This project successfully developed a comprehensive training programme aimed at empowering senior citizens in Sri Lanka to use mobile technology confidently and safely for financial management and everyday information needs.
The project was supported by the National Science Foundation.
While smartphone usage among older adults is increasingly common, many senior citizens remain hesitant to engage in mobile banking and digital financial transactions due to fears of online scams and misinformation. Addressing this critical gap, the project introduced a carefully structured training programme conducted over ten weekly sessions at the Colombo Public Library.
During the programme, participants were guided through essential skills such as navigating mobile phone settings, identifying fraudulent messages and scams, and practicing safe digital behaviours. In addition, participants were introduced to emerging technologies, including advanced internet searching and artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, to help them access reliable information more confidently.
A key feature of the programme was its “spiral learning” approach, where critical safety concepts were reinforced continuously throughout the sessions. This method proved effective in building confidence over time, enabling participants to progress from basic smartphone users to informed and capable digital citizens. By the end of the programme, senior citizens reported increased independence and confidence in managing online bill payments, savings, and other monetary transactions without fear.
The positive outcomes were further strengthened through participant feedback, structured surveys, expert evaluations, and insights from relevant scientific literature. These results paved the way for designing a training curriculum that can be used for the next 5-10 years for enabling senior citizens on how to do monetary transactions without fear, using mobile technology, and how to clearly identify scams, and fake information.
NSF Competitive Research Grant (RG/2023/SS/01), titled, “Designing an Integrated Information, Financial, and Mobile Literacy Curriculum for Senior Citizens of Sri Lanka”, was awarded to Prof. Ruwan Gamage, Professor in Library and Information Science, Director- National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo for this project.