Increasingly, ungrading practices are utilized by instructors to reduce student anxiety associated with grade achievement and increase the impact of feedback as a driver of academic achievement. Studies exploring the impact of ungrading practices largely focus on the instructor's perspective and are discipline-specific. This study sought to expand upon existing ungrading literature by focusing on student perceptions of ungrading within the gerontology field. Students in two graduate gerontology courses utilizing ungrading strategies shared their experiences through an end of semester survey. A thematic analysis of the results presented consistent conversations focused on academic risk taking, stress and anxiety, and instructor feedback. The study results are in line with previous research, providing further support for ungrading practices to be considered across academic disciplines as tools that empower students to confidently take ownership over their learning experience.
The training of future psychologists requires pedagogical approaches that effectively bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and the complex competencies demanded in professional practice with older adults. This study aimed to evaluate the educational impact of a narrative simulation with a standardized patient implemented in an undergraduate Aging Psychology course. A pilot mixed-methods design was conducted with 56 third-year psychology students. Quantitative data were collected through an ad hoc questionnaire assessing satisfaction, perceived usefulness, methodological design, and professional transferability, while qualitative data were obtained from written reflective narratives. Descriptive analyses showed very high overall satisfaction and perceived professional relevance of the experience. Thematic analysis revealed four core learning domains: development of communicative and empathic competencies, emotional self-regulation and reflective awareness, humanization of aging through narrative identity, and the pedagogical value of structured debriefing. The integration of findings indicates that narrative simulation provides a psychologically safe and experientially rich learning environment that supports the development of key gerontopsychological competencies beyond what traditional instructional methods typically achieve. These results highlight the potential of narrative simulation with standardized patients as a transferable and impactful educational strategy in aging psychology education, with implications for curriculum design and competency-based training in gerontology-related disciplines.
There is a deficit in training, skill development opportunities, and resources needed to prepare Black early-career scholars for sustainable careers in gerontology. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play an important role in this effort, as they produce a large percentage of Black graduates in social science and health fields. This paper describes one initiative designed to diversify the gerontological workforce: the HBCU Aging Conference. Co-organized by the Gerontological Society of America's HBCU Collaborative Interest Group and Blacks in Gerontology and Geriatrics, the first convening occurred as a soft launch in 2023, followed by the inaugural full conference in 2024. Based on a succinct review of conference activities, this paper presents recommendations for preparing future scholars to address knowledge gaps in Black aging research. The HBCU Aging Conference has created a critical pipeline for training and supporting the next generation of Black scholars in aging.
Preparing physicians to care for older adults is essential to meet the growing demand for geriatric care in a healthcare system with a limited number of geriatric specialists and whose population is aging. Graduating medical students are expected to be competent in several fundamental geriatric assessment skills. Interactive, hands-on teaching methods allow for optimal student engagement and real-time feedback to foster skill development. We designed and implemented a Geriatrics Skills Session for third-year medical students based on the Geriatric 5 Ms. Students rotated through stations (i.e structured, focused learning activities) where they engaged in role-play, hands-on demonstrations, and small-group discussions. During academic years (AYs) 2021-2025, a total of 501 students participated. Post-session surveys showed high levels of satisfaction. Students completed two Direct Observations with standardized patients where the students were observed on their ability to take a history and perform a physician exam of a patient presenting with chief complaint of a fall (based on expected core competencies related to Mobility, one of the Geriatric 5 Ms). The session has been well-received by third-year medical students and can be easily adapted for learners at various levels, either in full or in parts.
Population aging has created an urgent need for innovative and culturally grounded educational strategies to prepare a compassionate and competent elder care workforce. This mixed-methods action research study explored the effects of an 18-week intergenerational, music-based educational intervention on Indigenous university students' aging knowledge, attitudes toward older adults, and caregiving willingness in Taiwan. Guided by contact theory, transformative learning, and cultural safety frameworks, the program combined classroom learning, structured intergenerational music activities at community care centers, and reflective group sessions. Twenty-two Indigenous students participated in the study. Quantitative results indicated significant improvements in aging knowledge, attitudes toward older adults, and caregiving willingness, with large effect sizes across all measures. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three mechanisms of change: challenging stereotypes and fostering emotional connection through intergenerational contact; perspective transformation through critical reflection; and strengthening cultural identity and caregiving intentions within a culturally safe learning environment. These findings highlight the effectiveness of integrating intergenerational and arts-based approaches with cultural safety principles in gerontological education. This low-cost, scalable model provides an innovative pathway for reducing ageism and cultivating a culturally responsive elder care workforce, particularly among Indigenous students and other culturally diverse groups.
