Unit Outline

Introduction to Family History is designed for people interested in their own family histories or genealogy in general. You will learn how to efficiently plan and accurately record your family history using family history research principles and practices. The unit will teach you how to critically evaluate a range of online family history resources for accuracy and reliability. You will also learn how to communicate your findings in clear writing that is accurately referenced. Online discussion forums will enable you to communicate with fellow students as you embark upon your research journey.

All of the teaching and learning for this unit is facilitated through MyLO.

Weekly modules open at 9:00am on Monday of each week of unit delivery. There is no new material during our two break weeks. See the Unit Schedule in MyLO for further details.

In this unit, you work through the materials for each week at your own pace. You should expect to spend about 6 to 8 hours per week working through the module content (including the Assessment Task 1 quizzes), participating in the optional discussion boards, and researching and completing Assessment Task 2.

We hold two hour-long ‘live’ consultation sessions via Zoom:

Wednesday evening in Module 2 (6:00pm AEST on 31 July 2024)

Wednesday evening in Module 5 (6:00pm AEST on 28 August 2024).

These sessions will be recorded and made available in MyLO for those who are not able to attend. These live sessions are for consultation only and no new learning material is provided.

All assessment tasks are due at 5:00pm on Mondays, according to the schedule set out in ‘How Will I Be Assessed?’ and the Unit Schedule.

Please check our MyLO site at least weekly to ensure that you keep up with the learning materials and assessment tasks.

In this unit, your active engagement will be monitored in the following way:

You must attempt the Module 2 Quiz at least once

AND

You must attempt the Module 3 Quiz at least once.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of family history principles and planning
2.	Locate and use major family history repositories and records
3.	Critically evaluate sources for accuracy and reliability
4.	Present your genealogical work clearly and cogently, taking into account the contexts within which your ancestors lived

Alterations as a result of student feedback

This unit underwent a significant update in 2023. Minor alterations have been made to the content have been made for Term 3, 2024.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Online quizzes	Refer to Assessment Description	50 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Research report	Refer to Assessment Description	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Online quizzes

Task Description:

Five (5) online quizzes relating to the content in Modules 2 to 6 (one quiz per Module).

Task Length:

5 quizzes of 10 questions each (total 50 questions)

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Correct response to quiz questions	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2: Research report

Task Description:

Research report

For Assessment Task 2, you will prepare a genealogical research report. This assessment task involves:

• identifying a research question or problem particular to your own family history research (your research objective)
• undertaking historical research to find sources relevant to your research objective
• analysing your sources
• writing a report on your research process.

As part of the assessment task you will need to prepare references for the sources you use. These references should be accurate and consistently follow the style set out in the UTAS Family History Referencing Guide.

Task Length:

1000 words (+/- 10%)

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and describe a research objective relating to your family history	LO1
2	Undertake research to identify and analyse historical sources relevant to your research objective	LO2, LO3
3	Communicate your research findings through a genealogical research report	LO1, LO3, LO4
4	Demonstrate accuracy and consistency in referencing your sources	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

All learning materials for this unit, including required readings, are provided week by week in our MyLO site. You do not need to purchase a text book.

If you are looking for a general text about Australian family history research, we recommend:

Danny O’Neill (ed.), Family History for Beginners and Beyond, 16th edn, Heraldry & Genealogical Society of Canberra Inc., 2020.

Danielle Lautrec, The Good Genealogist: How To Improve the Quality of Your Family History Research, Society of Australian Genealogists, 2022.