The following YouTube video could be helpful for convenors/tutors who have participated in Zoom sessions as participants who are now keen to trial offering Zoom sessions to class members.
Margaret Jenkins recently contacted convenors to gain expressions of interest from convenors keen to find out more about Zoom and explore possible applications in their classes. A group already trialling Zoom are to act as mentors to around eight convenors who expressed interest in a 'first round' of training sessions. If there is enough interest, further training may be made available in future. The following YouTube video could be helpful for convenors/tutors who have participated in Zoom sessions as participants who are now keen to trial offering Zoom sessions to class members.
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Classes will continue with if Convenors are comfortable in doing so. If anyone does not want to lead their class that class will close down. Numbers will be down, but till the Council or Government close the building down we’ll stay operating. This may change at any time.
Please leave the two doors open (this means less handling) or use the self opening front doors. Council have recommended this. The Library has stopped all group meetings and U3A will no longer have any classes at the Library. Let me know if you need a new venue (Mobile 0412 263 071.. As the situation is changing day by day, who knows what’s ahead. Dorothy The first classes have begun for the year and it's time to distribute the updated 'A-Z- for 2020. The A-Z is produced each year and provides useful advice for new convenors as well as updating past convenors about any changes. At the beginning of the year convenors are often keen to develop or update a group email list which targets class members. It is possible to do this on gmail and outlook email accounts, and possibly also others. A key element of creating an email group is adding email addresses from the class lists sent to you by Len to your Contacts or Address Book beforehand. There are many You Tube videos on You Tube about creating email lists - just go into You Tube and type 'create an email list in gmail' or 'create an email list in outlook' into the search bar. Here are two Tube Resources found in this way which may help you on your way or refresh your memory about what to do! or... for outlook users, try.... Try to remember to click bcc before you add the mailing list label to the To button... "If sending out emails to a list, select the ‘BCC’ blind carbon copy option so that individual member email addresses remain private. If you unintentionally forget –try to remember next time. (An enrolment form provision does make provision for sharing of such information between members.)" Benalla U3A A-Z If you need some support to create and use a group email list for your class, make an appointment with Bev on 5762 8171. You will be enrolled - albeit briefly - in Tech Savvy Community Projects and get one to one help in the U3A office.
The Convenors' meeting held in late October was very well attended, as the photo reveals! The meeting proved most informative, with each Convenor sharing information about their course or activity.
As enrolment days for 2020 draw near, it's time to thank Convenors who have stepped back and new convenors who are 'stepping up' in 2020. Thank you so much Judith Borthwick (Collectors); Meg Dillon (Moments in Australian History; History of Western Civilisation; a four year 'opera subscription' series; Art Appreciation) ; Shirley Kearney (Chat N Chew) and Les Rogers (Tech Savvy Talks and Tech Savvy Talkers), for the important and highly valued roles you have taken in convening programs for U3A Benalla over the past four years. Thank you for contributing to the newsletter and website - we hope you enjoy looking back at your reports over the next few years. To Alex Adkins (Coin Collectors), Neville Gibb (A Different History of Germany), Brian Harker (The News - Fact or Fiction?), Janet Martens (German Conversation), Carol Perry and Broken River Artists (A Taste of Art), and Jane Rushworth (Demystifying Pschology), thank you for offering new programs. To Dorothy Webber (Collectors), Neville Gibb (Tech Savvy Talks), Max Powell (Life Ball) and others who have stepped up or are stepping up in 2020 to convene existing groups - thank you. The preparedness to offer new programs and keep successful programs going makes U3A Benalla thrive. Bev Lee Programs Committee/Web Manager Photograph: David Palmer Each month a report is placed in the Newsletter by either the Convener or their nominated person, giving a brief outline of the activities undertake by their group during the previous month. As a limited number of pages can be folded comfortably in an envelope to be mailed to members who do not have Email access, it is suggested that these reports are concise but informative. This is not possible in some cases, but please keep it in mind when presenting them for the Newsletter.
