Teaching for UR Osher

UR Osher’s volunteer instructors are the heart of our member experience. Ideas for courses may come from an instructor’s career or from a passion developed over time. Either way, Osher members are intrigued by almost any topic and have chosen to be in a class because of their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.

Join our Teaching Team

UR Osher Institute accepts course proposals three times per year for our fall, spring, and summer terms. We send an email notice with specific dates to instructors as we plan each semester, but we accept proposals any time.

Fall Term

  • Courses are offered mid-September through early December
  • Proposals are accepted through mid-June
  • Registration for members opens mid-August

Spring Term

  • Courses are offered mid-January through early May
  • Proposals are accepted through mid-October
  • Registration for members opens mid-December

Summer Term

  • Courses are offered June through early August
  • Proposals are accepted through mid-February
  • Registration for members opens mid-May

The online course proposal form is critical in ensuring we have all the necessary data to review, accept, schedule, and publicize a course.

All required fields must be completed, or you’ll receive an error code instead of a success message. Required fields include the course title and description, which will appear in our catalog, along with maximum class size, which helps us in room selection. Our staff requires contact information, but only your name and bio will be published for members. You may submit a headshot separately for your bio, and we will incorporate it into the online registration system.

Upon successful submission of a course proposal, an email confirmation will be sent within 24 hours. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact Osher Director Peggy Watson at margaret.watson@richmond.edu.

Completed proposals will be reviewed, and if/when accepted, the Director will be in touch to offer date(s) and time for your course(s). Once all instructors have committed, the full schedule is sent to all instructors for final review of title/description and confirmation of dates/time. Within 24 hours and assuming all information is correct, the Director forwards the file to our school’s marketing team for final proofing, ingestion into our online registration system, and catalog design work. Changes beyond this point would be difficult.

As a general practice, we encourage new instructors to submit only one course proposal for their first term teaching with us.

We do evaluate every course. Because of our scheduling timeline, it’s often difficult to have student feedback in hand prior to submitting a course for an upcoming semester. However, we do expect any constructive comments to be considered and incorporated, if possible, into any future class.

UR Osher Course Details

  1. Courses range from a one-time lecture up to eight sessions per semester.
  2. Instructors may teach in-person or online. UR Osher does not support hybrid courses at this time.
  3. Aside from online classes, field trips, and planned events/tours, Osher courses are offered in classrooms on the UR campus. There are not specific, dedicated classrooms, and we work to find available rooms that best meet the instructor’s needs and size of class.
  4. Instructors may choose their format among many, such as facilitated discussions, lectures, hands-on activities, and field trips.
  5. Prior teaching experience is not required. Instructors enjoy teaching without the need to grade tests or papers.
  6. Instructors are not required to be members of the UR Osher Institute.

UR Osher Course Policies

Because our courses are intended to be educational in nature, UR Osher follows these policies:

  1. Osher courses may not include a sales pitch. Instructors may leave their business cards for those members who wish to follow up. The only exception to this is when authors/film makers make their books/videos available for sale. They may set up a table at the back of the room for sales following the class.
  2. Osher instructors may not require registered students to provide contact information in order to receive handouts or other materials used in class.
  3. Osher courses should not include any sort of medical diagnoses or treatment recommendations.
  4. Osher courses should not include recommendations for purchase of specific financial investments.
  5. Osher instructors should not use their Osher classes solely for financial gain.
  6. Video Use and Copyright Laws: Generally, copyrighted materials may be used sparingly for educational purposes. However, instructors are expected to follow copyright restrictions when using videos or other copyrighted materials in their classes.
  7. Code of Conduct: All instructors must abide by the University of Richmond’s Code of Conduct for faculty.

UR Osher Instructor FAQ

Whether you are new to teaching at UR Osher or are a returning instructor, there are questions that come up frequently.

We welcome and appreciate new and returning instructors and invite course proposals that range from academic subjects to skills and activities, all with a connection to the Liberal Arts and with the primary intent of education. We encourage a variety of teaching methodologies, including but not limited to facilitated discussions, informational lectures, and hands-on instruction.

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  • Do I need to be an Osher member to be an instructor?

    While a good percentage of our instructors are members, we welcome community experts, authors, UR faculty/staff, and others to teach. All are volunteers.

  • When are course proposals submitted?

    Course proposals may be submitted at any time, but typically in June for the fall term, October for the spring term, and February for the summer term.

  • What happens after I submit my course proposal?

    You will receive an email confirmation within 24 hours that your proposal was submitted successfully. If you do not hear from us, please reach out to Osher Director Peggy Watson at margaret.watson@richmond.edu

  • How will I know if my course has been accepted?

    It takes about a month after the deadline for submissions to review the courses for a term and begin the scheduling process. You will know if your proposal has been accepted when the Osher staff reaches out with a proposed time and date. If your course has not been accepted, you will also be notified.

    There are several factors that help determine if your proposal is accepted:

    • Repeat courses: we recommend waiting several semesters before offering the same course again. (Exceptions include courses with wait lists and small cap enrollments and certain courses that are offered every semester, such as orientation, library talks, and some Aging Well topics.)
    • Duplicated topics: if several instructors are proposing to teach on the same topic, we may accept only one.
    • Room in the schedule: because we offer only one course per time slot, we may simply run out of slots to offer.
  • How are the courses scheduled?

    We strive to schedule courses to fit each instructor’s schedule while keeping in mind our members’ preferences for attending class. We typically offer courses beginning at these times each weekday: 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Night and weekend classes are an option, especially when a course lends itself to those time slots.

