The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Demography Centers website offers links to sites from 11 different aging research centers across the United States (e.g., Berkeley, Duke, Harvard, USC-UCLA) and covers a diverse set of topics related to areas such as health care, retirement systems, long-term care, and family supports. Overall, the site serves as an access channel on aging and includes useful information for a variety of sectors (e.g., education, federal government, policy-making staff, general public).
The site links to groups, people and publications from the 11 centers as well as some of the worldwide research networks in which they are included. The site also offers links to some of the largest online databases of information about mortality, aging, and death worldwide as well as links to useful resources such as Medicare information.
There is no explicit learning goal associated with the material; rather, it is a collection of links which could be used by educators to develop work. For example they could download data which could then be used in a variety of settings and subjects (e.g., in a statistics class on using big data or in a history class looking at changes in the birth/death rates in differing countries). As such, this material has potential use across the higher education sector from entry level colleges to advanced degree programs.
Type of Material:
The learning material is a collection of links to various databases, educational centers working on aging topics, and external websites related to aging.
Recommended Uses:
• There are many potential classroom uses with this site. Students and faculty interested in aging have access to multiple sources including open datasets, news reports, statistics on aging, funding resources, and aging centers.
• The site’s people, projects, publications and news options could form the starting point of research for an essay or project.
Technical Requirements:
Two peer reviewers successfully accessed the website and its resources using multiple browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome). The reviewers found that the website also displays well on Android and Apple mobile devices (with the exception of iPhone SE).
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Users of the site will be able to use national and international datasets on aging, access multiple sources regarding the demography, economics, and epidemiology of aging, and review multiple ways to teach about aging.
Target Student Population:
• Students in undergraduate (3rd and 4th year) through graduate programs that include the study of aging within any discipline will benefit from this site. Faculty will find multiple resources for in-class projects as well as resources for their own research in the field.
• As well as aging studies in particular, the information on the site potentially has application in fields such as psychology, research methods, sociology and modern history.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
• No prerequisite knowledge for general use of the site is required. Use of databases will require a statistical background.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
• Current information is provided in multiple areas of aging including psychological, sociological, and biological. National and international studies are included as are multiple resources on aging and aging-related research (including longitudinal studies).
• The website incorporates a wide variety of links to publications in the field as well as links to worldwide databases.
Concerns:
None.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
• Faculty are given access to syllabi in many different types of aging courses.
• The collection includes many resources useful in the classroom or research including datasets, funding resources, statistics on aging, and news releases.
• The information contained within the available databases and publications is well-detailed and current.
Concerns:
• The site is not specifically designed as a teaching tool, and instructors will want to design assignments and activities that meet course-related or research-related goals.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
• The website is easy to navigate with clear labels on sections and a search link that searches across the NIA Aging Centers.
Concerns:
• There is not a clear path through the material and as such it is best suited as a resource site that will inform the development of class activities or assignments.
Other Issues and Comments:
This is a very interesting and useful site, providing a wide range of beneficial learning materials.
Creative Commons:
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