Teach for OLLI

Why Teach for OLLI?

For the classroom atmosphere! Our members come from various backgrounds: from business to academia, from North Carolina to places from all over the U.S and even globally. They come with the desire to learn simply for the fun of learning. Their eagerness is evident in the classroom as they engage the instructor with lots of questions. We offer courses in areas typically found in any educational setting. Members sign up for courses and lectures for various reasons. You’ll find a mix of students who are familiar with your topic because they may have worked in the same field, they are curious about a new topic, or they want to take a class purely for fun.

Where would I teach?

Our main classroom (room 11/12) in the McKimmon Center at 1101 Gorman Street on the NC State campus holds a maximum of 58 students. It is set up classroom style with tables and chairs. We occasionally have classes in Room 10 which holds a maximum of 24 with the same classroom setup. Some lectures are often held in larger classrooms in the McKimmon Center with lectures setup as theater style (just chairs).

We have complete A/V equipment in our classroom: LCD projector, laptop, DVD and CD players, audio. You can easily bring your presentation on a flash drive or you can bring your own laptop (Mac or PC) or both for backup purposes. No matter what you decide, we can take care of your needs. All instructors are asked to wear a lapel or jawline microphone so our members are all able to hear the presentation.
We recommend that you work out a time to make sure your presentation works on our equipment as well as making sure the colors and type size are good for our members. Click on the link to show the layout of the McKimmon Center and our classroom location and classroom 11/12 pictures.

Is there classroom support?

The program manager is your first line of support. In the classroom, each instructor has a class host—a member who is registered to take your course/lecture. The class host helps you get settled into the room, assists with passing out handouts you want your students to have (we copy your handouts for you), makes some brief announcements to members, and then introduces you. The McKimmon Center has technical support in case there is a problem with the equipment. Click on the following links for Instructor Handbook and A/V Equipment.

How are courses structured?

First, we start working about six months out to line up instructors for a specific term. We have two six-week terms in the fall (Sept. – Dec.) and spring (Jan. – April) and one six-week term in the summer (May through early June). The structure of courses also vary from lecture, to informative, to discussion to ones with a mix of all three styles. Our courses run anywhere from one to six weeks in length and each class time is 90 minutes long. We suggest that instructors allow 15 – 20 minutes with each class for questions and answers. As mentioned before, our members are eager learners.

How do I propose a course or lecture idea?

Click on the link for the proposal form. Please note that all OLLI instructors volunteer. When we receive your proposal form, the program manager will submit it to the subcommittee that works in your topic area for review. If they have questions, one of the committee members will be in contact with you. If they approve it, then it goes back to the program manager for final approval. You’ll be contacted to book a date on the appropriate semester calendar. Then you’ll receive a planning form to fill out with the course description, your bio, and other information we use for our catalog and website.

What if I’m running late to class or have an emergency?

Please call our office as soon as you can on our main number at 919.515.5782 and press #1 when cued. Any of our staff will answer the phone. If you are sick, we will call your students immediately to let them know. If you are running late, we’ll get word to the students in your class.

What about bad weather?

We follow the Wake County School weather closings. If they close for the day, then we cancel all classes, trips, lectures for the day. If Wake County Schools run on a delay, then we hold our classes as scheduled (9:00 class begins at 9:00, for example). However, with Wake County being so large, some areas are impacted by bad weather while other areas aren’t. If you are in an area that prevents you from safely getting to the McKimmon Center for your class, please call us immediately so we can contact your students.

What about parking?

McKimmon Center is a conference center and has free parking all along the front of the building (greenish striped areas) facing Gorman Street. Instructors receive a packet typically six weeks prior to the start of the term in which your offering is scheduled with additional parking information. Click on link for parking at the McKimmon Center.

More questions?

Please call the program manager at 919.513.2047.