Evaluation of the studies done by older students at the University of Mannheim in the view of University teachers

For over 15 years now, the University of Mannheim has offered studies for s enior citizens, which are conceived as an integration model. The older stud ents take regular courses together with the young students. Former surveys showed large satisfaction of the older students with this model. As a check of these results, 69 university teachers, who have older students in their classes, were asked about their experiences and their opinion on the senio r citizens' studies by usage of a questionnaire which has been developed by Kolland for a similar purpose. Predominantly positive experiences are ment ioned. The older students are seen as an enrichment rather than as a burden . Conflicts and difficulties have hardly appeared. The majority deny differ ences between older and younger students. A differential examination points out that older teaching staff have a more favorable opinion of senior citi zens' studies than the younger ones. It is also pointed out that representa tives of humanistic subjects have a more positive view of the older student s than representatives of the empirical mathematical field, However, more r esearch is needed in this area.