Call for Instructors

“Those in the classes are engaged with the material. They have chosen to be there and look to make the most of it. They come from a wide background, ranging from teaching and engineering to psychiatry and accounting, and to them retirement does not mean retiring from learning. It is this drive that particularly appeals to me.”
- Clay Burlingham

“Teaching an SSCL class is essentially the Platonic ideal of teaching. In other words, it's what teaching should be. Everyone who is there is only there because they want to be. They are interested in the material. Plus, they often have lived experiences which connect to the material and want to participate. It's an amazing experience.”
- Jason Zorbas

“I try to avoid the jargon, that can come with a particular field, and if I do have to use words that are particularly laden, I look to unpack them (for example, “existentialism”)
- Clay Burlingham

“I tend to use less technology and fewer pop-culture references.”
- Jason Zorbas

“I like the hybrid classes, but one needs to remember that in teaching one, it means speaking to two worlds (those in the classroom and those at home) at the same time. That means writing on the board will not be seen by those at home, so using a white board is essential, for those not in the classroom. Questions asked in class have to be repeated for those at home, and that is not always easy to remember. In finding ways to balance questions, so that the thread of the lecture, remains forefront, usually some kind of method much be found, so that questions, which are always good, do not hijack the class. I found setting aside a set amount of time (ten minutes) prior to the break as one way to deal this.”
- Clay Burlingham

“Hybrid teaching is a little more difficult because of the need to be aware of the camera, and therefore where you are standing. As well, it is hard to use PowerPoint, so I usually dispense with it altogether. Also, because of the online section, questions need to be asked at a specific time, instead of organically during the lecture. Having said this, these are relatively minor issues, and I don't usually have any problems with hybrid teaching.”
- Jason Zorbas

“I think that it is important to unpack the material in a way that interests. Those in the class want to be there. Have a topic that will intrigue, and present it in a way that will draw them in. These are people who want to think, and with that, give them something to think about. An outline of the lectures really helps, as does a short bibliography.”
- Clay Burlingham

“I would recommend that you know your audience. These are not undergraduates but rather mostly retirees who are still dedicated to learning. The strategies and teaching styles that work for an SSCL class will likely be different than an undergraduate class. Also, expect questions. Good, thoughtful questions. Finally, you will likely be challenged at some point on some of your material. Be humble and receptive to this. There's a really good chance that they're right and you're wrong.”
- Jason Zorbas

“It is nice to be able to just teach. In the classes I do for the University, there are assignments, which change the tone of the class, for people never really like being marked. Here, one can focus just on the lectures, along with the questions they generate.”
- Clay Burlingham

“Initially, I was looking for work and a colleague suggested SSCL as an option. After my first class, I was hooked! I've been teaching for the program ever since.”
- Jason Zorbas

Saskatoon Seniors Continued Learning (SSCL) is a non-profit partnered with the University of Saskatchewan to offer engaging, non-credit courses for adults 55+. Courses are taught by instructors affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan (i.e., professors, sessional lecturers, PhD candidates) and the operations are supported by a Program Manager and volunteer Board.

Instructors must be affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan — for example, active faculty, sessional lecturers (within the past three terms), or PhD candidates. Retired faculty may only be eligible if your department/college is covering the cost of continued teaching access. If you are retired and unsure, please check with your department before submitting a proposal.

SSCL runs three terms each year: Fall (September–November); Winter (January–March); Spring (March–May). Courses are 8 weeks long, with one 2-hour class per week.

All in-person classes are held in Room 224/225 at the Williams Building on Cumberland Ave. All classes also are offered on Zoom.

Note: SSCL does not pause during university Reading Weeks or Mid-Term Breaks. View 2026-27 dates.

Applications for the 2026-27 year will be accepted throughout May 1-31, 2026. The Program Manager collates all submissions and presents them to the SSCL Program Committee who then approves the course schedules.

• Submit proposal

You’re welcome to submit multiple course proposals! Please make a separate submission for each one. Offering a variety of topics gives the SSCL Program Committee more options to consider when building the schedule.

Most courses are hybrid: in-person at the University (WILL 224/225) and online via Zoom. Some instructors teach online-only, though this is less common.

As of April 2026: $1,650 for online-only delivery and $1,800 for hybrid delivery, paid by e-transfer.

No. Teaching with SSCL is not subject to the University’s assignment of duties process and is taken on voluntarily.

There are no health care benefits in the contract with SSCL, only a monetary honorarium.

Only if your total earnings across all contracts (not just SSCL) exceed $30,000 in the fiscal year. In that case, SSCL can apply and report GST accordingly.

Yes. About one week before your class begins, the Zoom Lead will email you the number of in-person and online enrolments.

Rare. Courses with fewer than 10 enrolments are cancelled. Courses with 10–15 are reviewed by the Program Committee; courses with 15+ run as planned.

No student emails are shared.

SSCL does not currently have access to the CANVAS platform. As an alternative, you may setup a shared folder in your personal OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

You won’t need to - our amazing Zoom Lead takes care of all the Zoom link setup for you!

The students are all members of SSCL, aged 55+.

Yes. A cabinet at the front of the classroom (under the computer) contains a lapel microphone for you and a handheld wireless microphone for student questions. You will be provided with the code to unlock the cabinet. A control box beside the computer manages the audio and video. Spare batteries are usually available in the cabinet, though occasionally they are depleted without notice.

It depends on whether you hold a current or non-current role, which affects access and licensing cost:

USask IT will not provide support for Zoom because it is a non-USask system. However, an orientation can be arranged by request with the SSCL Zoom Lead, who will contact you a few weeks before your first class.

For any support during class other than Zoom, you can call the IT Support Line (if you are “current”). Please be aware that there are no IT staff at the Williams Building available for inperson support. All troubleshooting will take place over the phone.

Helpful resources:

• View up-to-date A/V details, photos, and equipment information for WILL224/225 in this knowledgebase article (Current USask NSID required).
• Check WILL224/225 availability through the Space Booking channel in PAWS: paws.usask.ca/roombooking >> “Book a Space” >> search “Location” for WILL 224/225 to see current bookings

SSCL provides volunteer monitors to support both classroom and online participation. You will be sent their contact information before the start of your course.

Please phone your Zoom Monitor right away, not the Program Manager. The Zoom Monitor (or Lead) can notify both in-person and online registrants if the class is cancelled.

Film/video can be played in the SSCL classes for educational purposes, provided that the film/video is from one of the following sources:

• A DVD, BluRay, or other physical media that the instructor owns or has borrowed
• Material that is freely, openly available on the internet as long as it was legally posted online (i.e., by the copyright owner or with their permission)
• One of the film/video databases subscribed to by the University Library that is licensed for use by walk-in users of the Library. The video databases are listed here, and can be used as long as the "Additional Info" below a given databases indicates that access is available to walk-in users:
• Material rented or purchased from Google Play or YouTube's paid content (their terms of use allow for non-commercial and private educational use of the material)
• Material from the above sources can be played in an in-person class or an online/hybrid class, as long as the online class is not recorded.

Because of restrictive "home/individual use only" terms of use, any other personal subscription streaming accounts (e.g., Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Crave, Apple TV etc.) cannot be used to show films on the USask campus. Any of the library film databases that do not expressly permit access for walk-in users should also not be used.