![]() ![]() In fact, one participant from Ohio enjoyed a class so much in the fall, he is teaching this spring.OLLI at Vanderbilt Mission Statement: OLLI at Vanderbilt helps adults over 50 rediscover the joy of learning and build community through diverse social interaction. "We sent out an email to all alumni 50-plus making them aware of this opportunity, and it is a great way to connect with them." ![]() "We will never be able to do away with online because we have too many people now all over the country," Logue said. Regardless of when in-person instruction resumes - something some participants are eager for - online offerings will continue. OLLI also gives participants the chance to interact with others during a time when they may have limited ventures outside the home. "We have always had people who have lived in Marshalltown, Webster City, Boone, Des Moines and Newton who would drive up, but now we have people in different states and different cities and counties in Iowa taking classes," Logue said. But with struggles come advantages, like being able to offer courses to participants across the nation. OLLI was almost exclusively an on-campus program at the ISU Alumni Center until the pandemic forced changes. The spring session includes courses on racism, human trafficking and speaking civilly to those with different political views. Logue said she would consider "pop-up classes" in the fall to allow participants to meet face to face.Ĭlass subjects change each session and often deal with timely issues. The four-week winter session will be exclusively online going forward to avoid participants traveling to campus during inclement weather. With the switch online, participants receive instruction on internet and learning-from-home etiquette.Ĭlasses will remain online through at least next winter. Logue said many participants have adjusted well to the move online and learned to troubleshoot issues. Instructors have learned to innovate, with one teaching a class on how to operate an iPad by sharing his iPad and iPhone on the screen so participants can easily follow lessons.Ĭlasses, which range in length from one day to eight weeks, are recorded and available for those who miss one. Participants can log on to their computers or dial into classes using their phone in a conference call setup. "Our biggest obstacle is bandwidth and internet speed because it is different for everyone." "I tell instructors it is OK if it doesn't work right away," she said. Learning online has its challenges for OLLI participants, but Logue preaches patience with yourself, classmates and instructors since proficiency comes with practice. "These are people who have a passion for learning, and they couldn't go this long without learning on a wide variety of topics," she said. The current spring session offers 43 classes. Twenty-two classes were offered online last spring, and while the total number of participants is down during the pandemic, the number of classes they are taking is up, Logue said. Logue did test runs with each instructor, allowing them to learn the ins and outs of the online environment before classes began. Not all classes were conducive to moving online, but a majority of instructors - who are volunteers - put in the effort to make online instruction possible. A lot of it was trial and error and keeping it as simple as possible." "I went to some training sessions that were great. "I went to the internet and looked things up, but I had the extra benefit of being an OLLI, which means we have a resource center," she said. For Logue, the pressure was on, with 46 classes and multiple daytrips already scheduled and little knowledge about delivering online classes. OLLI is for people at least 50 years old who want to continue learning on a range of topics without the pressure of tests or grades. "In a matter of two days, we decided to go with Zoom." "We found out about a week or so before classes were set to begin that the university was going to be closing to in-person instruction," Logue said. Last March, the OLLI director had to move classes online in a short amount of time in response to the pandemic. Jerilyn Logue was thrust into a situation participants in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State (OLLI) usually find themselves in. ![]()
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