Embracing Older Adults in Online Learning

Life expectancy at birth is the highest of all times and tends to increase. This leads to an older society and brings out various needs that are not taken into consideration before, one of which is the education of older adults. People usually get the idea that older adults cannot learn or do not feel the need to learn. However, learning is an integral part of life and need of learning never ends. Education in older adulthood leads to healthier and more personalized lives, thus, happier individuals in later ages. Older adult learners are not perceived as a burden by the rest of the society, on the contrary, they are considered as individuals who enrich the society with their knowledge and experience. Precautions of the Covid-19 Pandemic and current technological opportunities accelerated the substitution of face-to-face teaching and learning environments with digital ones. Nevertheless, older adults who already experience declines in cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities, have been subjected to various technological barriers as well. Online education of older adults requires well-designed learning environments to maximize the efficiency of activities performed using computers or mobile devices. Considering that interface are the initiatives of communication between user and digital content, if designed with consideration of changing physical conditions, prior knowledge, habitudes and experiences of older adults, interface might become a mediator to increase the effectiveness of digital content. This study examines design-wise issues in online learning environments within the framework of gerontology and older adult education.