Age is Only a Number: An Exploration of Intergenerational Learning

Introduction:
In an era marked by social fragmentation and rapid technological change, higher education has a unique opportunity to foster meaningful intergenerational connections through project-based learning. This study explores what intergenerational learning looks like within an undergraduate course designed to engage college students, many of whom are first-generation, with older adults in community-based projects. Grounded in the theories of Malcolm Knowles (andragogy), Lev Vygotsky (sociocultural theory), Lave and Wenger (communities of practice), and Paulo Freire (praxis), this work positions intergenerational learning as a transformative space where shared experience, reflection, and action merge to promote civic engagement, digital literacy, and social activism. Additionally, a focus on the health and wellness that emerges through social interaction, knowledge sharing, and emotional support.

Goals and Methods:

Using autoethnographic and ethnographic approaches, this study documents the design, implementation, and lived experiences of intergenerational engagement in undergraduate project-based courses. Data was collected over two academic semesters through participant observation, individual reflective journals (n=60 students), analysis of student-created projects, and two semi-structured focus group discussions with older adult participants (n=12 adults). Qualitative data will be analyzed thematically, comparing and contrasting personal lived experience against existing research, focusing on positionality, and situating narratives within structural and social frameworks.  Analysis will highlight how intergenerational collaboration challenges age-based stereotypes and fosters community, empathy, and mutual learning.

Results:
Preliminary findings reveal that participants experience enhanced cultural transmission, emotional wellness, and digital competency through sustained intergenerational engagement. Students report increased self-awareness and civic responsibility, while older adults describe renewed purpose and belonging. Challenges include managing differing technological skills and navigating generational assumptions. The project highlights that intergenerational learning, rooted in reflective praxis, can transform undergraduate classrooms into inclusive communities of practice with older generations, with the ultimate goal of reimagining higher education as a site for authentic, cross-generational connection and knowledge co-creation.