IU Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence announces new fall courses

IU Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence announces new fall courses

Range of free and low-cost courses includes gardening, jazz history, smartphones tips, and more

Indiana University Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE) offers a variety of non-credit courses and educational programs that 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 learning opportunities for all ages through its Community Garden, Senior University, Reading Skills, and Adult Education programs.

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

IUN Community Garden: There’s a Fungus Among Us!

6 to 7 p.m., Thursday, September 23

Zoom Meeting

Registration Deadline: noon, September 22

Free and open to adults of all ages

Are you an inveterate hunter of the elusive morel? Or is your knowledge confined to the fuzzy bowl of noodles at the back of the fridge? Or perhaps you'd like to know what you're looking at while out exploring. Whatever your level of expertise, we welcome you to join us in this live, online meeting as we learn all about fungi and mushrooms. Register today to discover the significant role fungi plays in our lives and why we actually cannot live without them! Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

IUN Community Garden: Benefits of Biodiversity

6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 7

Zoom Meeting

Registration Deadline: noon, October 6

Free and open to adults of all ages

Join Dolly Foster, Master Gardener and accredited horticulturalist, for this live Zoom session and learn about one of the most important aspects of modern gardening – biodiversity. By encouraging biodiversity, gardeners help increase beneficial insects, which in turn control garden pests. Home and urban gardens can offer beneficial insects a broad range of plant species, micro climates, and habitat. Gardeners also benefit from biodiversity: As a stress-reducing activity, gardening can be enhanced by new and interesting insects and small wildlife. Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

IUN Community Garden: History and Symbolism of Roses

11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, October 19

Zoom Meeting

Registration Deadline: noon, October 18

Free and open to adults of all ages

Join Susan Radovich, Master Gardener, for this live Zoom session and learn about the discovery and uses of roses (300 B.C. and on) and the symbolism of roses, including colors of roses and the duality of beauty and thorns. The session will also explore the use of phrases such as “sub rosa,” which means “under the rose” or “confidentially,” as well as the three main classifications of roses (Species Roses, Old Garden Roses, and Modern Roses). Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Senior University & Gary EnVision Center: Social Media Basics

10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Thursdays, September 23 and 30

Zoom and Facebook Live

No Registration Required

Offered in collaboration with the Gary Housing Authority/Gary EnVision Center, this two-part series will cover the basics of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. We will also discuss the various features of each application and the privacy settings that accompany them. The Zoom Meetings are open to Gary residents (join using Meeting ID: 656 209 3363 and Passcode: teamwork). All others can watch the live stream of the sessions on Facebook at: facebook.com/OfficialGaryHousingAuthority/videos.

Senior University: The Trumpet in Jazz

6 to 7:30 p.m., Monday, September 27 and Thursday, September 30

Zoom Meetings with option to join by phone

Registration Deadline: noon, September 20

Free and open to anyone age 55 and better

This two-part series is a study of the major trumpet players in jazz history from 1900 to 2021. The history of the trumpet in jazz is a glorious one filled with stories of some of the most inventive and influential people in jazz. There are stories from New Orleans to Chicago to New York, and many stops in between. We’ll hear music from King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Wynton Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Terell Stafford, and many others. To register, contact CURE at 219-980-6907 (to join by phone call) or register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Senior University: Smartphones II for Androids

2:30 to 4 p.m., Tuesdays, October 5 - 26

Zoom Meetings

Registration Deadline: noon, October 4

Free and open to anyone age 55 and better

Have you mastered sending text messages and making phone calls on your Android smartphone? Are you ready for the next level of smartphone usage? If so, then look no further because we have the live Zoom series for you! Join us and learn how to scan and send documents, copy and paste, and lock your private photos all from your Android! Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Senior University: Smartphones II for iPhones

2:30 to 4 p.m., Thursdays, October 7 - 28

Zoom Meetings

Registration Deadline: noon, October 6

Have you mastered sending text messages and making phone calls on your iPhone smartphone? Are you ready for the next level of smartphone usage? If so, then look no further because we have the live Zoom series for you! Join us and learn how to scan and send documents, copy and paste, and lock your private photos all from your iPhone! Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Senior University: Introduction to Email and Internet

Noon to 2 p.m., Fridays,

In-Person Meetings at IU Northwest

Registration Deadline: noon, September 30

If you have a functioning knowledge of computer use (you can log on and access your email account) and are ready to take the next step, then join us for this three-part, in-person series! The email component of the series will introduce participants to basic email terms and actions such as forwarding messages, attaching photos and documents, and sending messages to multiple parties. The internet component will define basic internet terms and teach participants how to access and surf the internet safely. To register, contact CURE at 219-980-6907 or register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Adult Education/Senior University: Business Building Basics

4 to 5 p.m., Wednesdays, October 13 – 27

Zoom Meetings

Registration Deadline: noon, October 12

Free and open to adults of all ages

This three-part Zoom series will provide aspiring entrepreneurs with resources they can use to start living their dream of business ownership. During the course of the workshop, participants will receive a business plan template, an entrepreneur’s guide for doing business, tools to help focus products and services, and strategies for building a debt-free business as well as a success team. Register online at: go.iu.edu/3AVG.

Adult Education: Fundamental Courses

24/7 Access; All classes start new every month

Cost varies; Courses for adults and young adults/teens

Online fundamental courses are informative, fun, and convenient. Fundamental courses include instructor-led courses and self-paced tutorials. Instructor-led courses run for six weeks with monthly start dates and feature an instructor-moderated discussion board so that you can interact with your classmates. Self-paced tutorials are designed for completely independent learning, without instructor moderation, and can be started at any time. Complete any course entirely from home, at any time of the day or night. Popular courses include Speed Spanish, Accounting Fundamentals, Introduction to Microsoft Excel, and A to Z Grant Writing. Enroll, learn more, or view all Fundamental courses at ed2go.com/iunadulted.

Adult Education: Career Training Programs

24/7 Access; Start at any time

Cost varies; Courses for adults

The online, open-enrollment Career Training Programs are designed to provide the skills necessary to acquire professional-level positions for many in-demand occupations. Our programs are designed by a team of professionals from each respective field, providing you with effective web-based learning programs. Instructors/mentors are actively involved in your online learning experience, responding to any questions or concerns, encouraging and motivating you to succeed. Enroll, learn more, or view all Career Training Programs at careertraining.ed2go.com/iun.

Adult Education: Comprehensive Career Tracks

24/7 Access; Start dates vary

Cost varies; Courses for adults

These online Career Track programs offer students a chance to hone their skills in a variety of professions—from the arts to healthcare to web development. All programs are available in the self-paced format and have opportunities for national certification, externship placement, and/or career support. For select healthcare programs, there is also the option for the instructor-led format, in which content is facilitated by live instructors with scheduled webinars and interactive activities. Enroll, learn more, or view all Comprehensive Career Tracks at iun.edu2.com.

Reading Skills Programs

Schedule and cost varies

Programs for all grade levels

Offered in partnership with the Institute of Reading Development, programs are specifically designed to give students the skills, motivation, and individual support they need in each grade level. Students attend a dynamic, live online class each week, during which they 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.