DiBiWohn. Digital educational Processes for elderly Persons in senior-specific Living Arrangements of Caring Institutions

Project Leadership: Prof. Dr. Michael Doh (since 09/2021 Project coordination: Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg)
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Chair Project Advisory Board: Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Wahl (Netzwork Aging Research, Heidelberg University)
Project Advisory Board: List
Project Coordination: David Leopold, M.A.
Project Staff: Dr. Mario Jokisch, Linda Göbl, M.Sc., Joshua Schlichting
Project Partnerhips: Katholische Hochschule Freiburg, Zentrum für Allgemeine Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung (ZAWiW) der Universität Ulm, Stiftung MedienKompetenz Forum Südwest (MKFS), Ludwigshafen, Evangelische Heimstiftung GmbH Stuttgart.
Funding by: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Forschungsschwerpunkt Digitalisierung im Bildungsbereich des BMBF-Rahmenprogramms empirische Bildungsforschung. Förderkennzeichen: 01JD1908A.
Duration: 2020, September 2020 - 2025, August

Project Description

The joined research project aims at a demographic group insufficiently addressed with education programs and digitalization inclusion concepts: Elderly people from senior-specific living arrangements of caring institutions (assisted living and residential care). For one part, the project’s empirical research based on educational theory, dealing with basic questions about (digital) educational processes at old and very old age and the influence of educational biography, socialization with media and technology, identity and living arrangements. For the other part, the research focuses on educational practices and methods to develop and design informal and non-formal digital educational concepts.

One goal is to foster the digital inclusions (e.g. by tablet computers and internet access) of this special target group, which is mainly inexperienced with digital technology. Herein, the project is based on an existing peer-to-peer concept for digital education among the elderly, which is well-established in the German Federal Land of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Another goal is to explore the potentials to support and sustain social and civic participation; furthermore to investigate the possibilities of digital educational platforms (e.g. webinars) for further training programs and for networking. The step-by-step implementation is supposed to start with well-developed sites of partner organizations and will favor assisted living facilities with integrated care services.

The research findings (based on a mix-method and a longitudinal design) will be used to develop (digital) education and action concepts for this especially living settings of old and very old persons. Finally, in cooperation with educational institutions, the concepts should be transferred and rolled out nationwide to further arrangements of caring institutions.