— Do you have an area of expertise you are passionate about? Become an OLLI instructor and share your time and talents teaching other lifelong learners.
If I knew teaching for OLLI would be this much fun, I would have retired earlier!
OLLI welcomes anyone who is interested to be an instructor — from those who have taught in university or school settings to those with no formal teaching experience who simply have their desire to share their passion for a particular art, hobby, topic, or interest.
Many instructors have shared that teaching for OLLI has been some of the most rewarding teaching experiences of their lives. OLLI learners are intelligent, vibrant, and engaged. They bring to the classroom a wisdom, maturity, and depth of experience that is difficult to find in younger learners. Many instructors also cherish the opportunity to teach without worrying about grades, homework, and tests.
OLLI instructors are volunteers, however, they receive a complimentary OLLI membership as a thank you ($65 value). We appreciate the generosity of instructors in sharing their time and talent with us and neither OLLI nor Penn State will assume ownership of their content or course materials.
Propose a Course
An OLLI course is a noncredit course or educational program/presentation. Courses are designed to encourage intellectual development, cultural stimulation, and social interaction. A course is typically 90 to 120 minutes, may be offered as a single session or multiple sessions (meet 2–4 times for more in-depth conversation), and can be offered in person or online. OLLI courses are structured as lectures, discussions, tours, hands-on/demonstrations (crafts, cooking), or active or wellness activities (yoga, pickleball).
Have an idea for a course you’d like to teach? Refer to the proposal deadlines and instructions on how to propose a course, and then submit a course proposal form. The program specialist will contact you to confirm and schedule your course for the requested semester.
| Semester | Proposal Submission Deadline | Instructors Contacted to Confirm Course and Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 January 27–February 21 (4 weeks) |
October 23, 2024 | November 2024 |
| Spring 2025 March 17–May 23 (10 weeks) |
November 25, 2024 | December 2024 |
| Summer 2025 Session 1: June 16–27 Session 2: July 7–18 (2 weeks/session) |
March 26, 2025 | April 2025 |
| Fall 2025 September 8–November 14 (10 weeks) |
May 28, 2025 | June 2025 |
The online course proposal form provides the OLLI committee and staff the information to plan and schedule your course. We recommend that you have this information on hand prior to filling out the proposal form:
- Your personal information, including brief biography. Refer to examples below.
- Preferred teaching format (in-person, online, or hybrid) and technology needs.
- Course information, including title, description, additional details and supplies (if needed), semester choice, number of sessions, length
- Preferred teaching schedule – day of the week, time of day, etc.
- Any special venue locations (other than Penn State Outreach Building) or equipment needs.
Note: OLLI may modify course descriptions for length, consistency, and style. The edited copy will be returned to the instructor only if its content has been changed significantly.
These examples provide OLLI instructors with a reference for crafting engaging course descriptions and narrative biographies for new course proposals.
Course Title: An eye-catching title is descriptive and concise.
Course Description: Write a paragraph (three to five sentences) explaining how participants will engage in the class. This course description should be informative, enticing, and brief. Please use complete sentences.
Short Instructor Biographies: Write a three- to five-sentence narrative biography, in third-person point of view, that includes your work/background experience, relevant education (formal or informal), and your interest or expertise in teaching this topic. This information should be pertinent to the course described.
Example 1
Course Title: How To Be a Cold War Spy
Course Description: Have you ever imagined living a life of mystery and intrigue as a spy? The year is 1985. Ronald Reagan is president. The U.S. military and scientific communities are two years into SDI development, and the Soviets are worried they are falling behind. To catch up, they have established a network of “illegals,” sleeper agents living under non-official cover, whose purpose is to spy on SDI efforts, collect intelligence, recruit fellow spies, and in some cases, conduct influence operations to manipulate U.S. policy. If you were a spy (for either side), how would you define your persona?
Instructor Biography: Colonel Jake Graham retired in July 2007 and joined the teaching and research faculty at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology. He teaches intelligence analysis and modeling. He founded the Red Cell Analytics Lab, a student-focused lab that promotes instruction and practice of structured analytics to solve real-world problems of security and risk. His favorite class is Deception and Counter-deception for National Security. Jake is the author of more than 30 academic papers. He recently published his first novel, Scimitar Strike, the first in a five-book series. Book two is due out in September 2024.
