Active aging learning through virtual platform among the middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan: A preliminary finding
H. C. Wei, A. T. Lin, G. L. Chen, S. T. Lin
Full text PDF 
( Download count: 228)
AbstractThe population of 65-years-old and above has exceeded 14% of the entire population in Taiwan by the end of March 2018, transforming Taiwan into an aged society. It was estimated by 2025, the population of 65-years-old and above will increase to more than 20% of the entire population, advancing Taiwan into an ultra-aged society. Given this rapid growth of the aging population, it is imperative that we develop a new perspective, attitude, and policies to accommodate the gradual change, such as from “long-term care” to “education” and “passive response” to “proactive action”. Since 2008, the Taiwanese Minister of Education has promoted the Active Aging Learning Program (AALP). This program calls for the establishment of Active Aging Learning Centers (AALCs) in local areas, encouraging individuals age 55 and above to participate in continuing education to foster the mindset of “active aging” (also known as Le-Ling). As of now, Taiwan has 370 Centers with more than 3,000 learning spots. Among 370 Centers, 12 Centers were awarded as Model Centers, and 10 Centers were awarded as Centers of Excellence (Wei, 2012). Our team is responsible for the implementation and research of AALP, and we have been providing consultation and training to the AALCs across Taiwan. The current AALP includes the following parts: 1) establishing the operational structure for Active Aging Learning Centers, 2) developing and training operational personnel, 3) developing and training volunteers, 4) developing and training instructors, 5) providing consultation to established Centers, 6) designing and publishing course curriculum, and 7) organizing and hosting annual active aging learning conferences. Since 2018, we have started investigating the quality of the services and curriculum provided by the AALCs, including learners’ perception, the effectiveness of the curriculum, and learning needs(Wu & Li, 2018). Since May 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person educational services have been halted. The government, however, encouraged schools and educational institutes to transition from in-person learning to virtual learning. AALCs also began their first virtual platform to continue Lei-Ling. Contrary to the stereotypical impression of older adults, this implementation has demonstrated that middle-aged and older adults are capable of virtual learning through technology. From the previous data, it can be found that the proportion of males among the Active Aging Learning Program participants in Taiwan is relatively low compared to females (Wei & Li, 2015, 2016, 2017). Since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Taiwan was very fortunate not to be greatly affected. But with the development of many online courses due to Covid-19, we are seeing another opportunity to increase male participation in senior courses.Keywords: gender differences, life-long learning, active aging learning, virtual learning
H. C. Wei, A. T. Lin, G. L. Chen, S. T. Lin (2022). Active aging learning through virtual platform among the middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan: A preliminary finding. Gerontechnology, 21(s),1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2022.21.s.532.opp7