I wanted to let you know about a new way to take Family Tree University courses that’s now available at Family Tree Shop:

Family Tree University Independent Study Courses let you access all the course study materials—syllabus, lessons, exercises and Reading Assignment articles from Family Tree Magazine—on a CD or as a PDF download to go through at your own pace.

Available Independent Study Courses include:

• Find Your German Roots by James M. Beidler (CD or PDF download)
• Google Tools for Genealogists by Lisa Louise Cooke (CD or PDF download)
• Land Records 101 by Diana Crisman Smith (CD or PDF download)
• Creating a Family History Book by Nancy Hendrickson (CD or PDF download)
• Digital Photography Essentials by Nancy Hendrickson (CD or PDF download)

All the courses were developed by genealogy experts (meet the instructors here) and include examples of genealogy records; step-by-step demos; links to related online content such as articles, videos and tutorials—everything you need to improve your research skills and develop an in-depth understanding of the topic.

So what’s the difference between Independent Study and regular Family Tree University courses? Independent Study offers the expertise for you to use now or weeks from now, as fast or slow as you’d like. Regular Family Tree University courses cover the same topics with a bit more structure, with a set four-week session and interaction with an instructor.

See all the Family Tree University Independent Study Courses here. The PDF downloads are available now; the CDs are available for pre-order with an estimated ship date of Sept. 30.