Example 2
Course Title: Breadmaking 101 for the Novice
Course Description: Come and learn and maybe get a little messy! Making bread seems challenging to some. Anyone can make a good loaf to enjoy or share. Learn about the history of bread, the tools and techniques, the science and art, and take home the fruits of your labor.
Instructor Biographies: John Rossi is a retired pharmacist. He is a self-taught bread-maker. John enjoys making standard, savory, and sweet breads using commercial yeasts as well as a wild yeast starter that was born in 2007. His hobby began when trying to re-create traditional holiday breads from his childhood, including a family-favorite sweet Paska (Easter) bread. John likes to experiment with flours, formulas, and techniques to discover new flavors and textures. His latest endeavor is to master baking breads in a wood-fired oven. John would like to share the techniques that have worked well during his journey. Carla Rossi will be acting as the kitchen assistant and clean-up crew. She enjoys the fruits of the bread-making labor, having married into that benefit, and never felt the need to acquire the skill!
Example 3
Course Title: What’s Woke Got to Do with It?
Course Description: Recent news coverage in the U.S. refers to “culture wars” with repeated references to the concept of “woke,” often in the contexts of political ideology and/or educational content. An assumption that runs through this reporting suggests that there is an obvious, shared definition of what “woke” exactly is. The focus of this course will be on defining “wokeness” by examining the historical roots of the term, looking at various stated or implied definitions of its meaning, and exploring how it is used to impact open dialogue about political, cultural, social, and personal viewpoints.
Instructor Biography: John Zipp received his Ph.D. in sociology (Duke, 1978) and spent 42 years as a university faculty member and administrator. His research, focused on political sociology and social inequality, has appeared in national and international journals, and has resulted in invited addresses, including at Northwestern University, Oberlin College, the European Union, the Johnson Foundation, and The Brookings Institution. Finally, his work has been cited in major media outlets, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and he has appeared as a guest expert at ESPN.
Next Steps if Your Course Is Approved
OLLI is offering courses in several formats to meet both instructor and member needs while continuing the mission of OLLI. Course formats are:
- Online via Zoom
- In-person
- Hybrid
Course Duration
As an OLLI instructor, you determine the number of meeting times your course requires. A course may consist of one session or multiple sessions.
Presentation Development Support
Once you have determined the content and supporting materials for your course, support is available to:
- help you determine which delivery method (i.e., in-person, online, or hybrid) may best suit your course
- discuss additional audio-visual equipment needs
- assist in digitizing photos, documents, or other materials
- demonstrate how to develop an electronic presentation (i.e., PowerPoint presentation)
- share best practices for teaching online and with PowerPoint
Please contact the OLLI office for additional information.
Additional Course Fees and Materials
Many OLLI courses charge fees beyond tuition to cover the cost of materials. These additional fees need to be described in the Course Proposal Form and catalog. If you will be providing materials for which you will be receiving a reimbursement, the amount that you list in the catalog (in excess of OLLI’s tuition cost) will be reimbursed to you at the conclusion of the semester, following Penn State guidelines.
You can ask participants to supply or purchase materials or a book. A list of supplies and/or books needed, and any costs should be included on your Course Proposal Form so that they can be included in the catalog or emailed to the class in advance.
Course Handouts
The OLLI office can make copies of handouts or you may reproduce handouts at your own expense.
Course Descriptions, Restrictions, and Locations
If your course involves physical activity, you will need to detail the fitness level necessary for participation in the course description. If your course requires previous knowledge or experience, your description in the catalog needs to indicate that the course is not for beginners.
Most course locations have been chosen not only for their suitability for instruction but also for their ample and free parking. If you must instruct on campus or in a downtown location, parking may be an issue and your course description should alert participants to the closest paid parking.
Course Cancellation Due to Weather
For in-person/hybrid courses: If Penn State or the State College Area School District (SCASD) announce a full-day closure due to weather, OLLI courses will be cancelled. If a delay or early dismissal is announced, OLLI courses/events may be cancelled. In either event, OLLI will send an email confirmation of cancellations. If you are scheduled for an in-person course and there is inclement weather, please check your email prior to heading to the facility.
For online courses: One of the great things about Zoom is that online courses are held no matter what the weather is outside!
