Numerous project partners from the industry and science developed solutions for the challenges of demographic change in the “Fit4Age” research association, which has been working for the last three years. Together with the University of Applied Sciences in Munich and the University of Regensburg, szenaris GmbH looked at the conditions under which also older people can be successfully qualified with e-learning.
Sociologists refer to the fact that less and less junior employees are available for companies, while at the same time the number of older employees is constantly increasing, as “age scissor effect”. More and more companies therefore invest in the continuous qualification of their older employees, especially with learning forms that can be applied in close proximity of the workplace. Using employees in the logistics industry as a case study, szenaris and its research partners investigated the special requirements for older people learning with digital media.
“One major finding is that older people are learning differently rather than worse than their younger co-workers, and this has consequences for the design of learning programs”, says Dr. Uwe Katzky, managing director of szenaris GmbH. For example, older people prefer learning programs which can be worked through in a linear way and which feature a simple, barrier-free user interface. Younger people on the other hand tend to learn in an explorative manner. Life-long learning is important for both target groups, though, since only learning on a regular basis can prevent one’s learning abilities from getting rusty.
Sociologists refer to the fact that less and less junior employees are available for companies, while at the same time the number of older employees is constantly increasing, as “age scissor effect”. More and more companies therefore invest in the continuous qualification of their older employees, especially with learning forms that can be applied in close proximity of the workplace. Using employees in the logistics industry as a case study, szenaris and its research partners investigated the special requirements for older people learning with digital media.
“One major finding is that older people are learning differently rather than worse than their younger co-workers, and this has consequences for the design of learning programs”, says Dr. Uwe Katzky, managing director of szenaris GmbH. For example, older people prefer learning programs which can be worked through in a linear way and which feature a simple, barrier-free user interface. Younger people on the other hand tend to learn in an explorative manner. Life-long learning is important for both target groups, though, since only learning on a regular basis can prevent one’s learning abilities from getting rusty.
