INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED EXPERIENCES - THE CASE OF A HEALTH SYSTEM TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR OLDER ADULTS

In order to meet a real-life challenge of creating a system that helps health professionals to monitor the health condition of older adults and to promote the adequate level of physical activity in this group, students of two Schools of Applied Sciences, one of health sciences and the other of technology and management, were challenged to work together. This article aims to i) present the followed approach to the development of the aforementioned system; and ii) discuss the strengths and difficulties of integrating an interdisciplinary team of students and teachers from different areas of knowledge. Both students and teachers considered that it was an enriching experience to engage in a multi-disciplinary project supported by a real problem. The students gave a valuable contribution to the problem of low levels of physical activity in older adults. Nevertheless, some challenges have arisen, mainly related to physical distance and different participants' availability. The obtained results suggest that the involvement of students during their training in real and interdisciplinary project work is fundamental to create IT systems adapted to real situations and contexts and can be an important driver to encourage the relationship between higher education institutions and the surrounding community and promote efficient knowledge transfer.