The Tufts OLLI is open to anyone who is 50+ years of age.

By paying your $50 annual membership fee, you will receive access to all of our "standard" benefits, like invitations to our Lunch & Learns and OLLI at Night events.

Our membership year is July 1-June 30, and members have the option to renew their membership each July.

Study groups can vary a lot, both depending on the nature of the topic and the format of the group! Some groups consist primarily of lectures/presentations from the study group leader, while others focus on generating a rich discussion between the class participants.

We do our best to give a sense of the "flavor" of each individual study group in the catalog description, but part of the fun in signing up for a new study group is not knowing exactly what to expect!

We call our programs "study groups" because our OLLI focuses on collaborative learning. We strive to create an environment where both the members and the study group leader learn and explore together.

In practice, we sometimes refer to study groups as "courses" or "classes," but we retain the "study group" name in our formal communications.

Most of our study groups have just 10-25 participants, though some offerings may be open to larger groups.

We allow our Study Group Leaders to determine the maximum number of students per group, in order to set the conditions for a satisfying experience for everyone.

Our study group leaders are a diverse bunch! Many are themselves OLLI members, who have interests and passions that they want to share with others. Others are Tufts students (mostly graduate students) or recent graduates, who help keep our program vibrant and connected with other generations. Still others are community educators or outside experts with knowledge and wisdom to share.

We encourage our members to develop study groups of their own, but doing so is completely voluntary!

Once you've become a member of the program, you will be added to our e-mail communication list. That's our primary way of telling you what's going on at the OLLI, including about upcoming registration opportunities.

Yes and no! Some of our study groups include readings, videos or short assignments to be completed in-between class sessions. However, there are no grades of any kind, and all "homework" is optional; it's just one more way to continue learning about your subjects of study!

Lots!

• Lunch & Learn Lectures
• Our "OLLI at Night" event series
• The chance to serve on committees and help guide our program
• Special interest clubs that meet regularly, like the Book and History Clubs
• Other programming from Tufts and the national OLLI network

Have a great idea for a new study group? Want to share your interests or your area of expertise with others? Don't worry if you've never led a class before: our Curriculum Committee would be happy to talk you through the process or help you formulate your ideas, so your study group will be as enjoyable an experience for you as it will be for the participants. Non-member instructors are eligible to be paid $25 per teaching hour, and the OLLI is open to proposals from OLLI members, Tufts Faculty and Students, as well as other outside experts and instructors.

To propose a study group for an upcoming month, please fill out our Study Group Proposal Form. 

Study Groups: when you register for a study group, you will be added to the class roster. The week before your first scheduled class session, your study group leader will send a welcome e-mail to the class, including the Zoom link to join the sessions themselves.

Lunch & Learns: the L+L's use a recurring Zoom link (so each week the link is the same). New members receive the L+L link via e-mail, and the office also sends out a reminder to all current members on the morning of the lecture.

"OLLI at Night" and other Webinars: for "webinar-style" meetings, the OLLI office will notify members when they may begin RSVP'ing for the event. Members will then RSVP through a provided Zoom link, and will receive automatic reminders (with the link to join the meeting) the day, and the hour, prior to the event itself.

Clubs & Committees: Members interested in clubs may e-mail the office (OsherLLI@tufts.edu) to request to join the club e-mail list. Zoom invitations for club meetings will then be sent via that list. Committee members will be automatically added to e-mail listserves for their individual committee, and receive meeting invitations that way.

Here's a handy chart to help outline how this all works.