If you have any dates or times that you wish to notify your groups of upcoming activities, please include this information. This information is then used to keep the calendar on the website up to date, keeping members informed. Photos are also welcome, but a limit maybe placed on the number used in each edition as these take up megabytes and therefore the final Newsletter is above the required size for emailing out to members. These photos are also passed onto the calendar convenor/website manager who uses them to update the webpage. If a report is not received in time, it will be either left out of the Newsletter or a short summary may be inserted by the Editor, depending on information available from members. The timeline for receipt of Newsletter reports, preparation and printing/emailing is as follows:
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Newsletter Editor Heather Wallace [email protected] Phone: 0418 353 244 Groups not continuing in 2019
Thanks go to Judy Perry for convening the Travel Group - members have happy memories of 2018 and will catch up informally in 2019. 'Over There', presented as a semester length course on two occasions by John Barry, was highly valued by class members. Thank you John! 'Hot Topics', piloted last year by Carole Marple & Joan Laing, is in recess awaiting new convenors. 'Good job'. Carole & Joan! 'Be Connected'... to come This post is still 'under construction'... more to come! The 2019 orientation session for convenors will be held in the U3A Meeting Room at 10 am on Thursday 24th January. All convenors are encouraged to attend.
You will find a Course Proposal Form on the side panel of this page. Please note that while completing one of these is helpful, it is not compulsory. Our Programs Coordinator Terry Case or President Dorothy Webber often simply talk through what is required with new convenors.
The proposal form is particularly useful during the planning stages for more complex new programs where the concept needs to be developed, particularly if there are co-convenors or even a team of convenors. The proposal form can help to make ideas more concrete and highlight potential hurdles and ways to over come them, leading to increased chances of success. The document also provides useful documentation for the program committee and details which can be used in the Program Guide and on the Calendar. You'll notice that the section with the 100 word course description for the Program Guide comes towards the end - basically because this often becomes clearer when working through the document. If you decide not to complete the form as a whole, you will need to provide a short program description for the Program Guide to Programs Coordinator Terry Case. If you would like support in developing a new course using the course planning proposal, please contact Bev on 5762 8171. Convenors:
An additional training day for convenors to learn to use the equipment in the meeting room is being offered on Tuesday 5th June at 1.30pm. This is to supplement two sessions held on Tuesday 4th May & Wednesday 23 May 1.30 - 3.30 pm. Contact Dorothy for further information 5762 2116 An earlier version of this announcement published on 28 April. The orientation day for Course Convenors in late January provided the opportunity to warmly welcome new convenors Janet Douglas, Helen Jeffree, Kathy Murphy, David Palmer and Judy Perry. We then worked through the Convenors A-Z document with additional information introduced by Dorothy and Terry when required. Dorothy demonstrated the new microphone system, keys were distributed and signed for and protocols re the tea break, photocopying and room 'lock ups' discussed. Helen even tested out the microphone for use with her new 'Exercises for Fun' class. Meanwhile, the electricians were installing the new overhead projector in the U3A meeting room. A Convenor's year begins with the chance to share information about groups and activities to members and new members attending enrolment days. There are two enrolment sessions - the first at 'The Hub', Cooinda on Monday 15th January from 9.30 to 11.30 pm; then a larger session in the main room at the Benalla Senior Citizens' Community Centre, again at 9.30 to 11.30 pm.
Some helpful hints for new convenors - bring along a sign of some description to put in front of you - you will be sitting at tables along with other convenors - together with information about your course and a pad on which to write notes about people's requests. Some groups receive lots of 'visits' - this is quite likely to be the case for new groups. The enrolment days also provide an opportunity for members to catch up and for new members to be welcomed and introduced to other members. Tea and coffee are available throughout the morning. If you are unable to attend one or both sessions and have information you would like to share about the group, you can 'pair' with another convenor or provide the information to Programs Coordinator, Terry Case, who will share it. Late enrolments are accepted by mail or at the RedB4 Book Shop next to Hide's Bakery (forms/monies are left in envelopes for collection by U3A representative). You may also find that rare cases members bring their forms and money to class - in this case you will need to pass it on (more details later). The enrolment days are to be followed up by a meeting for convenors on Thursday 25th January from 9.30 to 11.30 am in the U3A meeting room. See you there! An orientation day for Course Convenors will be held at the U3A room in the Benalla Senior Citizens Community Centre on Thursday Jan 25 from 9.30 to 11.30 am. All convenors are asked to attend.
