From a Different Perspective Diana G. Oblinger, Ph.D. Copyright Diana G. Oblinger, This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Carie

The Net Generation Born in or after 1982 Gravitate toward group activity 8 out of 10 say “it’s cool to be smart” Focused on grades and performance Busy with extracurricular activities Identify with parents’ values; feel close to parents Respectful of social conventions and institutions Fascination for new technologies Racially and ethnically diverse ―Howe & Strauss, 2003

Media exposure 10,000 hours video games 200,000 s 20,000 hours TV 10,000 hours cell phone Under 5,000 hours reading By age 21, the average person will have spent – Prensky, 2003

Today’s learners Digitally literate Connected Experiential Immediate Social

NetGen learning preferences Teams, peer-to-peer Structure Engagement & experience Visual & kinesthetic Things that matter

Student in-class preferences ―Kvavik, Limited IT Moderate IT No IT Extensive IT Online Percentage

Balance between the old and new ―Roberts, 2004 Students expect faculty to have in-depth knowledge of their field “I want my professor to know as much as there is so I can learn as much as I can in 15 weeks.” Faculty should be able to use technology effectively “I like to access a syllabus, course assignments and handouts on the Internet. This helps me organize my schedule and lets me prepare for class.” Don’t overuse PowerPoint, the Internet or videos “PowerPoint is to provide power to a particular point. It doesn’t mean putting the entire class on slides”

Engaging learning experiences —adapted from Accenture, 2000 Lecture Q&A Facilitated discussion Case study Debate Problem solving Game Real project Voting PassiveActive Emotionally engaging Teaching/learning mode

Interaction Concept inventories Student response units Immediate results keep students engaged Allows real-time modification of instruction A.About half as long for the heavier ball B.About half as long for the lighter ball C.About the same time for both balls D.Considerably less for the lighter ball, but not necessarily half as long E.Considerably less for the heavier ball, but not necessarily half as long Two metal balls are the same size, but one weighs twice as much as the other. The balls are dropped from the top of a two story building at the same instant of time. The time it takes the balls to reach the ground below will be:

Simulations

Online laboratories —del Alamo, 2003

Ancient Spaces Developed by the Faculty of the Arts, University of British Columbia

Reconfiguring activities and space SCALE-UP: Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs Class time spent on tangibles and ponderables Problem solving, conceptual understanding and attitudes are improved Failure rates are reduced dramatically --Beichner & Saul, 2003

Hypertext minds Crave interactivity Read visual images Visual-spatial skills Parallel processing Inductive discovery Attentional deployment Fast response time Short attention spans Choose not to pay attention Reflection Practice Text literacy Source quality Qualities Concerns ―Prensky, 2001

Google vs the library Web as information universe not the library Library resources tend to be ―Text based ―Require help from experts (librarians) ―Logical ―Based on library organization rather than subject matter ―Lippincott, 2005

What can you do? Make learning interactive and experiential Consider peer-to-peer approaches Utilize real-world applications Emphasize information literacy in courses Mix online and face-to-face Encourage reflection Create opportunities for synthesis Use informal learning opportunities

Chris

Non-traditional becomes traditional 43% are 24 or older 80% are employed; 39% are employed full-time 87% of all higher education student commute 10% of undergraduates have a disability Non-traditional defined as: ―Part-time enrollment ―Delaying entry into post-secondary education ―Lack of high school diploma ―Having children ―Being a single parent ―Financially independent ―Working full time while enrolled ―NCES, 2003, Bleed, 2005 Three-fourths of students are “non-traditional”

Adult learners 35% of undergraduates are adult learners 70% of all adult learners are female 38 is the median age of undergraduate adult learners 80% of adult learners are employed – Swail, 2002 Educational goal: 70% Degree 30% Non-degree

Risks and graduation Almost half of beginners delayed starting college One half had two or more persistent risk factors 91% entered college immediately after high school 85% had no persistent risk factors Two-year colleges Four-year colleges --NCES, 2003

Traditional targets of blame 7% academic difficulties 3% academic load too heavy 1% poor advisement – Bleed, 2005

Courses not completed 30% traditional day 15% day, partial semester 23% day, one day a week 21% evening, one day a week 20% every two week start – Bleed, 2005

Life interruptions Transportation problems Financial problems Limited time Family responsibilities Health issues Work responsibilities Job shift – Bleed, 2005

Percentage 60 Age vs. online preferences ―Dziuban, 2004 Mature 63% Boomer 55% Gen X 38% Net Gen 26% Students who were very satisfied with Web-based learning by generation

What can you do? Make classes flexible Provide online options Tailor support systems to the students’ needs Get data about what works Nontraditional learners have unique needs

Jamie

In high schools Cradle-to-grave use of e-portfolios Not expert users; laptop as a tool Sense of entitlement to Internet access; any interruption is a violation of their rights Prefer Internet research to library research Are exposed to problem-based learning, collaboration and computers in the classroom – Backon, et al. 2003

