For many of us seniors, it’s been decades since we sat in a classroom or listened to a lecture. And, I know I wouldn’t choose to put myself through the stress of mid-terms and finals again! But… what if you could pick and choose a class from a long list of interesting…and even fun…. subjects? And NOT have any tests or grades? OK, now I’m interested!
Now couple fun subjects, I get to choose, no tests, and no grades…with the recent research that shows that ongoing learning has been proven to help cognitive health as people age, the concept of “lifelong learning” has become more important to older adults who want to maintain a sharp mind.
What exactly is “lifelong learning?” Lifelong learning is broadly defined as the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge that usually takes place after formal education is completed.
So, where can seniors look to find classes they may want to pursue?
We have a wonderful resource here in Milwaukee with UWM’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. (or just google UWM Osher) It is a program of UWM’s School of Continuing Education and it’s a membership organization where older adults – 50 and over – can come together – either in person or virtually – to access over 400 educational programs, annually. They also offer one day or world-wide travel programs.
Osher offers what they call “talks” – which is exactly what it sounds like – a one-time presentation on a variety of subjects. Another offering is their “short courses”, which are classes that meet once a week and most of them consist of 2 to 5 sessions. Then, there are peer-led study groups – called “special interest groups” – that meet on a regular basis. And most of these are offered in both in-person and virtual formats.
The membership fee is $45 per year. Then each class is priced individually and differently. A lot of the classes are $10 to $25 depending on how many sessions are included in each class.
Some of the short courses that caught my eye are “70 years of Comedy”, “Architecture for Travelers”, “Grief and Mourning” and “Mindfulness as a Daily Practice”. Some examples of special interest groups are “Current Events in Sports”, “Non-fiction Book Group” and “Introduction to Spanish.”
I recently took a virtual class through Osher. The class was “Forgiveness.” Very interesting.
As I mentioned, most of these courses are offered in both the in-person and virtual formats. For those who enjoy getting out, the in-person classes also provide that oh so important social interaction. More science – it has been found that being around others can positively impact older adults. Creating social connections and social inclusion can help improve memory retention and protect the brain from degenerative diseases.
Milwaukee’s Marquette University offers “Beyond MU” on their website. It features free webinars on this website. Some of these webinars are live, but there are dozens of them archived on this site that you can peruse at your leisure.
I’ve accessed both a live webinar and an archived webinar through Beyond MU. The live webinar was “A Fireside Chat on Equity and Excellence in Education” and the archived webinar was “What’s Your Story” – which taught you the basics of storytelling. They both were fascinating.
There are also two web-based opportunities to take courses that are very popular. The first is “The Great Courses”. This website focuses on offering a wide range of video-based courses on subjects ranging from cooking, painting, dog training, history, and geography. The videos can be chosen and paid for on a “a la carte” basis. It’s like going to Target, you see a video lesson you want, you see how much it is, and you choose it and pay for it. You can get it via streaming or have a DVD mailed to you. Course materials may also include guidebooks and practice assignments. There are no grades, tests, or certificates of completion.
Each video or video series is priced individually. For example, I recently purchased a 6-lecture series on “How Color Affects You – What Science reveals” for the price of $18. And then I purchased a more expensive one that contains 24 segments called “Outsmart Yourself – Brain based Strategies to be a Better You” and that 24-segment lesson was $234. But The Great Courses says that all lessons will go on sale at least once a year for up to 70% off – so if you’re patient, you can save money.
“Wondrium” is a similar streaming video experience as The Great Courses. While both Wondrium and The Great Courses offer educational content, Wondrium has a wider range of courses. And with Wondrium, you can sign up for various plan subscriptions that give you access to all the courses. Wondrium has a monthly fee, a quarterly fee for a 3-month subscription or a fee for a year subscription. It’s $20 for a month, $45 for a quarter, and $150 for a year.
And the best part about all of these programs – is that there are no tests and no grades!
I know that I will continue to take advantage of the classes offered by all of these organizations. When I get frustrated by what is on TV, or if the book I’m reading isn’t enthralling, it’s a great option to select a course on my computer that will stimulate my brain!