Pivoting professional development opportunities for students during COVID-19: A gerontology focused knowledge mobilization course.

The Canadian Association on Gerontology Student Connection (CAG-SC) is a national network for students interested in aging. As the CAG 2020 conference was canceled due to COVID-19, the CAG-SC pivoted professional development events for students to an online format. In partnership with the York University Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) unit an eight-week course on Knowledge Mobilization was offered. The course consisted of weekly asynchronous prerecorded videos and synchronous guest speakers who presented gerontology relevant KMb examples. To register for the course, students completed a registration form outlining their training background, experience with KMb, and the reasons for participation. A course feedback form at course completion captured student experience and reflections. A total of 56 interdisciplinary trainees from 18 post-secondary institutions completed the course. Participants found the course fostered a deeper understanding of KMb concepts and how to apply these to future careers in gerontology. This course was the CAG-SC's most successful professional development initiative. Participants recognized the importance of KMb in gerontology and felt the course provided skills needed to disseminate their research more effectively across sectors to improve quality of life for older adults. Reflections on the value of institutional partnership from the CAG-SC and York University Knowledge Mobilization are captured.