Despite Spain's progressive demographic aging, the lack of teacher training in generational diversity perpetuates ageism and discriminatory attitudes in the education system. To address this challenge, this study analyzed preservice teachers' initial ideas about older people and their prevalence, following the creation of educational materials to address aging and ageism in Primary Education. A descriptive-interpretative approach was adopted, involving 71 students from the University Degree in Primary Education. A mixed methodology was used, structured in four phases: pre-activity evaluations, development of training proposals to address aging and ageism; final evaluations, and expert evaluation of the training proposals. The results of the pre-activity evaluations identified that 82% of participants held negative stereotypes about older people; after the design of the training proposals, this percentage was reduced to 9%. On the whole, the results derived from the development of the educational material showed effective awareness-raising and a significant improvement in attitudes toward aging. Finally, the expert evaluation detected the persistence of sexist language toward older people in the didactic proposal designed, concluding that, although teacher training at university level effectively combats age discrimination; it is necessary to address discriminatory linguistic biases in the Spanish language to ensure comprehensive awareness among future teachers.
Researchers are increasingly using virtual methods to collect data and conduct research with older adults. Yet, as these methods are rapidly applied, the protocols for their implementation lag behind. This article uses case studies of photovoice research conducted with older adults completely within a virtual environment and the researcher's experience at an older adults' technology-based organization to create a conceptual framework that serves as an inclusive research protocol for virtual research with older adults. We used elements of virtual curriculum design and a virtual photovoice study as case studies to create a participatory research design framework for Older Adults' Inclusion in Virtual Research and guidelines for digital data collection and study methods. This article provides a conceptual framework for addressing issues of working with older adults in virtual settings before a researcher enacts their study. It offers a way to construct a virtual research plan or protocol for individual studies, meeting the needs of both older adults and research teams. The study advances practice and pedagogy by offering concrete application, providing practical tools, and addressing real-world considerations by using case studies as examples.
Ageism remains a persistent social issue that limits positive aging experiences and discourages younger adults from engaging with aging-related topics and careers. Guided by the Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences (PEACE) model, this pilot study evaluated an aging course - Images of Aging Through Film and Literature (IATFL) - designed for non-medical college students. The course applied films, literature, and structured instructional guides to provide accurate education about aging and repeated virtual contact with images of older adults. Using a single-group pre - post design, ageism was measured with the Fraboni Scale of Ageism among students enrolled in the course (n = 56). Results indicated a statistically significant reduction in ageism following course completion, with a small-to-moderate effect size, Cohen's d = 0.37. Findings suggest that film- and literature-based virtual contact offers a practical and scalable pedagogical approach to reducing ageist attitudes among non-medical college students. The IATFL course design may be particularly useful for institutions seeking innovative strategies to promote aging-friendly attitudes in higher education.
Preparing nursing students to provide high-quality, person-centered dementia care is a global priority, yet most research has focused on measuring educational outcomes rather than understanding the mechanisms that underpin meaningful change. This qualitative study explored how a three-year Dementia Education Programme (DEP), embedded within an undergraduate nursing curriculum at a UK university, shaped students' knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practice. Thirteen students participated in semi-structured interviews approximately ten months after completing the DEP, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four interrelated themes captured students' reflections on learning and professional development: (1) "It gave me such a good insight." Building knowledge and awareness; (2) "What I took most from it was that not everybody's the same." Transforming attitudes and person-centered values; (3) "It was experiencing what people with dementia experience." Enthusiasm for novel teaching methods; and (4) "I feel that I'm more confident going in now." Impact on practice. Findings highlight how emotional impact, educator authenticity, and multimodal pedagogy acted as key mechanisms for deep learning. By moving the field beyond outcome measurement toward process and mechanism, this study provides insight into how dementia education translates into practice, a dimension rarely examined in gerontological and health professions education.
Ageism remains a global challenge that undermines the quality of care for older adults. Nursing students, as future healthcare professionals, are in a key position to prevent age-related discrimination through educational interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of structured older adult care training on nursing students' attitudes toward ageism. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 120 undergraduate nursing students in Türkiye (60 experimental, 60 control). The experimental group completed an eight-week face-to-face older adult care program, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Positive and Negative Ageism Scale (PNAS). Pre- and posttest scores were analyzed using non-parametric tests (p < 0.05). The experimental group showed a significant improvement in Positive Ageism scores compared with the control group (Z = -2.267, p = 0.023), whereas no significant change occurred in the control group. Gender and income were associated with differences in attitudes toward older adults. Structured geriatric care education enhanced students' positive attitudes toward older adults and contributed to more favorable perceptions of aging.Trial Registration: NCT06488885.
