COASTAL SENIOR COLLEGE

To Prospective Instructors:

We are pleased that you are seriously considering instructing/leading a class for us! CSC offers two eight-week semesters annually, one in the fall and one in the spring. We also have a shorter semester in the winter. Classes usually meet once a week for two hours. We strive for balance in our courses, offering a variety of subjects, formats, and locations.

Most of our Knox County classes are held at University College, Rockland. Morning sessions usually are from 10:00 to 12:00, and afternoon sessions from 1:00 to 3:00. Time slots may vary by class and instructor.

Lincoln County classes are held in the Damariscotta area, at locations such as Schooner Cove on the Miles Health Care Campus, the Lincoln Home in Newcastle, Skidompha Library, and the C.L.C. Ambulance Building. In the Fall of 2009, a class was held in Wiscasset at St. Philip's Episcopla Church. These classes usually adhere to the same time schedule as those in Knox County.

We request that you thoroughly read and respond to all the questions on the proposal form. [Repeating instructors need only click HERE for a simplified form.] Experience has told us that the clearer our classes are described, the greater the student satisfaction. Use NA where/when applicable, and use TBD (to be determined) if you have not finalized a guest speaker, for example, or settled on a text. Be as specific as you can, and attach a syllabus or course outline if you have prepared one. Proposals not received in a timely fashion may mean your class will not be offered.

For additional useful information for prospective instructors, please see BELOW.

Leading a group should be an exciting adventure for you – an opportunity to delve into a subject for which you have enthusiasm, passion, and interest. You are not expected to be or to become the world’s most definitive expert in your subject. Rather, we seek individuals who have the skill and discipline to lead a group of active participants, who, like you, are eager to probe, learn, and discuss. As an instructor/facilitator, you will be volunteering your time, but you will be our guest at an end-of-term luncheon, and may take a free course with us. Book certificates from local book stores are also offered to instructors as a small token of our appreciation.

There is a body of information profiling the senior learner. If you wish to talk with one of our faculty members or receive more information, please call any one on the board. See the Maine Senior College Network for more information about senior learning in Maine.

If you wish to print a proposal form for further review, click HERE.

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR INSTRUCTORS

Expenses: CSC allows expenses up to $20 per student per class. If you wish to do photocopying for your class, we encourage you to use UROCK (for Knox County instructors) or Supplies Unlimited (Lincoln County instructors). We have accounts at both places, so you need not pay for the copying. IF YOU CHOOSE TO COPY ELSEWHERE or IF YOU BUY OTHER SUPPLIES ELSEWHERE, you must submit your original receipt in order to be reimbursed. Cash transactions are preferred. If you use a credit card, you must provide the original receipt and billing statement. You may cross out any irrelevant charges. (Requirements from UME.)

Equipment: CSC can advise instructors on what equipment is available at the various sites. CSC owns some equipment for use at sites without the necessary equipment: a digital projector, pc laptop, 6 x 6 screen, portable microphone. A request must be made in advance for this equipment and is loaned on a first-come, first-served basis

Classroom assistance: If your proposal is accepted, you will be contacted regarding the proposed time and location of your class. CSC makes every attempt to honor an instructor's preferences. However, conflicting classes and facilities usage sometimes make it difficult to match those preferences. Once course registration begins, a classroom assistant is assigned to each class. This individual is responsible for distributing nametags, making CSC announcements, distributing evaluations, and assisting in setting up the classroom in whatever is the preferred arrangement.

New instructors need to know that Senior College advertises there will be no term papers, quizzes or final exams. It is reasonable for instructors to assume that students will read materials. It is not uncommon for CSC students to enroll, despite knowing they cannot be at every class! Some of our students "disappear" from classes for one or two weeks or even more due to travel and family commitments.