Osher Lifelong Learning to host open house in Lewes Aug. 10
The University of Delaware’s program for learners ages 50 and above already held the distinction of being one of the first lifelong learning programs in the country.
This spring it became the largest, enrolling participants from at least 25 states for a record-setting total of 1,927 online members.
Now, UD’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program is beginning the process of restarting selected on-site classes while maintaining a sizable online presence.
Members of the community are invited to learn more about the OLLI program at a free open house set for 10 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Trinity Faith Christian Center, 15516 New Road, Lewes.
Registration for fall courses – both in-person and online – is available through Monday, Aug. 16.
Classes start Tuesday, Sept. 7, at OLLI’s Sussex County locations in Lewes, Ocean View and Bridgeville, as well as online.
Along with the rest of the University of Delaware in 2020, OLLI programs quickly adapted to online classrooms during the coronavirus pandemic. However, even with a planned return to in-person programming on the horizon, most OLLI members recognize some of the new opportunities provided by online learning.
”Zoom enabled us to connect with family and friends, all on a platform provided at no cost to each OLLI member by UD,” said one participant.
The online format also allowed participants to sign up for a greater variety of classes since the statewide online offerings were open to the entire UD OLLI community, all taught by volunteer instructors normally based at UD’s OLLI locations in Lewes, Ocean View, Bridgeville, Dover and Wilmington.
UD’s Ralph Begleiter, a former CNN journalist and retired UD professor of communication, normally teaches several popular classes at OLLI’s Lewes-based location. But last fall, more than 300 OLLI students from across Delaware and the region participated in Begleiter’s online Media and Public Opinion class, with more than 100 also joining the extra discussion sessions, all via Zoom videoconferencing.
UD’s lifelong learning program has offered classes in Sussex County since 1989, and in Lewes specifically since 1993. This will be the first semester for classes held at OLLI’s new Lewes location at Trinity Faith Christian Center on New Road.
OLLI’s Sussex County class locations also include Ocean View Town Hall and Community Center in Ocean View, and Heritage Shores Clubhouse in Bridgeville.
Among courses scheduled to take place in Lewes are Adventures of a Global Journalist; Basic and Advanced Woodworking; International Folk Dance; Living in Space: Past, Present, Future; and Making Fabric Jewelry.
Examples of online courses include: History of the Roots of Rock and Roll; Interpreting Your DNA Results; Hamilton: The Man and the Musical; American Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Spanish; Racism in America: The History We Didn’t Learn in School; and Human Stress: How It Affects Your Body and Mind.
Participants can sign up for in-person classes, online classes or a combination of both. The fall 2021 OLLI Kent/Sussex membership fee is $100, with an additional per-class registration fee.
For details, including complete course listings and how to register, go to olli.udel.edu.
