Five College Learning in Retirement (5CLIR) offers a wide variety of activities focused on learning and socializing. Central to our learning activities are the semester-long peer-led seminars and workshops. This guide is focused on explaining these two core learning experiences in which members actively participate in educating themselves and one another.
Seminars and workshops are defined as follows: A seminar provides intellectual learning about a topic through participants’ research, presentations, and discussions under the guidance of a moderator’s leadership. A workshop focuses on the learning of a new skill-set, or the improvement and broadening of an existing skill-set, through demonstrations by a leader and with hands-on member participation. Workshop topics can range from artistic creations, such as learning how to make collages, to learning new computer skills.
This page provides the basic information about joining and participating in seminars and workshops as well as links to more detailed information available on the 5CLIR website.
A PDF version of the Participants Handbook is available. However, it is updated less frequently than this page. See the April 2018 Participants Handbook plus Guidelines for Constructive Participation in Seminars.
Part I: Membership, Registration, and General Policies
In order to participate in 5CLIR’s seminars and workshops, you must first be a full member of the organization (not an associate member) for the current membership year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
5CLIR seminars are offered in two 10-week semesters, Fall and Spring, each with its own registration period.
Learning about upcoming seminars and workshops
The Preview: For 5CLIR members who attend, the semi-annual Previews, which occur near the end of the Spring and Fall semesters, provide members with details regarding the seminar and workshop offerings for the following semester. The Preview is a kind of intellectual bazaar where moderators, who will be offering the seminars and workshops, are present at an in-person Preview or on-line during a Zoomed Preview. During the Preview, they can provide more details about their topic by answering members’ questions, providing relevant handouts as well as providing access to books and materials that may be used during the seminar or workshops.
The Catalog: The printed Catalog, listing all of the seminars and workshops being offered, is distributed during an in-person Preview, along with other pertinent information. If you are unable to attend the Preview, or if it is held via Zoom, a Catalog will be mailed to you. You may also view it online at 5CLIR.org under Programs. Each offering has a description of the purpose or goal of the seminar or workshop and a description of the expected role of participants, as well as the name of the moderator, dates, times, and locations. In addition, the Catalog includes descriptions of other Special Programs and Interest groups that will be held throughout the year.
Registering for seminars and workshops
You may register on-line for as many seminars and workshops as your schedule permits or by filling out a paper form. This form asks you to list seminars in order of preference and to specify how many seminars you wish to take in total.
Take note of the “lottery deadline”, which occurs about three weeks after the Preview. While registration is possible after this deadline, some seminars will be closed after that date.
Details from the Operations Manual, Appendix E.
Lotteries and Wait-lists
Everyone registering for a seminar before the lottery deadline has an equal chance of getting into their first-choice seminar if it is oversubscribed. The lottery is designed to allocate the available spots randomly and generally takes place within a week of the deadline. If you register after the deadline, you are not eligible for the lottery. However, you can still register for any seminar that still has open spaces after the lottery has been completed.
Members who do not get into the number of seminars they request are placed on wait-lists for oversubscribed seminars in their list and may have opportunity to join that seminar if a place opens up due to the withdrawal of another member. The wait-lists are kept by the LIR Office Manager, who will contact members from the wait-list in order to determine if any wish to accept an open slot.
The lottery process applies only to 5CLIR’s fall and spring seminars and workshops. For other programs, such as Extracurricular Activities and Summer Seminars, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Details from the Operations Manual, Appendix D.
Attendance policies
The success of a seminar or workshop depends upon the contributions made by each participant as well as the moderator(s).
Details from the Operations Manual, Appendix E.
Additional Fees
Additional fees may be charged to cover the expenses of some workshops and seminars. However, the major expenses, including space rental and parking, are covered by your membership dues.
Details from the Operations Manual, Appendix E.
Guests
You may invite a guest to your seminar with the permission of the moderator. However, individual guests are limited to one such invitation per semester.
Exchange of ideas during a seminar
Freedom of speech, including the expression of ideas that may be unpopular, is vital to the learning on which our organization is built. Equally important, the recognition of deeply held views and the discussion of such views should take place in an atmosphere of mutual respect and civil discourse.
Part II: Before Seminars Begin
Class lists are typically available at least two months before the start of the semester. What should participants anticipate during this period?
Communications from the Office Manager and the Moderator
Shortly after the lottery, you will get notices from the office manager telling you which seminars you were admitted to and a class list for each. Soon after that your moderator(s) will also send you an email welcoming you and providing additional information regarding each seminar including information from moderator(s) with a list of topic choices, necessary materials, schedule information and other details.
In order to prepare the schedule, moderators may ask you to select your preferred topic from a list or to consult with them should you prefer a topic that is not on the list, but one you feel falls under the subject of the seminar. It is up to the moderator to agree or not to that request. They also may ask for dates on which you will not be able to lead a session.
Finalizing the schedule
After topics for seminar discussion are selected, the moderator may set the seminar schedule based on a number of factors, including the number of members in the seminar and the length of time the seminar will run. (Most run for 10 weeks, but some run for fewer.) The moderator also may want to set up a sequence of topics that is chronological, such as for a history seminar, or pair the discussions of two complementary topics on a particular date, or include a field trip or event that is relevant to the subject of the seminar. Expect your moderator to share a final schedule well in advance of the start of the seminar.
Part III: Roles and Expectations of Participants
5CLIR focuses on a collaborative approach to learning. The seminars are “peer led,” that is, each participant is required to take part of the responsibility for the success of the seminar. This can entail a variety of actions, for example, preparing a report on some aspect of the seminar’s overall topic, or developing discussion questions for the group on a particular issue. All participants are expected to contribute to discussions throughout the semester.
