Thinking about Teaching at U3A?

Becoming a volunteer tutor at U3A Brisbane brings forth a world of joys and rewards, both personally and within the community. As a tutor, you have the unique opportunity to share your passion and expertise with a diverse group of lifelong learners, fostering a sense of fulfilment and purpose. Witnessing the growth and enthusiasm of students as they acquire new knowledge and skills is immensely rewarding. Moreover, volunteering at U3A Brisbane allows you to stay intellectually engaged and continuously expand your own horizons as you delve deeper into your subject matter. Being part of a vibrant community of like-minded individuals who value education and connection creates a strong sense of camaraderie and belonging. By contributing your time and knowledge, you play an integral role in supporting the mission of U3A Brisbane to promote lifelong learning, making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of fellow seniors.

We welcome new Tutors with open arms! Tutors are vital to U3A Brisbane. We would not exist without them. If you have been thinking of becoming a tutor or starting a discussion group, please come along to our next information session, or enquire to the appropriate Coordinator listed below. There is an information session for prospective tutors usually at the beginning of each year at one of our City Campus venues. For information on tutoring at the City Campus (Creek St or Adelaide St), please contact our Tutor Liaison Officer, Gail Hawkins, by email at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you are interested in tutoring in one of the U3A Brisbane Districts, please contact the appropriate District Coordinator as follows. You will need to make initial contact through the office email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information on classes currently offered in each area is available on our Class Details page.

Please complete the Tutor application form if you wish to teach classes at U3A Brisbane.

2024 Term dates:

Term	From	To	Weeks
1	Mon 22-Jan	Thu 28-Mar	10
2	Mon 15-Apr	Fri 21-Jun	10
3	Mon 8-Jul	Fri 13-Sep	10
4	Mon 30-Sep	Fri 6-Dec	10

Public Holidays during Term 1:
None.

2025 Term dates:

Term	From	To	Weeks
1	Tue 28-Jan	Fri 4-Apr	10
2	Tue 22-Apr	Fri 27-Jun	10
3	Mon 14-Jul	Fri 19-Sep	10
4	Tue 7-Oct	Fri 12-Dec	10

Tutor Guidelines

The following documents provide detailed information about tutoring at U3A Brisbane:
Tutor Guidelines - City Campus
Tutor Guidelines - Districts

Guidelines for acceptable types of class

• No class, or class-associated activities, should be used to advertise goods or services in which a tutor or class member has any financial interest.
• Where religion is involved in the subject-matter of a course, the only acceptable treatment is through comparative religion. There should be no classes that advocate a particular religion or ideology and there should be no proselytising.
• The only classes dealing with health or nutrition that can be accepted are those run by people with recognised formal qualifications in those fields.
• Classes on alternative or controversial subjects should be examined by the Management Committee or its appointed representatives before being allowed.
• Any tutor who, in the judgment of the Management Committee, causes concern with class content will be required to submit a plan setting out the subject to be taught and how contentious issues will be addressed in class. This should go to the Management Committee for consideration and approval.

 

Disclaimer

Please read our Disclaimer which contains important information about content of class materials, presentations, website hyperlinks and related matters.

 

Code of Conduct

 

All tutors should be aware of U3A Brisbane's Code of Conduct, and should refer members to the Code where appropriate.
Code of Conduct

Tutor facilities on website

 

Our website includes extensive secure facilities for tutors to manage their class lists and published class information. Register using the Website Registration option in the lower navigation menu above to obtain a login password. Detailed instructions are available under the Tutor Menu once you have logged in. For further information email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Discussion Forum

 

U3A Brisbane has a Discussion Forum, mainly intended for members to discuss class content with each other. In order to access the forum, students need to firstly:
Register a username and password via Website Registration. They need to respond to the security email otherwise the password won't be registered. Passwords can be re-set via the same process.

To access the Forum, once username and password have been registered:
  1. Login via the login window at top right of home page.
  2. Go to the Tutors or Members menu and select Discussion Forum.

Tutors may request a new Forum Category for their class. See Discussion Forum explanatory page for more information.

Managing Enrolments

 

Tutors should read the Managing Enrolments page for information about restricting enrolments by either setting Class Full, or by setting a Class Size limit.

Reducing PDF File Sizes

 

As a tutor you may often need to create Word or PowerPoint files and send a copy to class members, typically as a PDF. Presentations can often be very large files and can't be emailed. This page explains how to drastically reduce the size of a PDF file:
Reducing PDF File Sizes

Using Apple Presentation software

 

If you have prepared a presentation using Keynote, Pages etc. on an Apple computer, you can easily present them on a Windows laptop at U3A using iCloud. You simply upload the presentation at home to the online Keynote application within  iCloud and run it from there in the browser on the Windows laptop at U3A. You just need to sign in with your Apple ID and password. You can even prepare presentations entirely within iCloud if you wish.

It is also possible to convert Apple formats to the equivalent Windows format, e.g. Keynote to PowerPoint, from within the Apple application, but this can often be less than perfect. An alternative is to convert the presentation from within Keynote to PDF format, and run the PDF on a Windows PC. This process would not transfer animations, but works well with straighforward slides.

QR Code Attendance Recording System

 

U3A Brisbane uses our own internal QR Code system to record class attendances. For City Campus classes, QR sheets will be provided in class. For district classes, tutors will be sent a laminated QR sheet which you should take to class each week. See Using the QR System for more information.

Zoom Classes

 

We encourage Tutors to run online Zoom classes as an alternative to face-to-face classes. U3A Brisbane can provide professional Zoom Education licenses to tutors who require them. The licence allows Zoom session hosting with up to 300 attendees with no time limit. See our Running Classes Online page for more information.

Insurance Cover and Workplace Health and Safety Policy

 

Details of U3A Brisbane's insurance cover and Workplace Health and Safety Policy are explained below. Tutors should familiarise themselves with this information.
Insurance Cover and Workplace Health and Safety

Emergency Procedures

 

Emergency Evacuation Procedures - 232 Adelaide St.

City Campus Room Capacities

 

The following current room capacity figures show the maximum number of students (in addition to the Tutor) permitted in each room under our COVID Safe Plan. See Floor Plans below for an indication of room sizes.

 

Audiovisual (AV) aids

 

U3A Brisbane provides modern electronic teaching aids at its major venues. Whiteboards are also available in all rooms.

97 Creek St
Room 3 - Windows laptop running Windows 11, MS 365 with 65" digital screen.
Room 4 - Large 60" TV screen with HDMI and VGA inputs, Windows 11 laptop with MS 365, DVD player.
Room 5 - Windows 11 laptop with MS 365, 75" digital screen.
Room 8 (Computer Lab) - Windows tutor PC, MS 365, 85" digital screen, student laptops running Windows 11.

An Apple TV is available for wireless presentations from Apple devices (e.g. iPads).

232 Adelaide St
7 rooms (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18) are equipped with the following:
- Windows 11 laptops with MS 365, portable USB DVD players available from office.
- large flat panel screen (65" or 75") with HDMI input.
Apple TVs (for wireless presentations with Apple devices) and DVD players are available from the office if required.
A Document Camera is available to project documents, books etc. on the large screen. See Using the Document Camera for instructions.
 

Adelaide St Floor Plan

Adelaide St Audiovisual Instructions

Adelaide St Room 16 Soundbar Instructions

Creek St Floor Plan

Logan North Library
Large screen TV with HDMI and VGA inputs

For details of AV aids available at other district venues please contact the relevant District Coordinator. For help with audiovisual equipment please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Accessibility

 

If any of your students need advice on Accessibility, please refer them to our Accessibility page, which is linked from the Location page on the top website menu.

Photocopying

 

For environmental reasons, Tutors are encouraged to distribute class material by email in PDF format wherever possible. If you must have paper copies, classes held in the City Campus venues have a copying allowance of $50 per class per term. Copies in excess of that allowance are charged at 10c per page black and white, or 20c per page colour. Tutors are expected to do their own copying on the Canon copier at either Creek St or Adelaide St. Please contact the office manager to obtain a PIN for the copiers:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Use of copyrighted material

 

U3A Brisbane holds licenses from Copyright Agency Ltd and OneMusic (formerly APRA AMCOS) allowing the reproduction of copyrighted material in class for educational purposes. For detailed information see our Copyright page.