Course Policies and Information

Attendance at any public event involves certain unavoidable risks such as exposure to or infection by transmissible diseases, viruses, and other illnesses (including, but not limited to, COVID-19 and its variants). Your presence at events or programs hosted by The Pennsylvania State University indicates your assumption of any and all such risk as well as your agreement to adhere to all University policies including, but not limited to, those intended to mitigate the spread of transmissible illnesses. As a member of our community or guest, it is your responsibility to practice basic health, safety, and sanitation measures and avoid engaging in Penn State sponsored programs and activities when symptomatic with any commonly spread transmissible illness.

Volunteer instructors are responsible for developing their own course content. The information, views, and opinions provided by OLLI at Penn State instructors are those of the instructor and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of OLLI at Penn State.

OLLI members are expected to interact with each other with civility and respect, recognizing that disagreement and informed debate are valued in an academic community.

OLLI courses are offered in-person and online. Some OLLI courses will be offered as a hybrid in which participants have the option of attending in-person or online via Zoom.

If your plans change and you need to drop a course for which you are registered, call the OLLI office for the location hosting the course.

• Wear your OLLI lanyard/nametag at OLLI courses and events.
• Arrive to class on time.
• Refrain from perfumes and colognes.
• Respect others’ rights to hold opinions and beliefs that differ from your own.
• If you cannot hear the instructor, please let the Course Coordinator know while you are in class.
• Turn your cell phone to vibrate, and step outside of the OLLI classroom to text or take a call.
• Stay on topic during discussions.
• Refrain from having conversations with other members until the course has ended.
• Please stay home if you are sick.

• Join early — 5 to 15 minutes before the meeting start time.
• Find a quiet space without interruptions/background noise.
• If you get a message that your internet is unstable, turn off your video.
• If you freeze up, leave the session and rejoin.
• Zoom Webinar:
  • Video and audio are turned off for all participants upon entry.
  • Audio can be enabled to ask questions.
• Zoom Meeting:
  • Most courses will use this format.
  • Adjust your camera to be at around eye level if possible.
  • Mute your microphone when not talking.
  • Try to avoid talking over/at the same time as other participants.
  • Be aware you are on camera.

OLLI courses are available to members and nonmembers. Guests, age 18 or older, may attend a course as a nonmember by registering online. We cannot accommodate anyone under the age of 18 at any OLLI course or event. Interested friends who wish to register for a course as a nonmember must create their own online account.

If you would like to cancel your course registration for a refund, you must call the office at least one week before the start of the course. To be eligible for a refund on a multi-session course, all sessions must be canceled. Please note that a full refund may not be possible for any courses where an additional fee may have been paid (e.g., entrance fees or course supplies). If a refund is warranted, your account will be credited after canceling a course, and any credits on your account at the end of the semester will be refunded back to you via the payment method used, either check or credit card. If a course is canceled by OLLI or the instructor, OLLI members will receive a full refund.

If you register online, you will receive an instant email confirmation once your course registration and payment are complete. If you register by mail, you will receive an email confirmation once the noncredit registration office at University Park has received and entered your course registration.

You will also receive an email confirming course-specific details—including date, time, location, parking, or Zoom link—the week prior to each in-person course and another reminder email the morning of each course.

We often have waitlists for courses. If you cannot attend a course for which you are registered, please call and let us know so we may add someone from the waitlist. If a seat opens in a course that has a waitlist, our office will email and call the first on the list.