Have you got frustrated with your research? Are you sure there is a way through your research brick wall if only you knew more about the subject? Are you looking for answers? If so, you are certainly not alone.

We have all been in this situation, whether we are now professionals with years of experience behind us, or just starting out. Genealogy can be very straightforward and you can fly along collecting names without really understanding anything about the records or the historical context. But at some point those names are going to run out. Then what do you do? The quickest cure for those feelings of frustration is to educate yourself about records, about methods and your options as you delve deeper into your research.

Some people are happy simply buying a book but to really expand your horizons you should definitely consider taking a course to improve your skills. There is now a variety of genealogy courses to suit every budget, from postgraduate courses at university, to one-off lectures and podcasts. Family history as a hobby can be isolating, so it makes sense to meet up with like-minded people whether that is face-to-face or online.

Know your aims
The first thing to consider is what your aims are. Are you interested in a qualification? Do you want to meet with other students in a classroom setting? Would you prefer to study in your own time? How much time do you have available? Are you interested in a general course such as starting out in English family history, or in specific topics, for example records of the Poor Law? Can you travel, or should the course be online? Do you want lots of interaction with other students and a teacher, or are you happy to be entirely self-guided?

We now do so much of our family history online that it seems only natural that an online course would fit the bill. It also makes sense to take a class which is going to add to your internet skills.

In fact, a quiet revolution has been taking place in education over the last ten years or so and more and more teaching of all sorts is now being carried out online, with students at home accessing lesson materials and interacting with other students and teachers remotely. It is an ideal way to learn for the busy person and for those who would not be able to travel to a classroom due to distance or other factors. It also means that courses can be made available to students from overseas just as easily as those from the home country.

Online classes>br> How courses are delivered can vary considerably, depending on the provider. Online classes usually use a mix of forums, lists, chat rooms, and purpose-built platforms, as well as email. Students log into dedicated websites to download lessons and exercises and participate in messaging, forums and chat. Some providers have plenty of access to other students and the tutor as part of the package; others simply provide materials and there is little or no interaction with others.

A well-known example of a completely ‘hands-off’ approach to teaching is the excellent free online tutorial on old handwriting on The National Archives website. This is a type of course that just sits there ready and waiting for people to come along and try it out.

As well as background information to read on the web pages, and plenty of downloadable examples of documents, there is an interactive quiz to help you learn to decipher the text and so you can mark yourself as well as play a game to amuse you.

Virtual classrooms
However valuable such quiz-based online tutorials are, the majority of us learn best when we engage with others in a classroom setting.

The best online courses try and emulate the classroom virtually in an online environment. These courses have a good level of interaction between student and teacher and fellow students.

The online courses by Pharos fall into this category. There is no software to download, everything is accessed from your computer, much as you might access any website members area. All of the courses are tutor led so that, while the course runs, you have access to a real person who can answer questions and is an expert on the subject matter being taught.

Students also often comment on how much they learn from fellow students as everyone turns up with their own experiences and insights. Building research skills using online genealogy sources is also an integral part of a good online genealogy course. Pharos was a pioneer with this and it still sets the firm apart from other genealogy course providers who present plenty of records knowledge but without the hints and tips needed to make the most of that knowledge in an online world, where increasingly family historians are spending almost all of their time.

What you can achieve, as with any other activity, is up to you. However, online learning will strengthen your internet research skills and bring you into contact with a group of people from around the world who will leave you with interesting insights into genealogy resources and techniques. You will come away having been exposed to many websites, some of which you would not have otherwise tried or found, as well as plenty of information about that all-important brickwall-busting historical context.