A few details from our latest meeting that some of you were unable to attend.
If you wish to extend your classes into December it is most important that you inform Dorothy asap so she can book them with the Council. At present we are working on all regular classes in the Seniors finishing in November, we will then offer members who wish to organize December meetings for games, films, coffee sessions etc the chance to book the room. Bill Dewing is the first to book a spot taking one of my Politics times, as we will not meet in December. It is now possible to book the room for a 4 pm to 6.30pm session, we will use early December and late January period for a trial period. Next year we will extend the timetable in Semester 2 to include the first 2 weeks of December. If you do not want to run a class in this period you must let me know by April 2017 when I start working on the Semester 2 timetable. The TV will be raised to enable large classes to view it without the present difficulties. We are investigating costs and practicalities of purchasing an acoustic curtain to block some of the some of the noise generated by our TV and by the Seniors. We will try to obtain funding for members to attend a First Aid course, but in an emergency please ring 000 for an ambulance. I am now preparing timetables and course outlines for the next newsletter, if you have not informed me of any changes you intend please do so immediately. Thank you to all our Tutors from myself and the Executive. We are pleased to be able to offer such a wide range of courses resulting in our membership this year reaching 250. Terry Case Program Coordinator A convenors' meeting will be held on Monday, 9 October at 2.30pm. This will be an opportunity to discuss how we are settling in.
Dorothy Webber President This month there are quite a few 'housekeeping items' we need to share, most related to the transition to our new room. They have been included in the newsletter, however we are also including them here. Surplus Equipment When the dust settles on our move to the new location we will be stocktaking our equipment. Surplus or outdated equipment will be offered to members. Watch this space. Tables in U3A Meeting Room
There’s a ‘knack’ to unlocking the tables for use- contact Dorothy if you or your classes are having difficulties in unfolding/moving them. A demonstration will be arranged. Wi Fi Modem – new procedure The modem is to be unplugged from the power supply after use as it may overheat. Please return it to the devices box with the mouse and remote for use by the next class. Further info: 5762 8171. Use of the Urn We have asked the Council to investigate the boiling water problem in the kitchen as there has not been enough boiling water for the larger classes. The urn can be used for larger groups. It is also possible to use the boiling water system in the smaller kitchen if necessary. iPad and Tablet Loans iPads and Samsung tablets are available for short term loan to members keen to try and perhaps purchase one. Contact Bev on 5762 8171 if you are interested. A most informative session for convenors covering the transition and orientation to our new Meeting Room at the Benalla Seniors Community Centre was held on Wednesday 7th July.
U3A Benalla President Dorothy Webber introduced Greg from the council who welcomed us to our new room and provided much valuable information to assist us in facilitating the transition of our groups to the room. Convenors were most impressed with the wonderful new television and sound system. Important information relating to airconditioning was discussed along with other aspects such as keys. Terry Dillon has since prepared a set of instructions for the use of the TV, computer/wifi and DVD CD player. A laminated set of these instructions will be placed close the the television. The Executive is keen to hear feedback from convenors and groups over the coming month and will review the transition at the August executive meeting. Please contact Dorothy with your feedback. Bev Lee (I'm sorry to say that I forgot to take a photograph of the fully attended meeting of convenors, Next time!). There is now a Chromecast dongle attached to the TV in W4 which allows you to mirror the display on your Smart Phone or Tablet to the TV. Some setup is required to connect your device. If you want to use this facility please contact Terry Dillon on 0419 343 129.