This section provides suggestions for making the seminar or workshop a positive experience for all participants. It pertains more to 5CLIR seminars than to workshops, since workshops focus more on hands-on techniques and procedures. It is intended to guide participants through some issues that have at times posed challenges. The suggestions made here are not to be taken as the only or the best approach; 5CLIR encourages inventiveness and creativity in the use of concepts and methods.
Choosing a topic and a format
Moderators in their pre-planning of a seminar often have developed an idea of what discussion topics are important to the goals of their seminar and will have chosen various topics that meet those goals. They will provide the members with a list of those choices. However, you may have your own idea of a topic you feel fits in to the subject of the seminar for your session. You should consult with the moderator beforehand to determine if the moderator agrees or not to accept this as a topic.
Seminar sessions can take a number of different forms depending on the type and topic of the seminar. A typical seminar focuses on a broad topic and each participant chooses area in that topic either from a list provided by the moderator or by agreement from the moderator on a topic suggested by the participant. In many seminars, participants present reports on their topics, using handouts and/or audio-visual aides such as PowerPoint, movies, recordings, etc. At least 15 or 20 minutes should be allowed for general discussion, either at the end of the hour or during your presentation. Other seminars may focus on one or more books, poems, music or film that all members of the seminar read/listen to/view, and the role of the session leader is to initiate and focus a discussion on some aspect of the work. Still other seminars can be based totally on discussions, where each participant is responsible for leading the discussion on one or more topics relating to the subject of the seminar.
Finding resources
A large part of the educational experience in seminars takes place during researching your topic for your session. Local libraries are a good place to start allowing you to begin your search on-line. Many of these libraries are in cooperative relationships with multiple other area libraries, giving you access to a large number of resources. In addition, if you are a resident of Massachusetts, you are entitled to a Boston Public Library card, which opens up a vast array of resources from the state’s libraries.
Another major resource is the vast amount of material and information on the web. Conducting a search using a search engine, such as Google or Wikipedia, requires that you make sure that the information you use is relevant and from a trusted source. You might also consider doing a search using key words on-line of the major booksellers such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble for lists of books relevant to your topic.
As a member of 5CLIR you are able to use any of the Five College’s academic libraries (Amherst College, UMass, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College and Hampshire College), although the rules governing that use vary among the colleges. Each academic library receives a list of members from the LIR Office Manager each year, confirming your membership in LIR. See the LIR web site.
AV and technical help
If you will be using audiovisual equipment while leading a session of your seminar (PowerPoint, Zoom, videos, recordings, flash-drives, etc.), technical problems can cause a serious disruption in the timing and the information you intend to share. So is important that you have the right tools to prepare your presentation, and that the room (if this is an in-person meeting) has the capacity to connect with your equipment. Always check out the equipment before-hand, whether the seminar is in person or on line. Ask the moderator (or the technical support for the seminar, if that is someone else) for the help, including scheduling a trial run the week before your presentation.
The 5CLIR office owns some AV equipment that you can borrow. To learn what is available and to schedule your use of the equipment, contact the 5CLIR office manager. Members of the Tech Committee are also available to help you both with software (such as PowerPoint or Keynote) and hardware (connecting your laptop to the AV system in the seminar room), as well as with using Zoom in on-line seminars.
Timing your presentation
Seminar meetings, whether on-line or in person, last for around two hours with a break of 10 to 15 minutes in the middle. Each hour can take many forms, but many split the time into two sessions led by different participants, allowing 25 to 35 minutes for presentation and 15 to 20 minutes for discussion. This can of course change depending on the structure of the seminar or workshop and on the preferences of the moderator. If you are planning to present material, it is very useful to practice in advance to be sure that you can get through the material you want to present with plenty of time for discussion.
Handouts
Handouts should be prepared carefully. In order to prevent members from reading them while you are making your presentation, you may want to pass them out at the end when you are finished speaking. Handouts can be used for multiple purposes such as
- a broad outline of your topic to help seminar members to follow along;
- a timeline that includes events you will not be addressing specifically;
- pictures or photographs relevant to your presentation; or
- supplemental material that adds to your topic, but is beyond the scope of what you can cover given the time limitations.
Appendix: Best Practices
- Arrive on time for in-person or Zoom sessions.
- Be well prepared through your research into your topic, and make sure your report is clear and well organized.
- Practice your presentation ahead of time by reading it aloud to determine if there are any places you are having difficulty with.
- Stay within the time limit your moderator suggests for presentations.
- Stay on topic while presenting or during the discussion, but be open to alternative ideas when offered.
- Whether you read your presentation or speak it while consulting your notes, be sure that your notes are easy to read, that important areas are in bold so you won’t forget them, and that you speak loudly enough for everyone to hear you. If possible, see if a microphone is available.
- Inform the other seminar members about when you prefer to take questions, for example, during your presentation or not until after you have completed your presentation.
- Provide plenty of time for follow-up discussion and questions.
- Make arrangements in advance for audiovisual or other equipment and give that equipment a trial run before your session.
- Practice Zoom or using on-line resources during your session by taking advantage of assistance and trainings offered by the LIR tech committee.
- During other members’ presentations, avoid carrying on conversations or looking at emails.
- Make sure your cellphone is off before and during class. Remember to turn it off again after breaks. If you must take a call, leave the room or mute yourself on Zoom.
- Be brief in your comments and try not to dominate the discussions
- Disagree with respect regarding other points of view.
- Attend regularly except for unusual circumstances and alert the moderator in advance to those times you will not be able to attend.