1. Building Bridges: Restructuring Online Library Tutorials to Span the Generation Gap and Meet the Needs of Millennial Students Dianna E. Sachs, Carrie C. Leatherman, Kate A. Langan Western Michigan University

2. Overview Our Study: Compare 2 Online Research Tutorials Our Study: Compare 2 Online Research Tutorials Millennial learning outcomes Millennial learning outcomes Millennial satisfaction Millennial satisfaction What is a “Millennial”? What is a “Millennial”? Working on a tutorial? Working on a tutorial? Strategies for “Millennial-friendliness” Strategies for “Millennial-friendliness” What happens next? What happens next?

3. Background “Searchpath” “Searchpath” Created 2001 – award-winning in its time Created 2001 – award-winning in its time

4. Today Seen as: Seen as: Text-heavy Text-heavy Clip art Clip art Visual only Visual only Too linear Too linear Not very interactive Not very interactive Overwhelming content Overwhelming content Awkward quiz reporting structure Awkward quiz reporting structure

5. What is a Millennial?

6. Millennial Generation/Generation Next/Gen Y Millennial Generation/Generation Next/Gen Y Born 1982-2002 Born 1982-2002 “Digital natives” “Digital natives” Lifelong internet and technology users Lifelong internet and technology users Multi-taskers Multi-taskers Like graphics Like graphics Non-linear thinkers Non-linear thinkers

7. Activity Think back to when you were 12 years old. Think back to when you were 12 years old. Did you… Did you…

8. Four Generations Silent (pre 1945) Boomer (1945- 1965) Gen X (1965-1982) Millennial (1982- 2002) Telephone Landline (party line?) Landline Landline/ Cell phone Smart phone MusicRecords/Radio + 33 1/3 RPM + Audio cassettes/ CDs + digital music Computer Just starting – punch cards, binary Major research institutions Introduced in high school In the home CommunicationLetters/TelephoneLetters/Telephone + E-mail + Texting and SN Authority Respect authority Question authority Challenge authority Aspire to be authority Organizational Life Committed/ Social contract Disillusioned/ Downsized Realistic/ Risk takers Take charge/ Group work

9. Current Events Sources SilentBoomer Gen X Millennials Television82%76%61%65% Internet13%30%53%59% Newspapers50%34%24%24% Radio15%20%22%18%

10. Literature Review Millennials… “A Vision of Students Today” Millennials… “A Vision of Students Today”A Vision of Students TodayA Vision of Students Today Source: “A vision of students today”. Michael Wesch, Kansas State University. YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

11. Literature Review Millennials' life experiences Millennials' life experiences "Digital natives" "Digital natives" Process information differently Process information differently Learning Style: experiential, interactive, authentic Learning Style: experiential, interactive, authentic Multi-tasking, graphics, hyperlinked, networked, games, interactivity, fast-paced Multi-tasking, graphics, hyperlinked, networked, games, interactivity, fast-paced

12. Literature Review Learning Preferences: Multi-tasking Multi-tasking Graphics Graphics Hyperlinked Hyperlinked Networked Networked Games Interactivity Fast-paced

13. So what did we do? Summer 2009 – created ResearchPath! Summer 2009 – created ResearchPath!

14. ResearchPath Used video, audio, and kinesthetic Used video, audio, and kinesthetic More concise content More concise content Interactivity throughout Interactivity throughout Student narration Student narration Photos of actual WMU students Photos of actual WMU students Up-to-date visual components Up-to-date visual components

15. Did we succeed? Conducted 4-part research study Conducted 4-part research study Student comfort and satisfaction survey Student comfort and satisfaction survey Student focus groups Student focus groups Student responses to tutorial quizzes Student responses to tutorial quizzes Student learning outcomes for IL & research skills Student learning outcomes for IL & research skills

16. Study Methods and Procedures HSIRB HSIRB Advertise, Advertise, Advertise! Advertise, Advertise, Advertise! Incentives, Incentives, Incentives Incentives, Incentives, Incentives Multiple session times Multiple session times Proctored sessions Proctored sessions

