DNA Study Group | Spend a Year with Your DNA Guide
Get ready for 12 months of DNA learning and support! Join monthly live classes, case study reviews and regular Q&As with Diahan Southard and her team of expert DNA coaches. It’s fun, it’s affordable and it keeps you diving into your DNA on a regular basis.
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Who should attend the DNA Study Group?
The DNA Study Group serves all skill levels. Each Study Session has a suggested skill level and you can attend whichever ones you like.
- Core Concepts: Build (or review) foundations in genetic genealogy with essential concepts and strategies. No prior knowledge necessary.
- Masterclass: Take a deeper look into tips and skills to help you gain confidence in using DNA in your family history. These are designed for those who have taken the DNA Skills Workshop; others may attend if they choose.
- Above and Beyond: While not always essential, these more advanced tools and strategies can enhance your research and may just be fun to geek-out on.
What comes with the DNA Study Group?
- Two live, 60-minute Study Sessions every month (skill level varies) on pre-planned topics with Diahan and our expert DNA coaches. Study Sessions are recorded and archived for several weeks so you can watch again.
- A live 60-minute Q&A Session each month with our expert DNA team. These are also recorded and archived for several weeks.
- Additional resources to extend your learning experience on each topic.
- Exclusive discounts on other Your DNA Guide products, experiences and services.
How is this experience different from the DNA Skills Workshop?
This is a more casual but consistent monthly learning experience for a variety of skill levels. It supports and fosters your DNA learning so you can make steady progress at your own desired pace. To that end, we are focusing on the first two steps in our unique SPIN learning process: lots of Study and a little bit of hands-on Practice.
Our Study Sessions will follow the Tell, Show, Do, Review pattern. We will Tell you what it is you’re going to learn, we will Show you how to do it, then you will get time to Do it yourself while our coach is right there to answer any questions. Then we will review all the things that you’ve learned so that you’re prepared to take your new knowledge into your own research.
To keep this experience focused and affordable, the Study Group does not include workbooks, access to expert-monitored discussion boards, buddy groups or other enhancements that are part of the DNA Skills Workshop.
When does the Study Group meet?
The Study Group will begin meeting in April, three times a month, generally between 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET (see exact schedule below through July; exact times for later sessions will be added in the future). We realize that everyone won’t be able to attend all live sessions, since schedules vary. That’s one reason we make session recordings available for several weeks after each one.
How much does it cost to participate in the DNA Study Group?
You have two great options! Pay just $19 a month when you join for a full year with a single payment. Pay just $25 a month when you sign up for monthly payments.
How do I know this will work for me?
As you fully participate, we guarantee that you’ll make real, lasting, confident progress in your genetic genealogy education! If you don’t, you may cancel anytime. You will be charged for the month you cancel, and you will lose access to all recorded and live classes. If you paid up front, we will refund the prorated amount, less a $15.00 processing fee (sorry, that’s how much it costs us).
What topics will be taught?
April (all times ET)
- April 12, 12:00 pm, Finding Best Known Matches at AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA and 23andMe with Diahan Southard (Core Concepts)
- April 24, 11:00 am, Verifying the Generation of Connection (Branch Points) with Best Known Matches with Diahan Southard (Masterclass)
- April 28, 3:00 pm, Live Q&A Session with Michelle Leonard (All levels)
May
- May 10, 2:00 pm, YDNA and XDNA: Harnessing the Inheritance Pattern with Diahan Southard and Michelle Leonard (Core Concepts)
- May 16, 2:00 pm, Exploring YDNA data at MitoYDNA.org with Diahan Southard (Masterclass)
- May 24, 12:00 pm, Live Q&A Session with Kelli Bergheimer (All levels)
June
- June 8, 1:00 pm, Organizing Your DNA Matches into Genetic Networks: Create, Split, Repeat with Diahan Southard (Core Concepts)
- June 13, 11:00 am, The Power of Clustering Tools in Your Research with Kelli Bergheimer (Above and Beyond)
- June 20, 4:00 pm, Live Q&A Session with Diahan Southard (All levels)
July
- July 13, 4:00 pm, Dive into DNA! Live Case Studies with Diahan Southard (Core Concepts)
- July 19, 2:00 pm, Dive into DNA! Live Case Studies with Diahan Southard (Masterclass)
- July 26, 12:00 pm, Live Q&A with Diahan Southard (All levels)
August
- Using mtDNA Effectively (Core Concepts)
- mtDNA – How Rare Is Your Profile? (Masterclass)
- Live Q&A (All levels)
September
- How Autosomal DNA Inheritance Affects our DNA Strategies (Masterclass)
- Chromosome Painting for Genealogists (Above and Beyond)
- Live Q&A (All levels)
October
- Building Quick and Simple Trees for DNA Matches (Core Concepts)
- Finding Recent Relatives in Newspapers (Core Concepts)
- Live Q&A Session (All levels)
November
- The Three Step Process for Finding the Generation of Connection (Core Concepts)
- Multiple Relationships: A Case Study (Masterclass)
- Live Q&A Session (All levels)
December
- WATO is for Everyone! (Core Concepts)
- WATO Masterclass (Masterclass)
- Live Q&A Session (All levels)
January
- DNA Organization (Core Concepts)
- DNA Organization (Masterclass)
- Live Q&A (All levels)
February
- Dive into DNA! Live Case Studies (Core Concepts)
- Dive into DNA! Live Case Studies (Masterclass)
- Live Q&A Session (All levels)
March
- TBD based on group needs
- TBD based on group needs
- TBD based on group needs