Yes – all our classrooms at Bridge Street have screens and projectors, and we provide a laptop for you to use. Simply bring your material on a memory stick or email it to the Office before the class. We also provide equipment at some other venues.

If you wish to use your own laptop this needs to be PAT tested by U3AC before use in the venue – the Office organises a PAT testing day before the beginning of the Autumn Term. Contact the Office for more information.

• The Tutor Support Handbook contains procedural and practical information on running a course. The section on Zoom is available as a separate document – the Zoom Cribsheet. (Log in to download these documents.)
  
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  • In Bridge Street, our Office staff are always available for practical and IT help.
  • Members of the Courses Committee can be contacted for advice on running the course.
  • We run courses to help tutors develop their skills in teaching adults. These are advertised on our website and in the Bulletin emailed to our members every week.

There is a valuable resource available for all tutors who feel that it would be good to have a chat with a fellow tutor about leading their courses.

Resource bank of tutor mentors

You can run a course of any length – from a single session to one session every two weeks over one term to one session a week for three terms. Choose the length of course that works for you and suits your subject.

The length depends on the subject and the format you are using. Most course sessions run for 1 to 1.5 hours. You may find it helpful to look at similar courses in the Programme.

It depends on the course format – more people can listen to a lecture than participate in a discussion. Choose the number you feel will work for your style of course. Remember that there are normally a few non-attenders each week. Don’t forget to select a venue that matches the suggested number of participants.

This format works well for many U3AC members. Some courses combine formats, e.g. two terms of teaching followed by self-help in the third term. A coordinator is still required.

No, you cannot specify who attends your course. Members apply for courses in their own order of priority. If it is important that a certain member is given a place on your course, e.g. because they help run it, or because your course is a continuation of a previous course (but only when a syllabus is followed), their names should be given to the Office by the end of June. The member must be told to put your course as their 1st choice on their application form, otherwise they cannot be guaranteed a place.

No! When you fill in your course application form, do not apply for your own course as this will mean someone on the waiting list doesn’t get a place.

Speak to the Office – they are used to helping with this. It is important to include as much information as possible in your course description.

Many people worry about this! In fact, the more usual problem is having too much material for a session. Talk to a member of the Courses Committee, as they will be able to help you plan your course. Remember that U3AC members are very good at contributing through questions or discussion. If you feel a session has come to a natural end, don’t hesitate to end the session a few minutes early. People attending the next session will be very grateful.

You could run a short course in the Summer School in July to test the water. Many tutors start in this way. We put a notice in the weekly Bulletin asking for proposals for Summer School courses to be submitted in April and May.

We ask tutors to submit their course proposals between February and the end of March. All current tutors and people who have expressed an interest in running a course are sent an email which explains what you need to do.

During the main course proposal time (from mid-February to the end of March), log in to the members’ area of the website and select the Tutor tab.

Then complete the form – it asks you for all the information we need.

If you are unable to complete the form online please contact the Office for help.

At other times, please contact the Office to propose a new course.

There is no set format, but it needs to tell members what the course covers and what they will get out of it. If participants need prior knowledge, you should make this clear, e.g. level for languages. You should also include details of any additional costs which members will need to pay, e.g. a donation towards photocopying, hiring art models, equipment, entrance fees, etc., stating when these need to be paid and to whom. You have a maximum of 150 words but you do not need to use them all. Look at descriptions in the current Programme for inspiration.

Yes, we are happy to accept course ideas at any time. Contact the Office. New courses are advertised to members via the termly Newsletter and the weekly Bulletin.

Yes, the course submission form asks when you can offer your course. However, if you have very particular day/time/venue requirements it is best not to schedule it in the Autumn Term as this is the busiest time. It is easier to meet specific requirements in the Spring and Summer Terms; the Summer Term is the least busy.

Yes! Flexibility about when you run your course and where it takes place makes it easier to timetable your course.

Managing the waiting list is the responsibility of the Office. However, you may be asked if you can take more participants in your class, or if you can repeat your course.

In September, if a course which is to be held in either Bridge Street or a hired venue has less than 50% take-up, then its financial viability will be considered. This could result in the course moving to a smaller venue or to the tutor’s home, or even in its cancellation. We only cancel a course after careful discussion between the tutor, the Courses Committee and the Office staff. Courses with vacancies are advertised on the website so members can apply for them after term has begun.

The U3AC, and its tutors, must comply with the General Data Protection Regulations and for members the area of concern is personal data, i.e. their name, email address and telephone number.

As a tutor, you will be issued with this personal data relating to your class members. This information can only be used to contact class members for reasons relating to the course. It must not be used or divulged for any other reason.

By the beginning of the following academic year, you must securely dispose of all personal data, whether held on paper or electronically.

If you want to communicate by email with the members of your class as a group, you need to ensure each member gets an email that does not show the email addresses of the other class members.

To send a group email:

1. Open a new email and put your own email address in the ‘To’ line.
2. Put the email addresses of your class members in the line labelled ‘Bcc’ (Blind Carbon Copy).
3. Compose the heading and contents of the email in the usual way.
4. Send the email, which you and the other addressees should receive.

If you are not clear how to do this, please contact the U3AC Office for advice.

You will find more information about complying with the Data Protection Regulations, e.g. for fitness classes, in the Tutor Support Handbook.