Announcing new course opportunities!
I am excited to announce that Osher at CMU will now offer courses through the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) and the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University. This initiative is called NRC’s Osher Online. To showcase the program, we have a page on our website called NRC’s Osher Online. There you’ll find important information about the program and course offerings. Registration for these courses only is now open to those with a 2024 membership; classes will start in January 2024.
Overview and Purpose
Osher Online is a shared program exclusively for members of select Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs) from around the country. This collaboration between the Osher National Resource Center and the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern University presents lecture and discussion-style courses over four academic terms – fall, winter, spring, and summer. The purpose of the NRC’s Osher Online program is to share quality online courses and occasional special community events with local Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes aka OLLIs. It is not meant to replace or compete with the excellent online courses presented by our Osher at CMU program, it is to provide added content for our curriculum.
Sharing of Online Resources
Throughout the pandemic, many OLLI staff and members asked for ways to collaborate with other Osher Institutes. A variety of programs were offered by some Institutes to others in the network. Some smaller groups of OLLIs shared limited online programming. Those that did partner enjoyed successes and the camaraderie of meeting one another’s members on a wider scale. But they also learned there are complications along with the rewards of partnering. Complications included timing (time zones, differing term start and end dates, differing lengths of courses) and pricing (each OLLI sets their own membership and course fee prices). The NRC Osher Online sought to find the right compromises in these varied differences for a sustainable model of shared content.
Important Details
While you will register for the NRC’s Online courses in our registration system, as you do for all your courses, the NRC team will handle everything else. They will provide the Zoom codes, training, help, and answer all questions. A special HELP email address and phone number is provided on our NRC’s Osher Online website page.
To cover the costs of producing the courses, the NRC is charging a material fee per course and Osher at CMU is adding a small amount to cover our administrative costs. Each NRC’s Osher Online course will cost $55 per course. This fee is separate from your membership fee and term registration fee. If you only want to take these online courses, you will not have to pay the $60.00 term registration fee. If you want to take both an NRC course and an Osher at CMU course (whether in person and/or on Zoom you will pay the registration fee of $60.00 in addition to the NRC’s material fees). Everyone participating MUST be a 2024 Osher at CMU member.
The NRC program will run over four terms: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Because the term dates do not coincide with our three terms, the NRC’s Osher Online courses will be found on the dedicated NRC’s Osher Online page on our website and in the registration system by typing in NRC. The courses will not be listed in our term catalogs. This will help keep our online courses separated from the NRC’s Osher Online courses. Registration for NRC’s courses will vary from our registrations.
Each NRC’s Osher Online course is scheduled to run for six consecutive weeks and last for 90 minutes. Most courses will be held in the afternoon, evening, or on Saturday.
The NRC will provide 15 seats per Osher institute for each lecture style course and five for each discussion group. It is important to go onto the waiting list should someone drop if the class limit has been reached. Registration opportunities for these courses will close about two weeks before the course start date.
Once registration is closed, Osher at CMU will provide the class roster to the NRC. The NRC will then email the confirmation back to each student and provide a username and password so the student can access their course information, including handouts and communications with the study leaders, on the NRC’s online course website.
If you start the course and decide it isn’t for you, you may drop the course two days before the second class starts to get a full refund. This policy is different from the Osher at CMU drop policy which can be found in our catalogs. For our courses, a drop has to be three full business days before the start of the first class.
Every now and then a program will be offered that is open and free to all of our members. Watch for advertisements in the WE and on our website.
Registration for NRC's Osher Online Courses is now open!
After visiting the NRC’s Osher Online page on our website to learn about each of the term course offerings, click on the link for the Osher at CMU’s registration account (where you register for all of your courses) and register for the NRC’s Osher Online course(s) you wish to take. You MUST have paid your 2024 membership to register for these courses.
Another way to see all of the courses offered by the NRC can also be found by typing in NRC in the “go search bar” in our registration system. To register you’ll use the class ID to register as you would for any Osher at CMU course.
After you are registered, you will receive an email confirmation from Osher at CMU and later, as stated above, a confirmation from the NRC’s Osher Online Team with information on how to login to their portal at www.osheronline.net for your course(s). You'll access your course and the Zoom meeting from within that portal. You will also be sent an invitation to attend a NRC’s Osher Online orientation before the course starts.
What if there is a problem?
For all inquiries, you will need to contact the NRC’s Osher Online team via e-mail at OsherOnline@northwestern.edu or by phone at (312) 503-5555.
The Osher at CMU office will not be able to help with any issues regarding any of the NRC’s Osher Online Courses.
Code of Conduct
Like Osher at CMU the NRC’s Osher Online program also has expectations of their students. The program is an environment where all are welcome, treated equally, and included in the learning community. It aims to foster a positive learning environment that deepens social connection and contributes to a rigorous and invigorating academic discourse. Comments shared within class are voiced in an intellectually honest, professional manner conducive to promoting discourse and expanding understanding.
Members, instructors, and staff are expected to interact with each other with civility and respect, recognizing that disagreement and informed debate are valued in an academic community. Demeaning, intimidating, threatening, or violent behaviors are not tolerated. Such behavior could result in removal of a student or instructor from the class and/or the Osher Online program.
We are excited to offer this opportunity to our members. Osher at CMU is among the second group of OLLI’s to be invited to participate in this program – an initial pilot program was run last year. Hopefully this venture will be recognized as an additional asset of our program and will be well received. Please take a couple of minutes and check it out.
Take care and keep learning.
Lyn Decker / Executive Director and Registrar