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Design and Evaluation of an Online Digital Storytelling Course for Seniors

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Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2018 (FTC 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 880))

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Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this proposed project was to develop and evaluate an online version of a digital storytelling course delivered through the university’s Canvas learning platform. Background. In digital storytelling, participants write their personal stories in a clear and linear structure, and then create short movies using relatively simple video editing software. This provides an opportunity to share life lessons, leave a legacy, and engage socially with their peers. Method. We adapted the content and activities from the earlier face-to-face course into weekly online modules. The target audience comprised 15 older adults between 60 and 75 years old. A Research Assistant (RA) provided online assistance when requested using Skype. A qualitative approach was employed to collect data, including a demographic questionnaire, module questionnaires, a course evaluation survey near the end, and individual interviews. Results. The findings of our evaluation showed that 9 of the 15 participants were able to complete the online course in varying timeframes. Participants’ feedback was very positive and all participants who completed the course reported that they would recommend it to a friend. Conclusion. Two key suggestions emerged for improving the course. First, make the time and workload requirements clear during the recruitment process. Second, investigate ways for reducing the time required to complete the course in future offerings. Despite these suggestions, the results appear to provide support for offering the digital storytelling online course to a wider audience of older adults.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the AGE-WELL National Centre of Excellence Network for financial support of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada

    David Kaufman, Diogo Silva, Robyn Schell & Simone Hausknecht

Authors
  1. David Kaufman
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  2. Diogo Silva
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  3. Robyn Schell
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  4. Simone Hausknecht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Kaufman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Saga University , Saga, Japan

    Kohei Arai

  2. The Science and Information (SAI) Organization, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK

    Rahul Bhatia

  3. The Science and Information (SAI) Organization, Bradford, UK

    Supriya Kapoor

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Kaufman, D., Silva, D., Schell, R., Hausknecht, S. (2019). Design and Evaluation of an Online Digital Storytelling Course for Seniors. In: Arai, K., Bhatia, R., Kapoor, S. (eds) Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2018. FTC 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 880. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02686-8_84

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