Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies

Are you interested in studying how and why universities create intergenerational technology programs? Cyber-Seniors is an intergenerational technology program that brings university students and older adults together for technology training and support. This position will support an RRF Foundation for Aging grant evaluating an intergenerational technology program (CyberSeniors) in higher education settings across the United States and Canada. The student will assist with qualitative data collection and analysis.

This is an ideal position for a student entering a 2-year program interested in starting a position during Summer 2023. This would also be a great opportunity for an AppState undergraduate staying at AppState for a master's program.

The salary is $17.00 an hour to start May 15, 2023 with approximately 190 hours during Summer 2023 and then 10 hours per week for the academic year (2023-2024). During the summer term, there would be limited face-to-face meetings as most meetings would be conducted on Zoom. This position has potential to be renewed for additional academic terms.

Overview of Study
Implementation Research: An Intergenerational Technology Model in Higher Education
Current evidence supports the use of intergenerational technology programs among diverse older adults for substantially increasing technology use and digital competence while also positively influencing social isolation, loneliness, quality of life, and mental health. This collaborative research project will apply implementation science through a multistage study design involving qualitative data collection and analysis within three distinct but sequential steps to examine how (and why) institutions of higher education apply an intergenerational technology model (i.e., Cyber-Seniors) to bring together older and younger generations for mutual benefit. Findings will inform the modifications of best practice tools for increasing the implementation of technology programs within higher education and for ensuring high quality intergenerational programming for both college student and older adult participants.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with qualitative data management including data collection, data entry, data cleaning, and analysis
• Assist with conducting interviews and a Delphi panel with intergenerational experts
• Learn and utilize applicable software (Atlas.ti, Mendeley)
• Attend weekly meetings with research team
• Assist with Institutional Review Board amendments
• Assist with writing funder reports
• Contribute to preparing academic presentations and publications
• Attend additional trainings and meetings as needed

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in qualitative research
• Interest in evaluating intergenerational technology programs
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Critical thinking skills
• Organized
• Experience with data analysis software (SPSS, nVivo, Atlas.ti)

Interested applicants should submit a statement of interest/cover letter and resume to Dr. Jill Juris (jurisjj@appstate.edu) with the subject line 'RRF CyberSeniors Application'. If an interested applicant has questions, please email Dr. Juris. Applications will be reviewed beginning April 10, 2023.