Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2020 - GERO 412 D100

Special Topics in Gerontology III (3)

Innovation & Aging

Class Number: 8419

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    60 units. Recommended: GERO 300.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Selected psychological, sociological, economic, biological and practical aspects of the aging of individuals and populations.

COURSE DETAILS:

Rapid advances in technology are occurring at the same time as the aging of the populations in Canada and worldwide. AgingTech is increasingly recognized as a key strategy to support the health, well-being and social participation of older adults, and to open up business opportunities for service providers and industry. Technology could provide solutions to the growing demands on health services that come from rising service costs and population aging. Despite the potential, too many good ideas fail to launch. The gap between R&D and real-world implementation is commonly called the “valley of death” and may be the result of various factors. There is an overly simplistic view that pilots and prototypes will naturally scale-up to mainstream products. Researchers working within the academic sector often lack the insight and skills needed to create viable commercial products. Start-ups have played a major role in AgingTech, but promising new businesses and products often fail because of factors such as weak management or the inability to raise investment. This course will look at how we can adopt a more innovation-focused approach to respond to the key challenges in aging in the 21st Century. This is a course that cuts across the usual disciplinary boundaries and is suitable for students in gerontology, health sciences, policy, engineering, computer science, etc. The course will be a combination of introductory lectures, guest presentations and group project working. The key task will be to carry out a group project that will identify a key problem area and develop ideas for a practical solution. There will be opportunity to work with stakeholders (older adults and caregivers) to refine your solution.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

The learning objectives of the course are to:

· Gain insight into key innovation challenges and opportunities in aging
· Raise awareness of the relationship between gerontology/social research and real-world impact
· Expand understanding of technology, innovation the benefits for older adults
· Develop skills in user-centered design and evaluation
· Practice team-work skills in mini-projects
· Develop presentation and communication skills
· Gain an understanding of innovation, knowledge translation, and commercialisation

Grading

  • See Notes Below.

NOTES:

Assessment will be in two ways:

· In an educational setting, summative assessments are typically used to assign students a course grade and include exams, course papers and project work.
· Formative assessment is generally carried out throughout a course or project. Formative assessment is used to aid learning. In an educational setting, formative assessment might be a teacher, peer or the student themselves providing feedback on a student's work, and would not necessarily be used for grading purposes.

Learning diary (Formative)
Students will be expected to keep a diary of their learning objectives and activities. This will not be used for course assessment, but will form a basis for self-assessment and discussion with the instructor during and at the end of the course.

Group-based projects (Formative and summative)
Students will carry out a mini-project on topics agreed in conjunction with the course instructor. Individual students will carry out their work in small groups, but are required to produce their own report on their work. Regular sessions are built into the course programme to allow students to discuss their work. Students are required to produce presentations of their findings and the final week of the course is devoted to these. The project reports will account for 40% of final assessment.

Written assignment (Summative)
Students will be expected to complete a paper by week 10 of the course, accounting for 30% of final assessment

Take home exam (Summative)
The final exam

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Online readings will be provided to students. There is no set textbook.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS