04/10/2020
By David Perry

With the university’s mid-March shift to virtual learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new, remote reality began for students, faculty and staff.

One group of students might have felt social distancing harder than others, but thanks to some quick work, those enrolled in Learning in Retirement Association (LIRA) courses are thriving online.

LIRA, a longtime UML partner organization, offers retired and semi-retired people educational courses and social events in collaboration with the university’s Community Relations and Alumni Relations offices. While there are no age requirements for LIRA members, most participants are older, which puts them at higher risk for COVID-19. 

LIRA classes had always been held in-person, but during the pandemic, that was no longer an option. Some members were not initially thrilled with the idea of moving classes online. But if you want something, says one member, you find a way to get there.

LIRA President Peter Sebelius called UML’s Community Relations for help, and a week later, LIRA had moved entirely online using Zoom videoconferencing. Its first two classes drew 70 attendees each, exceeding the 60-person capacity of the classrooms used on campus. 

Chris Wilkinson, coordinator for government and community relations, oversaw the technological transition. The two auditioned video platforms, organized the online classes and trained users.

Wilkinson, who is also an adjunct professor who has taught sessions on internet, food, bees and other subjects to LIRA’s members, says after some initial fumbling, the transition proceeded smoothly.

“Everybody had it pretty quickly. And they were excited they were getting it right away,” he says.

LIRA courses cover a wide range of topics, including molecular biology, women in American history, climate change and forensics. Some meet weekly over the course of a semester.

“This is not just a nice, quiet book club for seniors,” says Wilkinson. (There is, however, a LIRA book club that meets one Friday each month.)

“The main thing we get is the social interaction,” says Sebelius, who leads a class called Getting Your Legal House in Order. “That’s the best thing to keep us sharp, and to stave off aging.”

“I learn a lot there,” says Carol Walcik, 72, of Tyngsboro. “It’s fun. And the thought of not having it? I was not happy.”

The retired software engineer dreaded life without LIRA. “It adds a lot to life. When this whole thing happened, a lot of people in the group were initially hesitant. Some of them were like, ‘Oh, I don’t like online,’ but the next thing you know, you see them in the online class. You can do things if you want to,” she says.

Walcik praised Wilkinson for helping people get comfortable with videoconferencing. “He allayed a lot of the fears people had,” she says.

When the first class gathered electronically in late March, people were logging in from as far away as Florida, Sebelius says. 

“Everyone was very excited about continuing online,” says Kimball Rudeen. Rudeen, 70, joined LIRA six years ago, following the cue of his wife, Beverly.

“There were a lot of very interesting presentations on a wide variety of subjects,” he says. “Some by teachers at UMass Lowell, others by members. And a lot of enthusiasm.”

The Rudeens soon began leading courses, a common thing in LIRA. Members are encouraged to present their own classes after studying a subject.

“We teach one another,” says Rudeen. “It offers a sense of community. It creates shared interests. If you know something and are willing to talk about it, you can present it.”

At a time when people are isolating at home in response to the pandemic, the switch to online classes has helped preserve that sense of community.

 “It’s not quite the same as being in a roomful of people, but this is pretty close,” says Walcik. “The school has been really supportive. We’d like to keep going, and this way we can. We’d all be really unhappy if LIRA went away.”