DESIGNING INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING COURSES BASED ON STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Generations Together and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education have jointly supported the establishment of service-learning in American college and university gerontology programs through minigrants to faculty members who design and implement intergenerational service-learning gerontology courses. Thirty such courses have been offered over the past 3 years. We examined survey data collected from students enrolled in 10 intergenerational service-learning courses in spring semester 1999. The analysis suggested that characteristics such as age, gender, and class standing as well as students previous experiences in gerontology and service activities may explain how they expect to benefit from an intergenerational service-learning course. This article also discusses relationship-based and curriculum-based benefits of intergenerational service-learning courses and makes recommendations for designing intergenerational service-learning gerontology courses based on the characteristics of students enrolled in the course.