related to the course material. Bulletin Board discussion areas are monitored and inappropriate messages will be deleted. Bulletin boards are not for graffiti, flames, gripes, political or moral ranting, and spam - advertising is strictly prohibited. Advertising means any solicitation or promotional message, commercial or otherwise, even if it seems harmless or you think it benefits a worthy cause. Online Meetings & Live Chats Students may create their own chat rooms and hold informal meetings outside of class in much the same way as they would form study groups. Some instructors also plan to hold unofficial weekly chats, however, attendance will be strictly optional. Remember that chat rooms are public and accessible to everyone. Never give out your telephone numbers, credit card numbers or other confidential information on a chat channel. One Chat Program IRC can be downloaded for real time chat at http://www.mirc.co.uk/install.html. Study Groups Study groups provide opportunities for group learning and meaningful discussions in a smaller group environment. The ideal study group is made up of between 6 to 10 students. A specific topic or project is the focus of each study group. The course leader will post possible study groups and will request a leader for these study groups.

How Do I Drop a Course?
Personal circumstances may require that you drop a course. If this is necessary no action is required. If the final exam or assignment is not submitted, no grade or credit will be assigned. This will not show negatively on your student file. Course fees are non-refundable. Registrants can re-schedule their courses up to one week after the start date of a course. If you must re-register for a course, your fee will be 50% of the new course fee.

Can a Course Be Cancelled?
Should a workshop attract an insufficient number of registrants one week prior to its scheduled date, it will be cancelled. Registrants will be notified and fees will be refunded in full.

How Do I Add Another Course?
You may register for as many courses as you wish. Simply follow the instructions for registration, for each course. Your e-mail address and your password will control your student file. So make sure this information is accurate and always entered in the same manner. This will ensure that your complete student file is kept together. You will then be able to access and verify your student file by clicking My Briefcase. If you have registered for several courses but did not enter the e-mail or password in exactly the same manner, your student file will not contain all your information. For administration purposes, at the student's request, a $10.00 fee will be charged if a student's files need to be merged.

How Do I Choose My Password?
Your password will give you access to your student file as well as to the course material. As usual, choose a password that is unique and one that you will not forget. Your password can be numbers or letters, (not case sensitive) from 6 to 15 characters. Keep in mind that your password is confidential, it should not be posted in any electronic message or in your homework or assignments. Your password should not be made available to anyone. Should you forget your password, you will need to write to the National Institute for Genealogical Studies stating the information on your student file. For administration purposes, a $10.00 fee will be charged to confirm the student information and advise the student of the recorded password.

How Do I Change My E-mail or Other Information?
You may change your Internet Provider periodically. It is essential to keep your E-mail address always up-to-date. The process is simple, simply click Subscribe, then click Information Modification and complete the form and click Modify. Please note: It is most important that accuracy prevail. The automatic file updating function will verify both your e-mail address as well as your password (if there was a previous course registration). For updating to occur, these two fields, (e-mail and password) must match those submitted on your Information Modification form. Other information can also be changed. When you submit the modification form, the automatic file updating function will modify all fields. SO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ENTER IN EACH FIELD.

How Do I Check My Student File?
You may want to check what grade you received for a specific course, or you might want to know exactly which courses you have taken to compare to what other compulsory courses are still required to be taken for a Certificate in Genealogical Studies. Or you may simply want to see if the information in your file is accurate. Click on My Briefcase, this will give you access to your file. If you are a registered student, you will require both your e-mail address and your password to access your student file. If you are not a registered student, only your e-mail address is required. If changes are required, click Subscribe, then click Information Modification. Complete the form and click Modify.

What Books or Supplies Will I Need?
Most courses will not require additional books or supplies. Books that are recommended reading are available from Our Store. Other recommended or suggested products will also be available from Our Store. Profits from Our Store help fund this Web Site. Click Our Store to see what is available. If you are looking for a specific item and it is not listed, please send us a message at requests@GenealogicalStudies.com.

A Final Word
We would like to thank you for participating in Learning Genealogy on the Internet. We hope you will enjoy the experience and we would appreciate your comments and suggestions. Please e-mail your comments to requests@GenealogicalStudies.com or click Contact Us; we would like to hear from you...