Live, Learn, and Connect: Unpacking Live-Streaming-Based Silver Classroom in China

As a flexible, scalable, and affordable learning paradigm, live-streaming-based learning (LS learning) has become increasingly popular among older adults, shaping a digitally mediated ''silver classroom''. Despite its growing prevalence and its potential to address gaps in lifelong learning access and educational equity, meet older adults' learning needs, enhance their social connection, this learning paradigm remains largely underexplored in the CSCW literature. Given older adults' unique learning characteristics in terms of motivations, expectations, and learning abilities, it is critical to deeply examine their LS learning behaviors and experiences to inform better design. This study presents an empirical study in China to unpack this LS-based silver classroom phenomenon, focusing on its infrastructure, practices and lived experiences. Our findings reveal a human-technology integrated infrastructure alongside a volunteer-based, self-organized, autonomous collaborative community, which works together in fostering a supportive LS learning environment for older adults and meeting their additional emotional and social needs. We discuss how these sociotechnical arrangements shape the unique learning experiences of older adults and highlight the opportunities and challenges in designing for later-life learning.