Streaming music, swiping photos, consuming real-time news, reading e-books – all of these activities have be transformed by digital technology. This course will explore how media is created, stored, and experienced in a digitized world. We will demystify fundamentals like text files, encoding, pixels, and algorithms in easy-to-understand ways – no prior computer knowledge needed. Each session examines a different medium, contrasting analog past with digital present, exploring Generative AI’s impact. Topics will include text, images, music, social media, and media ownership.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Rafael Davis Portela is a PhD candidate in Latin American History at the Graduate Center, CUNY. His research examines the history of computing and technology, especially how they shaped and were shaped by economy. His dissertation traces Microsoft’s expansion in Brazil, the rise of the Brazilian computing industry, and resulting tensions between the US and Brazilian governments. Beyond history, Portela is passionate about programming and digital tools and has taught university researchers how to use computing in their own work.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. The Osher NRC can be reached at osheronline@northwestern.edu or call 312-503-5555.
 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, June 19, 2026.

Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on June 30, 2026 | 2pm Eastern
Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

This course will help us keep ourselves and our loved ones safer in today’s complex healthcare system. Medical harm (often unintentional yet preventable) injures and kills hundreds of thousands of patients each year. We will learn how to reduce risk from common problems such as medication errors, care accidents, infections, diagnostic mistakes, and procedural or surgical complications. Through presentations, videos, and discussions, patient safety experts and advocates will share practical strategies, tactics, and resources to help us navigate care with greater confidence.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Hardeep Singh, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and a leader in quality and safety research focused on reducing diagnostic errors, improving health information technology, and transforming health care systems. His work has informed major patient-safety initiatives and policy reports from organizations including the National Academy of Medicine, CDC, OECD, and WHO. He has received prestigious awards for his pioneering work, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for Individual Lifetime Achievement.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

Musicals have shaped American theater, from Tin Pan Alley-driven comedies of the early twentieth century to the integrated classics of midcentury. In this course, we will explore book musicals, concept musicals, and the rise of European mega-productions. We will spotlight influential composers, lyricists, writers, choreographers, directors, and performers. With the help of audiovisuals, we will study landmark shows including Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Show Boat, Guys and Dolls, Hair, Cabaret, Rent, Wicked, Hamilton, and more.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: Emanuel Abramovits is a mechanical engineer and has been a concert promoter for over two decades. He is involved in events by international artists like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, and Kenny G. Abramovits has designed and staged original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres. He served as the cultural director at Union Israelita De Caracas, releasing books and organizing film cycles, concerts, and art exhibits.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13, 2026.

The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).

Explore 100 years of American history through objects often taken for granted in everyday life: signs. This course introduces the Museum’s origins and features a conversation with ASM’s founder about why signs matter. We will examine how signs have evolved due to trends in commerce and technology and explore case studies of three major food companies who used signage to shape their brands. In the final session, we will take a virtual visit to ASM’s neon shop to see how a neon sign is made.

OSHER ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: The American Sign Museum (Cincinnati, Ohio) covers more than 100 years of American sign history and displays more than 800 signs and artifacts, making it the most comprehensive museum of its kind. With a mission to educate the community about the history of the sign industry and its significant contribution to commerce and the American landscape, the Museum is organized to preserve, archive and display a historical collection of signs in their many types and forms.

Osher Online courses are offered fully online through Zoom – classes are not recorded. The Osher National Resource Center manages these courses and all communication to registered students. The Osher NRC can be reached at osheronline@northwestern.edu or call 312-503-5555.
 

You must be an OLLI member to register. This program is currently offered to a select few OLLI's. Space is limited per university. Registration deadline is Friday, June 19, 2026.

Osher Online Member Orientation will be available for registered OLLI members and will take place via Zoom on June 30, 2026 | 2pm Eastern

Osher Online is a complement to OLLI programs offered by the Osher National Resource Center. The National Resource Center for Osher Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).