Guidelines for Faculty

Lifelong learners are a different audience from undergraduates or graduate and professional degree students. Our participants are seeking breadth of knowledge and personal enrichment that they will connect with their life experience in many different ways. Our participants come to classes primarily to hear you and absorb your expertise. If you want to use small group discussions, please keep them brief and focused. (This flips the way you probably teach in for-credit courses.) Whole-class discussions can be stimulating contributions to your course, but we recommend that you keep them limited and be sure that opportunities to comment are spread around the class.

Our courses are strictly for the enjoyment and enrichment of the students – there are no tests, no papers, and no required reading. However, this is a group that appreciates suggested reading lists and other materials to enhance their experience. Bookmarks is our partner in having relevant books on hand that you recommend. Participants are not expected to complete readings or comment on them, but a number do purchase the titles you suggest.

Class size varies from as few as 12 students to as many as 60. We reserve the option to cancel a class if the number of registrants is not viable. Instructors receive a stipend on a scale related to the size of the class.

Some specific matters to keep in mind:

• We are happy to provide class handouts. We can send materials electronically to class members, but be aware that some students will have issues with opening and printing documents, and will then expect our office to provide hard copies. If you wish to provide long documents for the class, we will print two copies and leave them in the classroom as reading copies.
• If you show PowerPoints, your students will likely request e-copies of the presentations and with your permission we will distribute them. Please provide our office with a printed copy of your presentation(s) in a condensed format with 2 or 3 slides per page, and we can then distribute copies to those students who cannot view it electronically.
• If you wish to communicate directly by email with your class, we are happy to send your emails to the class for you. If you prefer to do it yourself, we will provide the list of email addresses. Please remember to use blind copy when you email the class as a group so that addresses are not floating around.
• Given the age range, please be mindful that some of our students have hearing limitations and wear hearing aids. Because of the acoustics of our spaces and the size of the audience your class may draw, you must project to the room. We ask that you use a microphone/speaker system to amplify your voice; our equipment is easy to use. Please check with the class regularly to be certain they can hear you; do not assume that they can.
• If your class is held during hours when neither Mimi nor April is in the Continuing Studies office, and you have a need for help concerning the building, security, or other urgent matter, here are the steps to take:
  • Facilities concerns (electricity, elevator issues, etc.) – first check in the Graduate School suite (the offices just beyond the elevator). If no one is there, then call the Brookstown Inn front desk: 336.725.1120.
  • Security concerns – check with Graduate School suite, call Brookstown Inn front desk, and if necessary, call 911 or the non-emergency number for Winston-Salem Police 336.773.7700.
  • Our other teaching sites downtown have staff and security on hand during class hours.