17. Participants Student Satisfaction Survey – 13 participants Student Satisfaction Survey – 13 participants Focus Group – 11 participants Focus Group – 11 participants Quiz Results – 23 participants Quiz Results – 23 participants Research Project – 6 participants and counting Research Project – 6 participants and counting

18. Student Satisfaction Survey 11 questions – ResearchPath vs. Searchpath 11 questions – ResearchPath vs. Searchpath 4 multiple choice 4 multiple choice 7 open ended 7 open ended

19. Quantitative Results Preferred ResearchPath to Searchpath: Preferred ResearchPath to Searchpath: 85% more interesting 85% more interesting 78% easier to understand (retained more information) 78% easier to understand (retained more information)

20. Open-Ended Responses 4 main areas of student comments: 4 main areas of student comments: self-pacing = good! self-pacing = good! audio vs. non-audio audio vs. non-audio interactivity and engagement interactivity and engagement up-to-date content up-to-date content

21. Focus Groups 9 Millennial participants 9 Millennial participants 8 “Compare and contrast” questions 8 “Compare and contrast” questions Student-driven discussion Student-driven discussion

22. Focus Group Quotes: A buffet of information! A buffet of information! Tutorials à la carte!

23. Focus Group Highlights What they want: What they want: Conversational; informal; self pacing; get more if you want more; audio; simpler, straight to the point; hands-on; broken-up into “chunks”; neutral color scheme; enthusiasm; options for visual or non-visual, audio or non-audio; larger screen; different formats and presentations

24. Focus Group Lowlights Things to avoid: Things to avoid: Cheesy; distracting/loud color schemes; small screen; bad logos; lack of control over content; not enough meaningful graphics and images; too much information all at once

25. Quiz Analysis Which tutorial was more successful? Which tutorial was more successful? Each tutorial measured different things Each tutorial measured different things No direct comparison possible No direct comparison possible Identified areas of weakness in tutorials Identified areas of weakness in tutorials Consistent trouble with certain concepts Consistent trouble with certain concepts Reevaluate presentation of those concepts Reevaluate presentation of those concepts

26. Learning Outcomes Analysis Still in progress… Still in progress… Take tutorial & “hypothetical research project” Take tutorial & “hypothetical research project” Compare results with control group Compare results with control group Preliminary results: Preliminary results: Students become IL equally from both tutorials Students become IL equally from both tutorials Taking tutorials increases IL compared with control group Taking tutorials increases IL compared with control group

27. What’s Next for ResearchPath? Technical difficulties Technical difficulties Go further! More interactivity, customization Go further! More interactivity, customization ADA compliant “text only” version ADA compliant “text only” version Continue study Continue study More participants = more representative sample More participants = more representative sample Phase 5: use identical quiz questions for both tutorials Phase 5: use identical quiz questions for both tutorials

28. Future Food for thought – what will the next generation look like? Food for thought – what will the next generation look like? ? ? Clip art obtained from www.clker.com

29. Your turn! What can you do to make your own online tutorials (or other materials) more Millennial- friendly? What can you do to make your own online tutorials (or other materials) more Millennial- friendly? Learn from others Learn from others Invest time and technical expertise to do it right Invest time and technical expertise to do it right Ask your students! Ask your students! Ask many students Ask many students Listen to what they say – and what they don’t say Listen to what they say – and what they don’t say

30. Your Stories Created online resources for Millennials? Share your experiences!

31. Bibliography Millennials' life experiences (Tracey Moon) Millennials' life experiences (Tracey Moon) Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials: Understanding the new students. Educause Review, 2003(July/Aug), 36-47. Reith, J. (2005). Understanding and appreciating the communication styles of the millennial generation. Vistas (2005). Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6). Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6). Pew Research Center. Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next. http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected- open-to-change.pdf Pew Research Center. Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next. http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected- open-to-change.pdf http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected- open-to-change.pdf http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected- open-to-change.pdf ResearchPath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/researchpath ResearchPath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/researchpathhttp://www.wmich.edu/library/researchpath Searchpath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpath Searchpath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpathhttp://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpath

32. Presentation is… Available at: Available at:http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cjm8593/

33. Questions?