Waiting Lists
Once your course has reached the maximum number of participants you have requested, those wishing to enroll are placed on a waiting list. If a spot opens, the OLLI office will contact people on the waiting list to try to fill the opening. If there are more than just a few people on the waiting list, you may be asked to offer a second section of the same course. You may choose to do so, or not.
Course Feedback
Following the completion of the course, participants will be emailed an online course feedback form. Participants are given one week to complete the feedback form. OLLI’s staff reviews all the forms and will provide a summary report of the feedback to you at the end of the semester. In addition, feedback is shared with curriculum committee to assist with planning for future semesters. If you wish to receive a summary report of the feedback from your course, please email Spring Younkin at ser126@psu.edu.
Penn State and OLLI Policies
- Volunteer instructors are responsible for developing their own course content.
- Promotion or solicitation of products or services is prohibited.
- Courses should not include tests.
- If outside sources or research are utilized, they should be documented in the presentation.
In-person courses are held on Penn State’s University Park campus and at offsite locations in the region (State College, Penns Valley, Philipsburg, Lewistown, Huntingdon, and Altoona area). OLLI occasionally schedules classroom courses at community facilities. OLLI will coordinate with the instructor and site staff to provide classroom and technology support.
Classroom Setup in the Outreach Building
OLLI University Park’s classrooms are located on the first floor of the Outreach Building, 100 Innovation Boulevard, in Innovation Park. The facility is completely accessible. Classrooms are set-up with technology to allow courses to be offered in hybrid format; teaching to a live audience with an online audience joining via Zoom.
Classroom equipment:
- White board
- Large screen
- Front and rear television monitors
- Penn State Wi-Fi and Penn State LAN internet access
- Computer desktop podium
- Speakers
- Video projector
- Zoom technology/cameras
- Ceiling microphones, a stationary podium microphone, a wireless hand-held microphone, and a wireless lapel microphone
- Document camera
- Barco device
- For personal laptops, connection to room technology via HDMI cable and USB cable (some adapters available)
Instructors are encouraged to contact the OLLI University Park office to discuss their specific technology needs and arrange for a time to view their scheduled classroom prior to their course date.
For facility tours and outdoor programming, additional audio amplification is available.
Reminders for classroom set-up:
- Plan to arrive at your classroom with plenty of time to set up before your class is to begin. OLLI staff or volunteers will meet you in the classroom to assist with set-up.
- Bring your presentation on a thumb drive to provide optimal connection to the room set-up. If bringing a laptop, please contact the OLLI office to ensure we have the correct equipment to connect to the classroom presentation system.
- If the course is offered in hybrid format, OLLI staff or volunteers will setup and manage the Zoom session.
- Wear a microphone to project to all participants.
Zoom videoconferencing is used to deliver online OLLI courses. Instructors may teach from their office, home, or in the classroom to an online audience. Using videoconferencing, instructors will be able to communicate with students and share PowerPoint and other presentations, web pages, and videos.
OLLI provides Zoom support for anyone needing help. An instructor training session for online and hybrid courses is offered each semester.
Learn about teaching online and hybrid courses with OLLI (PPT).
Teaching on Zoom:
- OLLI staff will set up and host the Zoom session. Each online course will be assigned a Virtual Assistant. A confirmation email with the course Zoom link and the contact for instructor’s Virtual Assistant will be emailed prior to the course start date.
- You may schedule a practice session with the Virtual Assistant in advance to familiarize yourself with Zoom functions, practice sharing your presentation, test audio/visual components, and discuss the logistics of the course. You should be prepared to share your screen for a Power Point or slide presentation. If you need help with this Zoom feature, let your Virtual Assistant know prior to your course date. If you will be showing a video as part of your presentation, notify your Virtual Assistant to set up a practice session to check the video quality over Zoom.
- Provide class participants with handouts in advance. Email the handouts to Spring Younkin at ser126@psu.edu to have them forwarded to the participants.
- Make your presentation slides and visual aids easy to read and see. Keep slides simple, increase font size, and use more graphics to represent the points you are making.
- On the day of the course, restart your computer to ensure all updates are completed. Keep minimal windows open during the presentation (close email, web browsers, etc.).
- Join 15 minutes early to test sharing your presentation.
- The Virtual Assistant will introduce the instructor and manage the questions for the instructor.
Course Proposal Form
Complete this form to propose your course.
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