Unusual suspects for Age-Friendly University (AFU) intergenerational classroom exchange: A classroom case study in forensic science

ABSTRACT

Intergenerational classroom activities have been used to enhance age inclusivity in higher education in the traditional aging curriculum. As ageism continues to be prevalent, there is a need to extend intergenerational contact across the curriculum. Moreover, intergenerational exchange can be an asset to content learning in diverse classrooms. As part of the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative that emphasizes the value of intergenerational teaching and learning, students and older adults were brought together in the present classroom case study in a forensic science course. The older adults residing in the institution’s affiliated university-based retirement community (UBRC) developed a mock crime scene scenario for students to solve and engaged with students as they analyzed evidence. Students were surveyed regarding their perceived learning gains and reactions to the intergenerational activity. Students’ responses indicated that the intergenerational experience had both a positive impact on content learning and the perceived value of intergenerational exchange to enhance learning in non-aging focused courses.

KEYWORDS:

• Age-Friendly University
• intergenerational
• University-based-retirement community

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.