UROP Project
Older Adults and Digital Literacy
Seniors, Learning, Instruction, Community, Design, Digital Literacy
Research Mentor: Sihan Jian, She, her, hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: sj23a@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: sj23a@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: Sometimes we might visit senior centers and nursing homes in and around the Tallahassee area.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: If travel is needed off campus, I will provide the ride. Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: Sometimes we might visit senior centers and nursing homes in and around the Tallahassee area.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: If travel is needed off campus, I will provide the ride. Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 7:00
End Time: 7:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/7117970622 - Day: Friday, September 5
Start Time: 1:30
End Time: 2:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/7117970622
Project Description
Technology can greatly enhance the lives of older adults by helping them stay connected, manage household tasks, access healthcare, and navigate transportation. Despite these potential benefits, the “gray digital divide” highlights a significant gap in technology usage between older and younger generations. Many adults over 65 face difficulties in developing the digital skills needed to fully participate in today’s increasingly online world, often leading to their marginalization from digital spaces.This project focuses on examining the current digital skills and confidence levels of older adults. Findings from this work may inform future collaborations with local community organizations to design training approaches tailored to older adults’ learning preferences, with the goal of increasing their confidence and participation in digital spaces.
Research Tasks: 1. Conduct literature reviews on topics related to older adults’ digital literacy, including summarizing key findings from scholarly articles and reports.
2. Assist with on-site data collection at locations such as senior centers and nursing homes, which may include setting up online surveys, tabling at events, handing out flyers, distributing paper surveys, and helping participants complete them.
3. Conduct interviews (online, by phone, or in person) with adults aged 55 and older, following an interview guide, audio recording (with consent).
4. Clean interview transcripts and code qualitative data according to established procedures.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: We are looking for students who bring both interpersonal skills and attention to detail to support this research project.
Required:
1. Openness to and comfort with communicating respectfully with older adults
2. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Recommended:
1. Experience creating and managing survey forms in Qualtrics
2. Prior volunteer or work experience with older adults