The SMART AGE project has reached an important milestone: the external review of its media literacy and digital resilience curriculum for older adults has been successfully completed.
Five external reviewers with expertise in adult education, media literacy, digital competence, accessibility, curriculum development and online learning assessed the full curriculum and its ten-module learning pathway. The results were very positive. Across 65 individual ratings, 93.8% were positive, with an overall average score of 4.57 out of 5. All five reviewers considered the curriculum good, and all agreed that it is appropriate for older learners.
Reviewers particularly praised the clear structure of the curriculum, the relevance of its topics and the combination of DigComp 3.0 and Media and Information Literacy principles. They also highlighted the way the curriculum builds on older adults’ experience and judgement instead of focusing only on their possible lack of digital skills. The ten modules guide learners through key topics such as information and media literacy, disinformation, AI-generated content, algorithms, online scams, privacy, digital well-being, responsible communication, civic participation and digital autonomy.
The reviewers also provided useful recommendations for the next phase. They stressed the importance of using simple language, realistic examples, flexible pacing, clear terminology and accessible learning activities. They also recommended adapting examples to the media environments of each partner country.
These suggestions will now be integrated into the development of the SMART AGE MOOC. The partners will use them when designing lessons, videos, quizzes, interactive activities, assessment, accessibility measures and localised content.
At the same time, the curriculum is moving into translation and localisation for the partner languages. Work on the MOOC structure has also begun. The curriculum provides the educational foundation, while the MOOC will turn it into short, practical and accessible online learning experiences that older adults can complete at their own pace.
The positive external review confirms that the SMART AGE curriculum provides a strong basis for the next phase of the project. The main task now is to transform it into an online course that is clear, useful, accessible and relevant for older learners.
”The external review confirms that the SMART AGE curriculum is a strong and relevant basis for the next phase of the project. Its ten-module pathway, European competence alignment, and emphasis on learner autonomy were consistently valued without reducing older adults to inexperienced users.
Reviewers’ Final Verdict