Shirley's Chat 'N Chew group meet on the 3rd Friday for lunch at a local venue. Shirley is pictured here with Judith and Heidi holding the book she keeps in which people indicate whether they will be attending the next lunch - an important part of her process in running this very popular group.
REPORT FROM COURSE CO-ORDINATORS FORUM “THE POWER OF EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK FOR OUR U3A’S. Held 9th December Melbourne. Geraldine McCorkell
Attended by Geraldine McCorkell and Judith Borthwick representing Benalla U3A. The objectives of the forum were:
The table Benalla U3A were allocated had members representing Hawthorn, Bayside, Sydney Central U3A and 2 others. Their memberships ranged from 800 to 1500. The two larger U3A’s had 2 people manning a 5 day week office. The problem of the empty classroom syndrome where people enrol and then stop attending were attributed to: were the name and title appropriate; poor content, too short/too long, accurate Course description, Friday pm not the best time to run a course. Members disappear – need to know why, but the membership is still growing – personal communication suggested. Ideas for addressing this included; informal chats, feedback from individuals, systematic informal feedback; tutors ask participants for feedback at the end of the course/year to gauge quality and content of activity. Welcoming newcomers – monitor how they are welcomed into a group. Tutors – sometimes difficult to get quality tutors. U3A Online administered from Queensland University offer 50 courses, including 2 Australian History. Convenor or leader prints off the material needed for each session. Enrolment procedures All the bigger U3A’s – over 100 members – had waiting lists. These caused a lot of frustration and upset many people. Two suggestions were:
Guest speaker Kim Johnston Co-ordinator of Research and Evaluation at EACH, a community Health Organisation, led the group through Sustaining and Building a Feedback/Evaluation Culture within U3A’s.
A basic Survey Monkey is free, but one of the larger groups (Bayside I think) paid $19 a month for use of this tool.
Judith and I both enjoyed the Forum and talking to other members. Apart from the fact they put the wrong address for the Celtic club on the form which left Judith and I wandering around Queen St. for a while in the rain until a member of the Network who was looking for `strays’ found us. Oh dear!!! Geraldine Timetable and enrolment documents for 2017 are now available on the 'Join Us' page of this website. Convenors are listed in the Course/Activity and Contacts List for 2017 sent out with the November timetable and available on this page. There will also be a holiday mail out (postal and email) containing course information and other enrolment documentation in early January.
While there have been no significant changes in the timetable pending a possible move in mid 2017, there have been two changes to thematic course names. 'Opera' now reflects the theme 'In the Mood for Opera' while 'Astronomy' is broadening it's scope to 'Exploring the Universe'. They both sound rather magical and inviting. The Tech Savvy program has drawn upon this year's experience in offering a fortnightly 'Tech Savvy Beginners' and alternate fortnightly 'Tech Savvy Plus' courses. These are both 'hands on' courses, with participants bringing their own devices or using our iPad or Samsung tablets which are available on loan. 'Tech Savvy' will continue, but under the name 'Tech Savvy Talks' to reduce confusion with the other groups. An intermediate course may be offered in Semester II for continuing beginners. Terry Dillon has been working in consultation with the Executive to develop a data base which will provide easily updated and accessible class lists, listings of courses being taken by individual members and other reports which may be required during the year. The transition to the new data base will involve some changes in the enrolment process to be trialled in January. The key change is that renewing members will proceed to a table where they will be given a form generated from the data base containing their already listed details and a list of courses/activities for 207. Renewing members will make any changes to their address details, use the list of courses and activities on the form to 'tick' their 2017 courses then return this form for input into the data base. The usual membership and enrolment forms will continue to be used for available for new, postal and RedB4 bookshop enrolments and as website linked pdf's. Judith Borthwick and Geraldine McCorkell are travelling to Melbourne on Friday 9th December to attend U3A Network Victoria's annual Course Coordinators' forum. The title of this year's conference is "The Power of Evaluation and Feedback". It will be good to hear back from Geraldine and Judith about the many forms of feedback and evaluation we can tap into for use at our U3A's to be covered. Keep an eye on the U3A Network's E-Bulletins on the U3A Network's website - you may like to put your name down for next year's conference, which is always held at the end of the year. (The November 16 bulletin includes information about a new U3A Online course - 'The History of Espionage'! Perhaps you might know someone who'l like to do such a course online, or even better, us the course materials to host a class group for Benalla U3a members?) There will be a Convenors' meeting on February 17th from 2 to 3.15 pm in W4. BL On Friday 15th July a well attended meeting of convenors was held in W4.