Telehealth offers increased access to healthcare services for older adults, yet this potential remains unrealized due to numerous barriers, including limited perceived competence to use technologies and older adult demographic factors. This study examined the impact of one training program embedded within a service-learning curriculum at a university medical center, which included didactic online training modules and subsequent live telehealth sessions with students. A quasi-experimental repeated measures design was employed to assess community participants' (n = 59) confidence in using telehealth at baseline, post-didactic modules, and post-live telehealth sessions with students. We assessed participants' perceptions through the Telehealth Competency Questionnaire - Consumer Version (TCQ-C) and the Usefulness subscale of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ-U) at each time point and the moderating effects of demographic factors. Significant increases (p < .001) in TCQ-C and TUQ-U occurred across the curriculum. Age and participant being of an underrepresented race/ethnicity had a significant influence on outcomes, though the median household income of the participant's zip code did not. Outcomes suggest telehealth training may increase potential users' perceptions of telehealth competency and usefulness. Participant demographics influenced their response to the curriculum. This suggests that targeted training may be critical to reducing disparate access to the promise of telehealth.
Generational equity issues, spanning politics, environmental sustainability, health care, and economic policy, are increasingly visible in public discourse, yet remain underexplored in gerontological education. This article presents an innovative graduate-level social work course that centers intergenerational justice as a framework for engaging students and lifelong learners in aging-related social justice topics. Through thematic modules, experiential activities, and interdisciplinary content, the course invites students to examine justice across and within age groups, challenging ageist assumptions and fostering cross-generational empathy. A unique iteration of the course incorporated older adult learners through partnership with a lifelong learning institute, enriching classroom dialogue and modeling inclusive pedagogy. Evaluation data revealed high student satisfaction, increased engagement, and reduced ageist attitudes across generations. Lessons learned highlight the importance of thoughtful facilitation, institutional support, and curricular adaptability. This course offers a replicable model for integrating aging content into generalist education and specialized courses that address equity across the lifespan. By reframing aging as a dynamic and justice-oriented domain, intergenerational justice education may help attract students with diverse interests to gerontology and address workforce gaps in aging-related fields.
This paper urges universities to form interdisciplinary partnerships between gerontology and engineering programs to develop curricula, mentor students, train faculty, and engage in community outreach. The goal is to equip gerontologists and engineers to advance technologies for healthy aging. Geriatric engineering is an emerging discipline that utilizes the iterative nature of the engineering design process in the development of gerotechnology, defined as compensatory and/or assistive technologies that promote healthy aging. Considering the growth of this discipline, the establishment of interdisciplinary university-based academic partnerships is critical. The paper details a multi-faceted partnership between gerontology and engineering to include two courses on artificial intelligence and machine learning in health care, a faculty development opportunity in gerotechnology, integration of artificial intelligence in nursing homes, identifying and utilizing a dedicated lab space for gerotechnology, conceptual expansion of a simulation model home promoting living-in-place, and the expansion of student mentoring. Additionally, the authors propose a model for fostering academic collaboration. There remains a dearth of literature describing university-based academic partnerships between engineering and gerontology, despite the global growth in the older adult population and the need for innovative technology promoting healthy aging.
Although there are a growing number of people living with dementia, there remains negativity and fear surrounding this set of conditions. Post-secondary students are a pivotal force for change as they enter the workforce and shape their communities for future generations. We created and delivered the "Open Minds, Open Hearts," to connect post-secondary students and people living with dementia from across Canada. Offered in a hybrid format, we delivered a total of 402 activity sessions supporting 3844 interactions between people living with dementia and students. Students came from 53 post-secondary institutions, representing a wide range of disciplines, programs of study, and ethnicities. Through post-program online surveys, students (n = 120) shared how the program shaped their perspectives on dementia (more empathy and respect, less fear or anxiety), and how they intend to bring this understanding to their future communities and workplaces. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data from the surveys were analyzed using content analysis. Consistent with prior research, we found that a program emphasizing relationship building and meaningful engagement with people living with dementia has a positive impact on students' perceptions and attitudes toward dementia.
