Their ability to connect to the World Wide Web gives them a host of produces that they can use to develop their answers when directed. The problem that I am finding is that they do not go beyond the first one or two hits that the web provides. They lack the skill, ability, or initiative to question what the web has provided by doing a little more research in order to fully understand the topic being researched.
But the problem is the value of the degree is reduced if the adult learner does put enough effort into it. Also if admissions reduces their qualifications for entry because of the issue we get students that cannot complete the course and we lose out in retention.
Ward,
this does seem to be an issue with many in this generation. I'm afraid we are approaching the point where the value is placed too much on the certificate or the degree, rather than the learning process that it represents.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It seems as though they must almost be dragged to class sometimes. These are my students that are between 18 and 33 years of age. The older ones seem to understand that the work must be done but the younger ones seem to almost be forced into doing it. These as I like to call them are the children of children and act as if they are entitled to the grade instead of having to work for it. When given a B they want to debate and argue for an A even though it is easy to point out many mistakes in their work.
Evelyn ,
this is a good point & while we don't want to use technology for the sake of using it, there really are many helpful tools that are available & can provide great value in our educational efforts.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think they impact the instructional process by not being fully mature sometimes to receive what is being delivered
The biggest characteristic to take into consideration when planning is technology. Generation Y learners are very tech savvy and this should somehow be incorporated in the instructional process. Students want to be connected in the classroom. It is also important to show Generation Y students how the class material will be used in their every day lives.
Ali ,
this is true & by breaking things up like this, we may stand a better chance of keeping them engaged during longer periods.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Teachers need to be mindful of the fact that members of Generation Y tend to have shorter attention span, are not used to long lectures and highly structured teaching styles. They rely heavily on technology as a learning tool; therefore, brief lectures followed by assignments that allow students to use technology often keeps them engaged and focused.
Tim,
this is very true I'm trying to help my Gen Yers see that this is harmful for their attention/retention & also unprofessional & rude.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I feel that the Y generation does not have the same attention length as earlier generations. Gen Y students have grown up in the world of fast food where everything is right now. I find that I have to stop my lecture more often and get students more involved or the students just loose interest and out come the phones.
Charles,
you are right that this is a significant challenge. I've had several interesting conversations on this topic lately with some of my Gen Y students. I've been trying to explain to them that to quickly determine a class or information is not relevant or boring is first of all unwise as it may take a while to sink in & then it's also rude to the other individual.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I just typed about a 700 character tread then lost the Internet connection so I'll summaries. With my experience in the classroom and the hallways, the Gen Y is a multi tasker and a multi seeker. They are constantly in contact with each other and constantly seeking information. They have this very bad habit of making a determination very quickly if the information they are getting is relevant to them or not. If they don’t feel the information is relevant then they move on. You see them do this with their Smart phone all the time. They do the same thing in the classroom. You have to give them a reason to pay attention to the information you are presenting. The Gen Ys live in a world where everything is moving at light speed and they thrive in that world. Classrooms don’t tend to move at the speed of the Gen Ys life. And that’s the challenge.
michele-ann,
and this is a good place to start & realize that this is a symptom of another problem & we need to determine what that problem is.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This particular generation is very tough to get through to as they do not seem to understand that they can not be on their phones in class or at work for that matter. They feel that is their right to be on their phone or checking facebook when they should be focusing on work or studies. It is a constant struggle to get and keep them off their phones. A quicker pace during lecture and lab seems to lessen it a bit but then you are always on that razor thin edge of going too fast then you lose them again.
I must agree with you. The reported cases of many disorders are greater in number so it seems as if it is on the rise when in fact it may not be
erin,
this is a challenge, & I've found that a good mix of lecture & activities is a way to keep them engaged & not have to plan too many activities.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Gary,
the relevance is an important aspect to highlight & to keep in front of this generation of students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find that the characteristics make planning much more involved. With other generations they are content to listen to lectures that are lengthy, but the Gen Y need to bounce around at least in activities within the same subject. I have to plan out games and other activities to intersperse throughout the lecture to break up the material. It can become very labor intensive to put together well thought out activities that take up small amounts of time. It can be difficult to make 4-5 activities to keep them interested in the material. They also seem to get bored with the same activities over and over so I have to think of new ones. One more planning problem is that when I have students of multiple generations switching activities so often to gain one generations attention, seems to frustrated the others who are happy to stay on one thing for longer. I find it difficult to plan appropriate time intervals to accommodate every learner.
As a baby boomer, at times it is challenging when gen y students question the relevance of the information being taught. I often tell them that it will all make sense when we reach the conclusion of the topic. This has helped me understand why that is not a sufficient response and ways to keep the info relevant as we progress through the topic.
