The wide variety of classes, workshops, and outdoor experiences you teach and lead enriches our programming and fosters friendships. This page will give you the information you need to lead classes for OLLI, including program policies, instructions for accessing rosters, waitlist management procedures, and more. Scroll down for details, and thank you for sharing your time and expertise with OLLI.
Table of Contents
Membership Policy
Submit a Class Proposal
How to Access Your Class Roster
Audiovisual Equipment
Audiovisual Training
Good Digital Citizenship and Copyright Policy
Posting Class Materials Online
Class Cancellation Policy
Waitlists
Field Trip Waivers
Instructor Volunteer Information Forms
Listening Assistance Devices
Conduct
OLLI Culture
The Social Chico
Zoom
Membership Policy
Paid membership is a requirement for enrollment in most OLLI classes, events, and excursions. OLLI volunteer instructors are also required to pay for a membership. OLLI at Chico State was founded on the concept of a peer-led, member-driven model in 1988 under the name Prime Timers. Our membership policy – where everyone contributes something – has allowed us to keep fees relatively low compared to other Osher institutes and local community classes. Current Chico State faculty members and OLLI business sponsors are exempt from this requirement.
Submit a Class Proposal
Submitting a class proposal form is the first step to leading an OLLI class. We accept proposals three times a year for the fall, winter, and spring terms. All proposals are reviewed before being accepted. Specific due dates vary, but the timeline is generally as follows:
Fall proposals due April 10
Winter proposals due August 20
Spring proposals due December 10
Links to the online forms will be posted on the OLLI website approximately one month before the due date.
Each term is ten weeks long. You can teach in one, two, or all three terms in a year, and your class can meet just once, every one of the ten weeks, or anything in between.
You can prepare for your class proposal form by gathering together all the information about your proposed class, including contact details and biographies for all instructors, class title and description, any special notes about scheduling or additional fees, class format, and preferred class dates and times. Class descriptions and bios are limited to a maximum of 85 words each.
How to Access Your Class Roster
Class rosters are securely available on the OLLI administrative website.
Full instructions: How To Access Your Class Roster (pdf)
Audiovisual Equipment
Each of our classrooms at The Social Chico, where we host the majority of our in-person classes, is outfitted with custom-designed audiovisual carts. These carts were built and are maintained by OLLI volunteers to enable instructors and guest presenters to show PowerPoint slides, play videos, and host Zoom classes.
Audiovisual Training
Training on the use of the OLLI audiovisual carts is required for use. Multiple dates and times will be made available to instructors prior to the start of each term. OLLI instructors are encouraged to bring their presentation, or a sample of it, on a flash drive for the training session.
A sign-up form will be available on our website prior to the start of the new term.
Good Digital Citizenship and Copyright Policy
Digital citizenship is a term used to define the appropriate and responsible use of technology among users.
Read more in our full Copyright Policy.
Posting Class Materials Online
Some OLLI instructors prepare syllabi or other handouts for class distribution. To help conserve paper and facilitate ease of access, the OLLI office posts these documents on the website. Please email the materials in pdf format to us at olli@csuchico.edu. Each class has an online section card, with all of the details about the class (title, description, meeting dates/times, etc.). Links to your documents will be available on your section card. Note that documents posted to a section card will be available to anyone who visits the page, not just your class members or other OLLI members.
Class Cancellation Policy
Contact the OLLI office if you need to cancel one or more class meetings during the term. Please also contact members on your class roster to notify them of the change. Some members drive from as far away as Redding and Yuba City to attend classes. The office can help you get the word out for last-minute changes or sick days.
Waitlists
The OLLI online registration system allows members to enroll themselves in a class until the cap for the class is reached. Thereafter, a member has the option to add themselves to the waitlist.
OLLI policy is to allow members into classes with available space in the order they were added to the waitlist. Read our full waitlist, drop, and refund policies.
Field Trip Waivers
For those participating in activities outside the classroom, like hikes and other outdoor excursions, OLLI shares a Release of Liability form that releases employees, officers, directors, volunteers, and agents from any and all claims because of their participation in a University-sponsored program, like OLLI. Each participant is required to fill out and return the form to the OLLI office.
OLLI uses the volunteer employee form from our parent organization, Chico State Enterprises. The form holds volunteers harmless if someone is injured or property is damaged at or during a sponsored activity, like OLLI classes. We require a current form on file for volunteer instructors before you can teach a class.
Listening Assistance Devices
Hearing loss is a real issue for many people as they age. As a learning program for older adults, many of our members suffer some level of hearing loss. Fitted microphones for presenters and surround-sound speakers are featured assets in three of our main classrooms, with a commitment to continue improving the learning experience for all members through better sound and listening protocols. Our audio systems were created with help from generous OLLI donors and a partnership with faculty and students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at Chico State.
Read more in our full Accessibility Statement.
Conduct
OLLI is a University-sponsored program dedicated to promoting learning and social engagement opportunities through classes, special events, volunteerism, and field trips. In keeping with this mission, OLLI staff seeks to balance the rights and needs of its members with the responsibility of each individual member to support the needs of an engaged learning community.
Read more in our full Code of Conduct.
OLLI Culture
The OLLI program and culture offer many benefits to its members. In addition to education and lifelong learning, it also serves as an important social network and community. As a volunteer instructor, you represent OLLI, which requires you treat fellow volunteers, class members, and staff with respect, dignity, and appreciation.
Read more in our full Code of Conduct.
The Social Chico
Please refer any problems or concerns about the classroom environment at The Social Chico, where we host the majority of in-person classes, to the OLLI office rather than The Social Chico management or staff.
Zoom
If you want to teach a class online but haven't done it before, OLLI can help.
- We offer one-on-one training for new Zoom instructors.
- We can get you a Zoom account to use for your class at no cost.
- We can provide you space and a computer in the OLLI office to lead your Zoom class.