This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge about Alzheimer's disease (AD) among graduates of gerontology undergraduate programs in Turkiye and to identify factors associated with their knowledge levels. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 gerontology graduates recruited via alumni networks and professional platforms. Data were collected using an online survey including a demographic form and the Turkish version of the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS-TR). Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine differences in AD knowledge scores across participant characteristics, with significance set at p < .05. The overall mean ADKS-TR score was 22.04 ± 3.44 (IQR:11-29), indicating a moderate level of knowledge. Female graduates scored significantly higher than males (p = .007). Employed participants and those who perceived themselves as knowledgeable also had higher scores (p < .001 and p = .017, respectively). No significant differences were observed based on age, time since graduation, prior AD-specific training, or personal/familial exposure to AD. Participants demonstrated the highest knowledge in the "Assessment and Diagnosis," "Life Impact," and "Symptoms" domains, while "Caregiving" scored lowest. The most common misconceptions concerned functional impairments, prevention strategies, and decision-making abilities, whereas general disease characteristics were correctly identified by most participants. Gerontology graduates in Turkiye possess moderate AD knowledge, with gender, employment status, and self-perceived competence as key correlates. Persistent gaps in practical caregiving and prevention highlight the need for continuous, practice-oriented, and targeted educational programs to improve professional competence in AD care.
Our aim was twofold: 1) determine the characteristics of those who hold stigmatizing beliefs toward persons with dementia and 2) identify which dementia-related behaviors are most likely to be stigmatized. Questionnaires were administered to 298 undergraduate students. Participants read a vignette of a woman displaying six dementia-related behaviors and asked to what degree each behavior was distressing. Participants provided information on their age, sex-at-birth, gender, socioeconomic and marital statuses. Correlations were examined between personality traits, time spent with a person with dementia, knowledge about dementia, ageism, and stigmatization of dementia. ANOVAs were conducted to assess differences in levels of distress elicited across the six dementia-related behaviors exhibited in the vignette and across the three components of the stigmatization scale. Ageist beliefs and stigmatizing beliefs were positively associated. More time spent with persons with dementia as well as higher levels of Conscientiousness and Extraversion predicted lower levels of ageist beliefs. Aggression and poor hygiene were judged to be significantly more upsetting to participants than poor memory and confusion. The association between ageist beliefs and stigmatizing beliefs suggests that education programs should provide information about normal aging in addition to information about dementia.
We describe the development and delivery of a seminar to train emerging geriatric leaders from diverse disciplines in quality improvement science utilizing the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement. We implemented a six-session synchronous virtual quality improvement seminar employing a "flipped classroom" approach consistent with experiential learning, involving pre-work, in-session application through exercises and work-time, and homework, over three cohorts of learners (2022-2024). Content was adapted through formative evaluation in year one, with additional refinements in years two and three. Of those who completed a summative evaluation survey in year three (N = 23, 46% response), 60.8% pursued a quality improvement project described as completed (21.7%) or in progress (39.1%); 21.7% had presentations or publications about their projects. Most participants rated seminar topics and tools as somewhat or very useful (on a 1-3 scale), particularly the aims statement (M = 2.95, SD = 0.22), and project planning tools (M = 2.81, SD = 0.40). Participants agreed or strongly agreed they were using seminar information now (82.6%) and/or in the future (91.3%), and that their project improved patient care (60.8%). A quality improvement seminar for interprofessional emerging geriatric leaders was well received and may contribute to dissemination of scholarly products and improvements in patient care.
Various educational programs have been designed to reduce dementia-related stigma. However, the most effective content remains unclear owing to the integration of multiple contents. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of different content. Participants from a crowdsourcing website were randomly assigned to one of five online interventions: (1) a lecture video on dementia and the lives of people living with dementia (15.2 min); (2) a short drama about a person living with dementia and their families (28.4 min); (3) drama combined with virtual reality (VR), allowing participants to experience part of the drama from a person living with dementia perspective (37.5 min), (4) mini-games simulating interactions with people living with dementia (12.6 min); and (5) documentary videos about people living with dementia (15.0 min). Attitudes and helping intentions toward people living with dementia were assessed before and after the interventions. All groups demonstrated significant within-group improvements, but no significant differences in score changes were observed between groups. Considering their short duration and ease of development and delivery, and comparable effects with other methods, lecture videos are recommended as an efficient method for reducing dementia stigma via online education.
