Exploring University Age-Friendliness Using Collaborative Citizen Science

Abstract

Background and Objectives Since the launch of Dublin City University’s Age-Friendly University (AFU) Initiative in 2012, relatively little empirical research has been published on its feasibility or implementation by institutions of higher learning. This article describes how collaborative citizen science—a research method where professional researchers and community members work together across multiple stages of the research process (e.g., data collection, analysis, and/or knowledge mobilization) to investigate an issue—was used to identify barriers and supports to university age-friendliness at the University of Manitoba (UofM) in Canada. Research Design and Methods Ten citizen scientists each completed 1 data collection walk around the UofM campus and used a tablet application to document AFU barriers and supports via photographs and accompanying audio commentaries. The citizen scientists and university researchers then worked together in 2 analysis sessions to identify AFU priority areas and brainstorm recommendations for institutional change. These were then presented to a group of interested university stakeholders. Results The citizen scientists collected 157 photos documenting AFU barriers and supports on campus. Accessibility, signage, and transportation were identified as being the most pressing issues for the university to address to improve overall age-friendliness. Discussion and Implications We suggest that academic institutions looking to complete assessments of their age-friendliness, particularly those exploring physical barriers and supports, could benefit from incorporating older citizen scientists into the process of collecting, analyzing, and mobilizing findings.

Engaging Nigerian Older Persons in Neighborhood Environment Assessment for Physical Activity Participation: A Citizen Science Project

“…For analysis purposes, each photo served as the centerpiece and was printed on a piece of paper with the transcribed commentary, a map of the location, as well as the barrier/facilitator rating (see Chesser et al, 2020 , for more details on the sheets as well as the data analysis process). These sheets were presorted by EO prior to the first meeting of the citizen scientists, according to the barrier/facilitator rating as well as possible descriptive categories associated with the commentaries.…”

“…This training involved a summary introduction to qualitative data, as well as instructions about how to identify descriptive categories within the data (photos and accompanying comments). Citizen scientists were also provided with analysis worksheets to assist with recording their thinking throughout this process (see Chesser et al, 2020 , for examples). The citizen scientists then worked in pairs with clusters of sheets to develop their own categories and subcategories, as well as brainstorm solutions and recommendations.…”

Age‐friendly Universities (AFU): Combating and inoculating against ageism in a pandemic and beyond

“…To this end, a number of efforts are in motion, including the development of instruments such as the Age‐Friendly Inventory and Campus Climate Survey (ICCS) (Silverstein et al., 2022) that provide a comprehensive measure of age‐friendly campus practices as well as perceptions of age‐friendliness by faculty, students, and staff. Other researchers have been using strategies such as focus groups, environmental scans, and photovoice projects to assess specific age‐friendly campus needs and efforts (Chesser et al., 2020; Morrow‐Howell et al., 2020; Simon et al., 2020).…”