A conference in Dublin City University (DCU) will address the issue of ageism and stereotyping in third-level education, in the wake of a two-year study.

Results from the research, which involved over 100 older people and 100 students, will be presented in May.

Trudy Corrigan, a lecturer in DCU who has overseen the study, said ageism was an issue in most colleges. She began studies to address the problem in 2008. "The younger participants have been teaching older generations attending the college to open their own Twitter accounts and blogs, and in return they are getting advice on things like the recession from people who have been through it all before," she said.

"By putting the two age groups together we have aimed to break down those traditional stereotypes and it has worked out very well. Younger students are now saying they view their older counterparts as the same as their peers now, and the students who are over 60 say the same."

Corrigan aims to set up an Irish Centre for Intergenerational Learning which she hopes to expand throughout all colleges. She will address the issue of funding for the centres in the conference.

The conference will be attended by Fine Gael senator Frances Fitzgerald, and deputy president of DCU Professor Anne Scott. It will take place on 6 May in DCU.