Anita Saravanan, a faculty member in Northern Illinois University's School of Nursing, told the Board of Trustees Research and Innovation Committee about a community-based project that taught older adults to use tablets and digital health tools.

Saravanan described the Smart Tablet Education for Healthy Living (STELL) program as a step-by-step, student-supported digital-literacy curriculum for older adults in retirement homes near DeKalb. "When we went there and we listened, I knew and we heard from the older adults that they were left out during the pandemic," Saravanan said, explaining the program's origin and goals.

Program design and results: Saravanan said small-group workshops (about eight participants per group) were led by NIU students acting as digital coaches. Participants received a handbook, a tablet to keep, and pre- and post-workshop surveys. In the presentation slides and discussion, Saravanan reported improved self-rated ability to access online resources and use health-related apps in post-workshop measurements compared with baseline measures. Participants reported the handbook and hands-on coaching as especially helpful.

Equity and access issues: Saravanan emphasized that the digital divide for older adults is not only about devices but also about broadband access and foundational skills. She said many residents use flip phones, lack broadband in their rooms and need instruction in basic device functions before they can use apps or telehealth portals. The project expanded to include facilitators beyond campus and reached retirement communities in surrounding counties.

Security and AI concerns: Trustees asked about scams and cybersecurity risks for older adults. Saravanan acknowledged those risks and described the program's approach as building confidence through repeated, supported use and local assistance. On artificial intelligence, she said the program plans to extend instruction to safe AI use: "I think that's possibly our next step to move into educating older adults to use AI," she said.

Support and next steps: Saravanan credited university seed programs and leadership support for enabling the work and said the team is pursuing additional funding and program expansion with interdisciplinary partners. Trustees recommended exploring collaboration with NIU's cybersecurity and new AI initiatives to strengthen protections and sandboxed testing environments for older learners.

The committee offered public thanks to Saravanan for the presentation and discussed possible cross-campus partnerships to scale training and address security risks for older participants.