Learn how to become an OLLI instructor, propose your course, and teach effectively.
Leading discussions about books and videos with my friends at OLLI York is so rewarding. I gain new insights that stimulate my mind and relationships that soothe my soul.
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. OLLI welcomes anyone who is interested to be a program instructor — from those who have taught in university or school settings to those with no formal teaching experience who simply have a 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.
As an OLLI instructor, you have freedom to determine every aspect of your course. You determine the number of sessions, the number of participants, the time of day, day of the week, and mode of instruction. You are encouraged to use any style or method that suits the material that you are presenting.
OLLI instructors are volunteers but receive a free OLLI membership to be used for the year following their course ($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.
Have an idea for a course you’d like to teach? Refer to the table below for proposal deadlines and then submit a course proposal form. The Curriculum Committee will review your course proposal.
| Semester | Proposal Deadline | Instructors Contacted to Confirm Course and Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 February 16–May 15 |
October 10, 2025 | October 13–November 3, 2025 |
| Summer 2026 June 15–July 31 |
February 20, 2026 | February–April 2026 |
| Fall 2026 August 31–December 4 |
April 22, 2026 | April–May 2026 |
If approved, the committee will schedule your course at a time that works best for you. If you submit a proposal for the fall semester, the Curriculum Committee will reach out in April. If you submit a proposal for the spring semester, the Curriculum Committee will reach out in October. Please note that the Curriculum Committee works approximately nine to twelve months in advance.
These examples provide OLLI instructors with a reference for crafting engaging course descriptions and narrative biographies for new course proposals.
OLLI at Penn State reserves the right to edit or reduce course descriptions, titles, and/or bios as required to meet catalog standards and requirements.
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.
Once your course has been approved, you will be notified about its date and time so you can begin preparing. This will occur months before it has been scheduled, so please record these details in your calendar. You will receive a course roster with registrant names approximately one week before your course begins.
In-Person Courses
You will receive a call or email from the course coordinator, an OLLI volunteer, approximately one week before the course to see if you have any additional course requirements that were not in the proposal form, confirm the location of the classroom, etc. The course coordinator will also arrive to the course 30 minutes before it begins to welcome registrants, take attendance, and assist you with your microphone. OLLI York courses are 90 minutes in length. Please be mindful that another instructor may be waiting to use the classroom after you have completed your course.
You may use OLLI York’s technology, including a PC laptop, projector, speakers, slide advancer, and microphone. If your technology requirements have changed from what you submitted on the proposal form, contact the OLLI office prior to the day of the course.
It is easiest to put your presentations on a USB drive. OLLI staff will load presentations onto a laptop from the drive. Arrive 30 minutes prior to your course to ensures technology is working properly.
You may visit an earlier class period to get familiar with Penn State York and OLLI. Please contact the office to schedule a visit.
Zoom Courses
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 course coordinator know when you are in contact, approximately one week before the course. If you will be showing a video as part of your presentation, let the OLLI office know so that we can set up the Zoom as a webinar to increase the quality of the video. The Zoom link for the course will be sent to you, and all course registrants, the day before the course. If you prefer to have the link earlier, please email Ann Krepps at aek190@psu.edu to make arrangements.
Handouts
The OLLI office can make copies of handouts or you may reproduce handouts at your own expense. If you want your course participants to have paper handouts, email them to Ann Krepps at aek190@psu.edu or drop them off at the OLLI York office at least one week before the course. The OLLI office can also share your handouts electronically prior to your course, please email them to Ann one week before your course.
Evaluations
Within a week of the course ending, participants will receive an evaluation email. OLLI’s Curriculum Committee reviews all of the evaluations and develops a summary. You will receive your summary within a month of the end of the course.
You will also receive an evaluation email about your experience as an OLLI instructor. We want to know what we can do to better assist our volunteer instructors. The Curriculum Committee will read all instructor evaluations.
Please review the following Penn State and OLLI policies:
- Promotion or solicitation of products or services is prohibited.
- Courses should not include tests or textbooks or require prerequisites.
- If outside sources or research are utilized, they should be documented in the presentation.
- For in-person courses, OLLI instructors must wear a microphone regardless of class size. Even voices that project tend to fluctuate, and it makes it difficult for our members to hear. Course coordinators can help with the microphone if necessary.
Propose Your Course for OLLI York
Complete this form to propose your course. You can view proposal deadlines for each semester.
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