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Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum
What It’s Like to Work a Complex Case from Start to Finish?
Some genealogy courses teach new record types or methodologies. This course asks you to use everything you already know—and then push beyond it.
The Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum is built around doing the work. Each week, participants are given a new, complex research problem and work through it independently—analyzing evidence, testing hypotheses, and developing a written conclusion.
These are not simple exercises. The cases are designed to stretch even experienced researchers, requiring the use of indirect evidence, FAN club analysis, conflict resolution, and clear written summaries.
There is a certain energy that comes from working a difficult problem—following a thread of evidence, reconsidering assumptions, and slowly building a case that holds together. This course creates space for that kind of work, week after week.
After working the problem, participants come together to discuss their approaches with classmates and instructors. These conversations focus on strategy and reasoning—what worked, what didn’t, and why.
The structure reflects real research. You work independently, make decisions, encounter uncertainty, and then refine your thinking through discussion. Over six weeks, participants complete multiple case studies, each offering a different kind of challenge.
This course is designed for advanced genealogists who already have a strong foundation and are ready to stretch their analytical skills. It requires a significant time commitment, but for those prepared to engage fully, it offers something rare—the opportunity to do deep, focused work and come away sharper, more confident, and better equipped to solve complex problems.