College seniors to senior citizens: harnessing the e-connection

This article is a report of the impact of an innovative assignment within an upper-division gerontology course in a public university. Although designed to enhance the understanding of important aging concepts for students in a Family Studies program, analysis of student writings revealed an increased understanding of the actual subject matter-older adults. As an addition to typical classroom instruction methods, students were paired with senior citizens from an adult education computer course to exchange a series of e-mail communications over the duration of the gerontology course. The e-mail discussion prompts stemmed from important concepts explored in class units. To determine the impact of this assignment, students were asked to submit a reflection paper on their experience. Student participants indicated that the experience enhanced their understanding of the course concepts and provided a positive interaction opportunity with older partners.