IU Northwest Center for Urban and Regional Excellence offers non-credit online sessions for learners of all ages

IU Northwest Center for Urban and Regional Excellence offers non-credit online sessions for learners of all ages

Indiana University Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE) has expanded its online presence and announces its summer non-credit programs, which aim to assist people of all ages gain skills and enrich their lives as we face today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities.

CURE offers a variety of remote learning opportunities for all ages through its Adult Education, Community Garden, Senior University, and Summer Reading Skills programs.

CURE is enrolling now for summer sessions. The offerings include:

Adult Education: Pharmacy Technician Career Exploration

Choose between the following sessions:

1 to 2:30 p.m., Monday, Jun. 15 (enroll by Friday, Jun. 12)

5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday, Jul. 20 (enroll by Friday, Jul. 17)

Free and open to anyone age 18 and older, these live, online sessions cover what it takes to become a pharmacy technician. Attendees will learn what pharmacy technicians do and the education and skills needed for a career working in the pharmacy. A question-and-answer session will take place during the second half of the presentation. To enroll, contact CURE at cureiun@iun.edu or 219-980-6978.

Adult Education: Free Online Self-Paced Tutorial Courses

24/7 Access; Start at any time

Free and open to adults and young adults/teens

Enroll in one or more of these free, online self-paced tutorial courses and gain the mix of skills you, and or your staff, need to adapt to today’s changing job market:

  • Creating Web Pages
  • Creating WordPress Websites
  • Fundamentals of Supervision and Management
  • Individual Excellence
  • Keys to Effective Communication
  • Managing Customer Service
  • Marketing Your Business on the Internet
  • Personal Finance
  • Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
  • Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search

These online courses are informative, fun, and convenient. Complete any course entirely from home, at any time of day or night. To enroll in one or more of these free courses, visit ed2go.com/iunadulted and then type in “free” in the search bar to view a list of the 10 free courses. To take advantage of this limited-time offer, enroll anytime between now and June 30, 2020.

Adult Education/Senior University: Social Security and COVID-19

5 to 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jul. 13

Free and open to anyone age 18 and older

Join Social Security Administration (SSA) public affairs specialists during this live, online session and get the facts about what the SSA is doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will learn how their benefits—Retirement, Disability, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Widows—are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss how you can receive assistance from the SSA, despite offices being closed to the public, as well as how you can protect yourself from fraudulent phone calls and other scams. To enroll, contact Senior University at curesu@iun.edu or 219-980-6907 by Friday, Jul. 10.

Community Garden: Composting from a Permaculture Perspective

12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Friday, Jun. 12

Free and open to anyone age 18 and older

During this live, online session, Christine Maloney, an Advanced Permaculture Designer and Educator, will be discussing permaculture, its three guiding ethics, and how composting relates to each of these ethics. Participants will also learn about the basics of composting, including what can be composted, the various methods of composting (bin, pile, pit, blender, vermicompost), and whether to turn or not to turn compost. To enroll, contact CURE at cureiun@iun.edu or 219-980-6978 by Thursday, Jun. 11.

Community Garden: To Bee or Not to Bee?

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday, Jun. 29

Free and open to anyone age 18 and older

Come delve into the amazing lives of honeybees in this live, online session! Learn about what these "super insects" can do, from the regal queen, right down to the aptly named worker bees. In words and pictures, Master Naturalist and Master Gardener Victoria Jostes will decode honeybee secrets, and then tie the facets of her story into a neat and fascinating bundle, that ultimately relates to each of us. To enroll, contact CURE at cureiun@iun.edu or 219-980-6978 by Friday, Jun. 26.

Community Garden: Eating to Improve Immunity

2:30 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Jul. 9

Free and open to anyone age 18 and older

Join Kim Davis, a Nutrition Education Program Assistant for the Purdue Extension, during this live, online session and learn how to improve your immunity through the foods you eat. Participants will learn how to plan meals that include foods high in the vitamins and nutrients needed to support a healthy immune system. To enroll, contact CURE at cureiun@iun.edu or 219-980-6978 by Thursday, July 8.

Senior University: Talk through Grief

5 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays, Jun. 9, 16, 23, and 30

Free and open to anyone age 55 and better

Are you seeking to work through the grief of losing a loved one, a life change, a career or dream change? Has life turned out differently than you expected? Are you at a different place in life than you expected to be? If so, then “Talk through Grief” was designed with you in mind. The goal of this four-part phone conference is to help you talk through life after having experienced grief. Participants will be provided with valuable strategies for creating a new normal in life, tools for conquering fears related to life changes, and methods for building bridges and connecting to a support team. To enroll, contact Senior University at curesu@iun.edu or 219-980-6907 by Monday, Jun. 8.

Senior University: Introduction to Virtual Calls

5 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays, Jul. 7, 14, 21, and 28

Free and open to anyone age 55 and better

Are you seeking to connect with your friends and family members while social distancing? Do you miss seeing the smiles of your friends and family members? Has social distancing made it difficult to communicate? If so, then we are here to help! Join these live, online meetings and learn to communicate through virtual video calls utilizing Zoom, Google Duo, and FaceTime. During this four-part series, participants will be provided with valuable tools to communicate with friends and family. To enroll, contact Senior University at curesu@iun.edu or 219-980-6907 by Monday, Jul. 6.

Senior University: WiFi the Unseen Hero: An Introduction to Wireless Networks

2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Thursdays, Jul. 16, 23, and 30

Free and open to anyone age 55 and better

This live, online series will provide participants with a better understanding of wireless networks. Each week, participants will learn additional information regarding how to SAVE data, search the web at HEROIC speeds, and RESCUE their phones from suspicious connections! To enroll, contact Senior University at curesu@iun.edu or 219-980-6907 by Wednesday, Jul. 15.

Summer Reading Skills Programs

Schedule and cost varies

Programs for students of all ages: children and adults

Offered in partnership with the Institute of Reading Development, students in this program attend a dynamic, live online class each week. During class, students can see, hear and speak with each other and their teacher in real time. Every class is full of engaging discussions and class activities. Between classes, students complete independent reading assignments and interactive online lessons that build skills and confidence. Enroll, learn more, or view all Reading Skills Programs at iun.readingprograms.org or call 1-800-903-2173.