Advanced German Research

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Course: 2025-10 – Advanced German Research

Coordinator: F. Warren Bittner, MS

Description:

Join us for an in-depth, hands-on learning experience with DNA analysis tools and strategies. This course will have sessions where students work on their own autosomal DNA results at AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA, 23andMe, LivingDNA, and/or FamilyTreeDNA to implement strategies they learned.

Other Instructors:

Connie Davis
Dana Leeds
Paula Williams

Student Prerequisites:

Students would need a laptop computer (not a tablet) for hands-on sessions.
Students need an understanding of their own laptop functionality, operations, file management, troubleshooting skills for their own device, and knowledge of how to join a wi-fi network.
Students would need DNA account login information.
Students need familiarity and basic skills with word processing, Excel, or other spreadsheet software, and how to edit, save, and create these file types.
Bring your Leeds charts for each DNA kit you plan to use.

This course will not specifically address endogamy. Students from endogamous groups should focus on learning concepts using another set of DNA kits without or with little endogamy present. Each student should bring two or three unrelated kits. The same is the case with recent immigrant ancestry. Students should use another set of DNA kits to learn the concepts for the course.

Recommendations: None

All times are listed in Eastern Time.
• Refer to your student’s Dropbox for the full schedule, including breaks. (Provided one week prior to the start of the course)
• Live sessions may be subject to schedule adjustments by your course coordinator.

Day	Session	Title	Description	Instructor
	Intro 8:30 – 9:00 AM	Introduction	Take this opportunity to connect with your peers and gain insights into what exciting adventures await you this week.
Mon	1 9:00 – 10:15 AM	Introduction to Shared Matching and Approaches to Solve DNA Questions	Now that you have your autosomal DNA results, how do you use, analyze, and organize it to make the most of the information? Use spreadsheets and tools to get yourself organized and make progress in your DNA understanding. Spend the week looking at the possible approaches to a DNA question. Using the power of shared matching to build genetic networks and crowd-source the available information. Learn about the importance of descendancy research and tree completeness to solving your DNA questions.	Bergheimer
	2 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM	The Shared cM Project, the Shared cM Tool Layout, SegcM, and the MyHeritage Relationship Predictor	Learn about various tools genetic genealogists use to identify possible relationships. Learn about the underlying statistics, standard deviations, and supporting data of these valuable tools. Learn statistics about segment size to aid your research. Use these tools with your own results.	Davis
	3 1:30 – 2:45 PM	The Leeds Method: Advanced Techniques for Interpretation and Utilization	The Leeds Method of sorting your DNA match lists will help you focus on a cluster of matches leading back to an ancestral line. Learn to consolidate clusters, identify pedigree collapse and endogamy, and understand the potential impact of tester age on clusters.	Leeds
	4 3:15 – 4:30 PM	Hands-on Practice, Analyze, and Interpret Sorting: Using Your Own DNA Results	Hands-on Practice, Analyze, and Interpret Sorting: Using Your Own DNA Results	Bergheimer/Leeds
	Extra 4:30 – 5:00 PM	Searching for Living People	Hands-on Practice	Williams
Tue	5 9:00 – 10:15 AM	Learn to Build Speculative Trees	Learn to build quick and dirty trees for your DNA matches to hypothesize how you are related.	Williams
	6 10:45 – 12:00 PM	Hands-on Practice Building Speculative Trees: Using Your Own DNA Results	Hands-on Practice Building Speculative Trees: Using Your Own DNA Results	Bergheimer/Williams
	7 1:30 – 3:15 PM	Use a Spreadsheet to Organize the Information in ThruLines	Organizing the large number of matches and information in ThruLines can be a challenge. Learn to build a spreadsheet to house this valuable information showing proposed genealogical relationships and lineages.	Williams
	8 3:45 – 4:30 PM	Hands-on Practice Organizing the Information in ThruLines: Using Your Own DNA Results	Hands-on Practice Organizing the Information in ThruLines: Using Your Own DNA Results	Bergheimer
	Extra 4:30 – 5:00 PM	Evaluating Potential ancestors in ThruLines when you have holes in your tree	Hands-on Practice	Williams
Wed	9 9:00 – 10:15 AM	Ancestry Dots and Using the Notes Field	Learn how to effectively use Ancestry’s colored dots and the Notes field to cluster and help identify your matches.	Williams
	10 10:45 – 12:00 PM	Hands-on Practice with Ancestry Dots and the Notes Field: Using Your Own DNA Results	Hands-on Practice with Ancestry Dots and the Notes Field: Using Your Own DNA Results	Williams/Davis
	11 1:30 – 2:45 PM	Introduction to My Heritage Dots, Clustering Tools, and TOFR.	MyHeritage offers unique tools using both genetics and documentary research. Learn how to use the dot system at MyHeritage, the AutoCluster report, and Theories of Family Relativity.	Davis
	12 3:15 – 4:30 PM	Hands-on Practice with Introduction to My Heritage Dots, Clustering Tools, and TOFR.	Hands-on Practice with Introduction to My Heritage Dots, Clustering Tools, and TOFR.	Bergheimer/Davis
	Extra 4:30 – 5:00 PM	Genealogy Communication using Ask-Tell-Ask and SBAR		Davis
Thu	13 9:00 – 10:15 AM	Layer in Other Testing Companies and Layer in a Set of Siblings into Your Leeds Chart	Learn to add to your Leeds Chart to include matches from the five testing companies. Learn strategies to identify matches in multiple databases and online trees in different locations. Learn to take advantage of inferred matches of your siblings to add more depth and data to your Leeds Chart.	Bergheimer/Davis
	14 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM	Ethics of Genetic Genealogy	Learn about some of the ethical dilemmas of using genetic genealogy.	Williams
	15 1:30 – 2:45 PM	Chromosome Mapping	Learn how to assign segments of our DNA to our ancestors. We’ll cover essential concepts, including chromosome browsers, triangulation, and DNA Painter’s mapping tools.	Williams
	16 3:15 – 4:30 PM	Hands-on Chromosome Mapping	Hands-on Practice with Chromosome Mapping: Using Your Own DNA Results	Williams/Davis
	Extra 4:30 – 5:00 PM	Maximizing Ethnicities and Communities/Groups		Williams
Fri	Extra 8:30 – 9:00 AM	Wikitree tools and apps		Davis
	17 9:00 – 10:15 AM	The ATGCs of DNA Analysis: Assumptions, Thinking Analytically, Guesses, and Conclusions	How do you know in DNA analysis if you have proven what you set out to prove? How can you implement the genealogical proof standard into your daily work? Learn how to avoid the assumptions that prevent your progress. And learn to think more analytically about hypotheses and conclusions.	Bergheimer
	18 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM	What are your next steps?	Learn to write the logical next steps to help answer your research question. Learn ways to organize your DNA tests, files, and projects in digital folders.	Bergheimer