The meeting provided the opportunity for Terry to update convenors about plans for 2017 and for convenors to share news of groups and activities. Our draft 'Convenors A-Z' and U3A Network Victoria's Tutors Handbook were also distributed. The A-Z will be drawn upon next year to customize U3A's Tutors Handbook for Benalla. Freida spoke about the Newsletter arrangements for the remainder of the year and Barry told us about U3A Benalla's high and increasing participation rates, with members increasingly attending two or more courses/activities. The date for the first Convenors' meeting for 2017 has already been set - please pencil Friday afternoon 17th of February into your diaries. The enrolment dates of 16th January at Cooinda and 18th January at the Senior Citizens have been decided on, wth final confirmation to follow contact with the venues. Normally we hold our meeting early in the year, however we held back this year as we have been holding discussions with Benalla Council Officers and members of the Seniors’ executive.
We will provide you with an update & discuss plans for 2017. I hope all groups will be able to send a representative, especially those of you who use W4. Terry Case A volunteer convenor is sought for the Games group which meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 1.30 to 3.30 in W4. Duties involve setting up the room with card table/s; distributing games; arranging for milk for coffee break; setting up urn and of course welcoming and supporting members. There is a perk to the position –the work also involves playing games such as cards; scrabble and mahjong with other members for two hours! Some light lifting required. If you are interested or would like further information, please call Terry Case on 5762 1700.
Six new programs, with six new or returning convenors, have now commenced and submitted their first newsletter reports for the year:
The Executive Committee/Programs Committee usually hold a Convenors' meeting in first Semester. It's on the drawing board - more news later! Enrolment days have been and gone and we are now into Week 2 of the timetable. It's a busy time for convenors new and old. Last week I was involved in helping plan for and support the Playreading group; tomorrow I'm convening the Tech Savvy Group; next Monday 'Writing Workshop', then next Wednesday the new 'Tech Savvy Drop In' session. Going to someone else's group as a participant comes as quite a relief!
New courses/activities 'Playreading', 'Collectors', 'Brain Games', 'Birdwatching', 'Tech Savvy Drop In' and 'Rail and Tourism' have added variety to our U3A program and are proving popular. A big question though - will there be enough chairs in W4??? The website has been updated for the New Year, with revised details on each course/group page, some new photos, and some early contributions from some convenors to refer on to their group members. A reminder to convenors - don't forget to take photos from time to time to add to the website/newsletter. Also, don't forget the newsletter report due at midday on the fourth Monday - in this case the 22nd February. Another question to think about - do you have the photocopier number? Did someone remember the milk? Other considerations...will the photocopier work? Is the urn going to boil just in time? Keith Rogers put it well during the Playreading group when he reflected that even if he is standing up looking confident and has done this sort of thing before, inside he's still quite worried and anxious that people will engage with the group and that it will go well. So, as I go back to my planning for tomorrow (fingers crossed!), I'd like to wish my fellow convenors all the best for the coming year! Bev Lee |
Convenors' PageThis page includes news of convenors' activities, as well of notices of particular relevance to convenors. Membership Officer Len Jeffers is a 'go to' person for Convenors. As well as managing memberships, Len disseminates the Course/Activities Guide and Timetables and supports convenors to send out emails to group members.
Course Coordinator Anne Nelson is the contact person for potential convenors with an idea for a U3A Benalla course. Contact Anne on 0438 447 379. Anne is also available to talk with any Convenors who need assistance.
ResourcesCovid SafetyConvenors A- Z 2024 (pdf)
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