Ann,
Yes, understanding our students in general is important. The generations help us further understand. Thanks for your input.
David,
Right on. The more we understand our students the more we can tailor our delivery of the content to meet their needs. Thanks for your input.
It is important to understand the generations and how they learn and how they communicate for success. The baby boomers, which I am part of, are known for working hard, they are loyal and reliable but they are not so good with the technology. Generation Y isn't very good with the social skills but they are good with the technology. This student may need help to get them involved in the online environment. While the baby boomer may need more help to get acclimated to the computer itself and how to get around in the programs, but probably will be better at the social part of the online environment by spear heading a work group etc. Understanding the differences helps the instructor with what kinds of needs the student may have and how they are going to learn the best.
It is important to understand why there are different preferred methods of communication. When a baby boomer sees incorrect syntax, abbreviated spelling conventions, and a variable rate of enthusiasm this might be a Gen X student but probably a Ge Y student. They need to be engaged and held to course standards of work, grammar etc.
Gauri ,
Oh yes. M always provide examples of appropriate and inappropriate posts. Keep it up.
Michael,
You are right about the two sides. Thanks for bringing that up.
As an example, discussion board is a place where students of all generations communicate and must exchange ideas. It is very likely that a Gen Y student may post something in a language that a baby boomer may find offensive. It is important to maintain a standard for the postings that all generations can adhere to!
There's two sides to generational roles: those of the student and the instructor. It's easy to forget that we, as educators, are based generationally, as are our, students, and that by remembering and understanding this difference we may be able to communicate more effectively.
Kerri,
The first course can be very important. Anything we can do to reduce frustration is essential. Thanks for your input.
I teach one of the first courses in the program and often have a handful of mature students. Many can barely use the internet and navigating the classroom is a challenge for them. It is vital to be thorough in explaning the locations of tools and information within the virtual classroom. Students in this situation can easily become frustrated and feel as if they will not be successful.
Janis,
I teach business communication as well. It's so important to continue to stress professional communication. Keep up the good work!
The Generation Gap is alive and well in both on-ground classes and on-line classes. It is critical that the instructor understand the differences between the various ages.
I am a Baby Boomer. I am tech savvy, but years ago I got an email from a student using lower case i's and little punctuation. Not being aware of texting language (as texting was fairly new then), I assessed the student has having poor grammar skills and wondered how someone with such poor skills could be in a college senior seminar course. I almost recommended her for tutoring the the Learning Lab. Little did I know this was just a texting convention.
When I teach business communications, I tell this story to my students. We must all be aware of how our written communication affects how we are judged.
Donna,
Students do cross the generational lines, no doubt. The main thing is to be aware that you have different generations in you courses and they are different in many ways. Sounds like you are getting to know your students. Nice job.
Carol,
Right. All of our students are different and the more we understand them the better we can provide content to the student in a way that benefits them.
I like the idea of generational roles, but I don't go into communication with the idea that there are different generations at work. I like to let the age variance play itself out within the discussion boards. How do we know how old a student is unless they tell us in the intro discussion board. I've had 55 year olds who were more savvy with technology than a 20 year old. I also like to think of 10 year section as the influence on the culture of the student in question. Who knows who Che Guevarra is, other than boomers of the 60's, and only those who were paying attention to politics. The same with Duran, Duran, or metal hard rock. I think the culture is more important than the labels.
We have to be sensitive to the way that different age groups communicate. Not only do they have different values, ideas, and ways of getting things done, but they have different methods of communication. People communicate based on their generational backgrounds and we have to be aware of these differences. This even includes the way we can motivate. The more we understand these differences, the more effective we can be as instructors.
Carol Hannon
Mark,
the backgrounds of students can be so diverse. They will all have challenges, but we can help them. Keep up the good work.
Susan,
I have recorded examples where the students can see proper language/written and hear my voice so they can see how to properly write. They can watch them over and over again until they understand better sentence structure, etc.
Susan,
Ah - "education is always an opportunity!" That is for sure. It's an opportunity for us and our students. Thasks.
James,
Thanks for continuing Nicole's thoughts. When we understand each other better, we can communicate better. Nice job.
