The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — a program designed for people 50 and older — is showcasing its courses and activities on television and online beginning this month and running through November.
The OLLI Showcase, a 90-minute program, can be viewed here.
“The showcase is a virtual event created to give lifelong learners the chance to see and experience the OLLI program,” said Dee Aguilar, OLLI coordinator. “OLLI volunteers and staff strive to provide quality courses, events and travel opportunities year-round.”
In Lincoln, OLLI is broadcasting the program on the city’s educational access channels: Allo channel 23, Charter/Spectrum channel 1303 and Windstream Kinetic channel 1080. The program will air at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 4 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 7 p.m. Wednesdays.
The program includes video clips of OLLI courses and a glimpse of a performance by the OLLI/Lincoln Community Playhouse Radio Active Players, as well as four short presentations by instructors.
The presentations are:
- “Fall Bulb Planting” with Sarah Browning, Nebraska Extension educator
- “A Universe from Nothing” with Skip Morris, retired science teacher
- “American Author Willa Cather” with Andrew Jewell, professor of digital projects, UNL Libraries
- “The First Amendment” with Charlyne Berens, professor emeritus of journalism
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person activities in March, OLLI has been delivering programming through online platforms such as Zoom and Canvas. Limited in-person courses are being offered this fall with safety and health protocols in place.
“We had already been moving toward online programming before COVID-19, but the pandemic sped up our implementation process,” said Bob Michl, curriculum coordinator. “All the positive feedback we’ve received through the programming provided in our spring and summer terms has encouraged our curriculum subcommittees to continue to work diligently to maintain the quality of programming. Now, people simply have multiple options on how to receive OLLI programs.”
Registration for fall courses begins Aug. 18. The majority of courses are being offered online. For a $75 fee, OLLI members can enjoy year-round programming from Aug. 1 through July 31, 2021. There are more than 60 courses and events to choose from this fall. Several recorded courses are being offered on Canvas for a single fee.
Upcoming events include an Oct. 17 symposium, “Global Displacement: Political Conflict and Climate Change,” a collaboration between OLLI and the Winter Lecture Series. The symposium, which will be streamed live on Zoom, is open to the public.