What do students think about IT? …it’s part of our world – Threshold, 2004 … it’s really helpful; it makes things faster …abstract concepts are easier to grasp …we can learn as much as we want about anything …some students are better now thanks to computers … I connect with friends to get help or to help others …computers can never replace humans …can increase hands-on learning in science

Teen’s web use 100% use the Internet to seek information on colleges, careers and jobs 74% of teens use IM as a major communication vehicle vs. 44% of online adults 54% of students (grades 7-12) know more IM screen names than home phone numbers The Internet is a primary communication tool ―81% friends and relatives ―70% use instant messaging to keep in touch ―56% prefer the Internet to the telephone – Lenhart, Simon & Graziano, 2001; NetDay, 2003

What kids want from the net – Grunwald, 2003 New & exciting Base: Kids Learn more/better Community Show others what I can do Be heard Percentage

Multitasking while online – Grunwald, PercentageBase: Kids Listen to radio while online Watch TV while online Talk on phone while online Visit a site mentioned by someone on the phone Send an IM to person you’re talking to Visit website seen on TV Visit website mentioned on radio

Children age 6 and under 2:01 hours / day playing outside 1:58 hours using screen media 40 minutes reading or being read to 48% of children have used a computer 27% 4-6 year olds use a computer daily 39% use a computer several times a week 30% have played video games – Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003

Neuroplasticity The brain reorganizes itself throughout life: neuroplasticity Stimulation changes brain structures; the brain changes and organizes itself based on the inputs it receives Different developmental experiences impact how people think For example, language learned later in life goes into a different place in the brain than when language is learned as a child ―Prensky, 2001

Text vs. visual

Visual literacy A picture is worth a thousand words Bombarded with visual images Ability to read and write visual language Assign visual literacy projects ―Create digital movie ―Visual literacy across the curriculum ―Bleed, 2005

Augmented reality Combines physical world and virtual world contexts Embeds learners in authentic situations Engages users in a socially facilitated context Computer simulation on handheld computer triggered by real world location ―Klopfer & Squire, 2003

Environmental detectives Players briefed about rash of local health problems linked to the environment Provided with background information and “budget” Need to determine source of pollution by drilling sampling wells and ultimately remediate with pumping wells Work in teams representing different interests (EPA, industry, etc.) ―Klopfer & Squire, 2003

What can you do? Monitor changes in K-12 education, such as collaborative learning Do not assume all students come from the same environment Attitudes and values are shaped before students come to college Technology is moving farther into the background; use does not equal understanding Remember that patterns change every 3-4 years

Generational comparison

Net Gen experience base Ctrl + Alt + Del is as basic as ABC They have never been able to find the “return” key Computers have always fit in their backpacks They have always had a personal identification number --Beloit College, 2003, 2004 Photographs have always been processed in an hour or less Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents Gas has always been unleaded Rogaine has always been available for the follicularly challenged

Not an age phenomenon Are you more comfortable composing documents online than long-hand? Have you turned your “remembering” over to a technology device (phone numbers, meetings, etc.)? Do you go to meetings with your laptop or PDA? Are you constantly connected? (The Internet is always on whether you are at home or work? Your cell phone is always with you?) How many different activities can you effectively engage in at one time? Do you play video or computer games? ―Suter, 2001

Students compared to faculty Multitasking Single or limited tasks Engaging Disciplined SpontaneousDeliberate ―adapted from Himes, 2004 Pictures, sound, video Text Random access Linear, logical, sequential Interactive and networkedIndependent and individual Students Faculty

Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. ―Prensky, 2001

Steps to take

Step #1: What has changed? Are students different than we were? Do students have different learning preferences? How homogeneous is our student population? Do we know what students need to succeed? What skills must students have to be successful? Are we as competitive as we want—or need—to be?

Step #2: What are the options? What new options for teaching and learning are available? ―Online labs ―Simulations, games ―Collaboration Would new programs better serve student needs? Are there IT tools that would add value? Are there alternative ways of using space—physical and virtual—that might facilitate to greater learning?

VeryimportantVeryimportant ExcellentperformanceExcellentperformancePoorperformancePoorperformance UnimportantUnimportant Step #3: What should we do?

Step #4: What is the right balance? ActionReflection Speed Deliberation Peer-to-peerPeer review Visual Text SocialIndividual ProcessContent

Step #5: What must we do to be successful? – Oblinger and Kidwell, 2000 VisionVision Service Delivery Infrastructure Technology Financial Policies Infrastructure OrganizationOrganization ProcessProcess Vision Rationale Guiding principles Leadership Service Student support Faculty support Admin & student Infrastructure Technology Policy Financial Organization Org structure Leadership Decision-making Process Buy-in Communication Speed and responsiveness

The goal is an organization that is constantly making its future rather than defending its past. ―Hamel & Valiksngas, 2003

© 2005 All rights reserved.