{"id":4971,"date":"2026-03-31T22:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/?page_id=4971"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T10:05:48","slug":"scresearch","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/scresearch\/","title":{"rendered":"NILIS Research on Senior Citizen Training on Financial, Mobile, and Information Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Designing an Integrated Information, Financial, and Mobile Literacy Curriculum for Senior Citizens<\/h1>\n

A research initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide, reducing financial anxiety, and building digital resilience among Sri Lanka’s elderly population.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Research Challenge<\/h2>\n

Despite high smartphone ownership, a significant “usage gap” exists among senior citizens in Sri Lanka due to mistrust of digital financial services and fear of scams. This project designed an integrated, socioculturally responsive curriculum to transform seniors from passive technology users into active, secure participants in the digital economy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2191 Back to Top<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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Curriculum Architecture<\/h2>\n

Developed iteratively using an evidence-based “Financial-first” approach to prioritize immediate relevance to learners.<\/p>\n

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Financial Literacy<\/h3>\n

Practical guidance tailored to senior needs, including budgeting, CBSL safety instructions, evaluating loans, investment basics (like Unit Trusts), and taxation procedures.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Mobile & Security<\/h3>\n

Step-by-step guidance on accessibility settings (font size, voice typing), app-based banking, scam awareness, and heavy emphasis on online security protocols.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Information Validity<\/h3>\n

Training on evaluating information validity and utilizing modern tools, including an introduction to AI-assisted information verification using tools like ChatGPT.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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Final Approved Curriculum<\/h3>\n

The complete, 10-week curriculum is available for educators, libraries, and public service institutions.<\/p>\n

Download Curriculum (PDF)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n * The National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo, will further support this curriculum with ongoing content and resources.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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Research Methodology<\/h2>\n
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The ADDIE Framework<\/h3>\n

We utilized the robust Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate framework to structure our curriculum development. This ensured rigorous educational standards and iterative improvements based on continuous feedback.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Empowering 8 (E8) Model<\/h3>\n

Developed by the National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), this model guided how trainees interacted with information across eight distinct steps.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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Stages of Curriculum Development<\/h3>\n
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  1. Literature Review & Baseline Survey:<\/strong> Identified the specific needs, technological gaps, and financial behaviors of senior citizens.<\/li>\n
  2. Pre-training Workshop & Draft 1:<\/strong> Initial testing of concepts focusing on mobile basics and financial anxiety reduction.<\/li>\n
  3. Iterative Refinement (Draft 2):<\/strong> Transitioned to a “Financial-first” approach, integrating accessibility checklists and clear instructor guidelines.<\/li>\n
  4. Pilot Training Sessions:<\/strong> Conducted 10 specialized, practical training sessions at the Colombo Public Library with continuous participant feedback.<\/li>\n
  5. Final Curriculum Approval:<\/strong> Finalized the instructional design based on Kirkpatrick evaluation metrics and observed behavioral changes.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div><\/div>\n

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    Impact & Evaluation Results<\/h2>\n

    Evaluated using the Kirkpatrick Four-Level Model, the training yielded highly effective results, confirming that senior digital empowerment heavily relies on trust-building and psychological safety.<\/p>\n

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    4.38\/5<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Reaction<\/strong>
    High satisfaction with session relevance.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    4.17\/5<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Learning<\/strong>
    Strong skill acquisition observed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    4.32\/5<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Behavior<\/strong>
    Successful transfer into daily habits.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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    Training Sessions in Action<\/p>\n

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    \n \"Training\n <\/div><\/div>\n

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    Project Team & Partners<\/h2>\n

    A collaborative effort combining academic rigor with public service implementation.<\/p>\n

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    Principal Investigator:<\/strong> Prof. R.C.G. Gamage<\/p>\n

    Collaborators:<\/strong> Dr. Prasanna Ranaweera, Ms. Varuni Gangabadaarachchi<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Partner Institutions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo<\/p>\n

    Colombo Public Library<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Designing an Integrated Information, Financial, and Mobile Literacy Curriculum for Senior Citizens A research initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide, reducing financial anxiety, and building digital resilience among Sri Lanka’s elderly population. The Research Challenge Despite high smartphone ownership, a significant “usage gap” exists among senior citizens in Sri Lanka due to mistrust of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4971"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4971"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4989,"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4971\/revisions\/4989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nilis.cmb.ac.lk\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}