OLDER WOMEN'S VIEWS ON THEIR PARTICIPATION IN A BLENDED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM USING FB ROOM PLATFORM

Venetis Kanakaris, Maria Pavlis-Korres

Abstract


Several studies have found that elderly people have a difficulty in using social media platforms and smartphone apps due to a number of barriers that discourage them from engaging with technology. This study presents older women’s views regarding a two-month blended (synchronous and asynchronous) learning course on using apps and social media on smartphones in their daily life. The design of the educational course was based on older adult women’s needs. The findings of the qualitative research indicate that older people’s educational needs are better met when they participate in an asynchronous e-learning environment, where they are given the opportunity to proceed at their own pace. Moreover, the results suggest that designers and educators can incorporate video tutorials (narration and subtitles) in the learning programs as an effective educational mean and use Facebook as a learning platform so as to engage learners and facilitate communication between educators and learners.

Keywords


e-learning, Facebook room, video-lessons, blended learning, smartphones

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v7i1.4175

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