    Additionally, we offer courses from the National Osher Resource Center. These online courses vary from our own UR Osher courses in that they may be any day and at any time because that they are offered simultaneously in all time zones. These courses often conflict with our own Osher courses, but they do offer a value-added online component we would not have otherwise.

    Because our courses can be a single lecture up to an eight-part course, our classes can begin at any time during the semester.

    The UR Osher Institute follows the University of Richmond’s calendar for campus-wide holidays and other closings.

  • Where are Osher courses taught?

    UR Osher in-person classes are held in various classrooms and buildings throughout the campus. We reserve rooms based on class size and instructor requirements.

    We do offer classes that are off campus, and we market them as “field trips” and “drive-to events.”

    UR Osher online courses are offered via a Zoom link, which the staff creates and manages for instructors and provides to students. Each online class has staff and/or a class host to take attendance, monitor the Chat for questions, and manage other aspects of the zoom session.

    National Osher Online courses are managed by the National Resource Center and require a different log-in, which is provided to students.

  • What technology is available in UR classrooms?

    Classrooms and event spaces at the University of Richmond are equipped with projectors and screens, and most classrooms also have computers and HDMI cords (which makes it easy for instructors who wish to use their own laptop). More about UR’s Standard Classroom Technology Configuration maybe be found here.

  • Is there technology training for teaching in-person courses?

    Osher instructors are expected to create their own handouts, visuals, slide presentations, and any other teaching materials.

    The UR Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is available to Osher member-instructors. TLC staff can assist with the finishing touches on a slide presentation. You must have your UR Network credentials and make an appointment.

    We are happy to work with instructors who wish to test the technology in their classroom in advance of their class.

  • Can my in-person or online course include one or more field trips?

    Yes, you would incorporate this into your course proposal by indicated the number of sessions in person, online, or in a different location.

  • What are UR Osher’s rules about self-promotion?

    Osher courses are intended to educate members, not to facilitate financial gain of the instructors, either directly or by increasing business opportunities. The one exception is with Osher instructors who are authors. They may sell and sign their books after class.

    The instructor may provide business cards and other literature at the back of the classroom for members to pick up if they wish. Handouts and other course information should be provided to all enrollees without having to sign up to receive them.

    Virginia student privacy laws protect Osher members and their contact information. The Osher Office will not give out members’ contact information.

  • How do I contact the UR Osher Institute for more information?

    Please send an email to osher@richmond.edu or call the Osher Office at 804-287-6344 for assistance. You may stop by during office hours with general questions Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

  • How do I access details about my upcoming course?

    You may always email the Osher Office about any aspect of your class at osher@richmond.edu.

    Several weeks before the start of the class, you will receive an email providing the number of students registered and the location of your class, and we request any slide decks and/or handouts you wish to use or send out. We will load your slide deck into the University’s cloud storage and have it available for download and use the day of your class.

  • How do I send my students an email?

    Due to Virginia Student Privacy laws, the Osher Office acts as the intermediary for communication between you and your students. We are happy to send course information, including assignments and handouts, before or after class.

  • How do I distribute class materials to my students?

    The Osher Office will send out materials to those registered in class at your request and on your timeline. We prefer to send all handouts and other materials electronically.

  • What is the waitlist and how does the waitlist process work?

    If the enrollment is greater than the maximum number of students specified by the instructor, a waitlist is created. When students withdraw from a course, the Osher Office will invite waitlisted students to participate.

  • My course has a waitlist. What should I do if some enrolled students are not attending?

    Managing the waitlist requires no action on the instructor’s part. We often have a few registered students who do not withdraw and their seat cannot be filled from the waitlist.

    We only admit students to a class prior to the first session. We do not register students into a class that has already started.

  • Are guests allowed at OLLI courses?

    The UR Osher Institute policy states that a member may invite a guest to one session of class per year (excluding special events and courses that carry fees for all members). Instructors follow this same policy. There must be seats available and no waiting list. Members and instructors who wish to bring a guest are asked to contact the Osher office in advance of the class.

  • Is there a form I use to solicit student feedback?

    The Osher Office requests feedback from each student registered in our Osher classes. We have an online evaluation system, and a link is sent to each student at the conclusion of each class. It’s a simple form, and we hope our members will take a minute to respond. The responses are anonymous, and the tallied data is confidential.

    The Osher staff allows two to three weeks for all members to respond. Then we pull a report and send it to the instructor. We also ask the instructor for feedback on the support provided in preparation for and delivery of the course.

  • What if I have to cancel a class session?

    If you need to cancel your talk or multi-session class (or one session of it), please contact Peggy Watson in the Osher Office (margaret.watson@richmond.edu) as soon as you can. We can look at rescheduling, cancelling, or combining sessions, depending on the nature of the course.

  • How will I know if classes are canceled or delayed because of weather?

    The Osher Office will notify all instructors and registered students of any weather or other issues that would require cancelling or delaying a class. The University will notify the entire campus community of closures, and the Osher staff will share this information as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary travel to campus.

  • What do I do if there is an emergency during class?

    CALL 911 ON THE CLASSROOM PHONE.

    There is a house phone in every classroom/event space on campus. It is critical to use this phone to call 911, as the UR Police will be able to locate you far faster than if you dial 911 on your cell phone.

Video: Creating an Osher Class

Three UR Osher instructors contributed to this video on how to create an Osher class.