Blended Learning and the Generations Chuck Dziuban Joel Hartman Patsy Moskal University of Central Florida.

Blended Learning andthe Generations

Chuck Dziuban

Joel Hartman

Patsy Moskal

University of Central Florida

Some characteristics ofthe generations

Matures (prior to 1946) Dedicated to a job they take on Respectful of authority Place duty before pleasure

Baby boomers (1946-1964) Live to work Generally optimistic Influence on policy & products

Generation X (1965-1980) Work to live Clear & consistent expectations Value contributing to the whole

Millennials (1981-1994) Live in the moment Expect immediacy of technology Earn money for immediate

consumption

Technology is anything inventedafter you were born*

• Video games

• PCs

• Commands

• E-mail

• Mailing lists

• Cassettes

• Video games

• PCs

• Commands

• E-mail

• Mailing lists

• Cassettes

Gen - XersGen - XersGen - XersGen - Xers

• The Web• Mobile devices• KWM interface• IM, blogs• Virtual

communities• CDs, MP3s

• The Web• Mobile devices• KWM interface• IM, blogs• Virtual

communities• CDs, MP3s

MillennialsMillennialsMillennialsMillennialsBoomersBoomersBoomersBoomers

• TV

• Mainframes

• PLATO

• Telephones

• Party lines

• LPs

• TV

• Mainframes

• PLATO

• Telephones

• Party lines

• LPs

* Alan Kay

Millennials and Technology Millennials are the first generation to grow up in a

digital world: The PC; Window-based OS The Internet; World Wide Web The CD

Millennials have access to technology that is personal, portable, powerful, multifunction, multimedia, and affordable

Millennials’ attitudes and behaviors have been shaped by technology to an extent far greater than previous generations

Millennials: today’s learners

Diverse Mobile Always connected Experiential Multitasking Community-oriented Digitally literate

Media literacy

10,000 hours playing video games Sent/received 200,000 E-mails 20,000 hours watching TV 10,000 hours on a cell phone Under 5,000 hours reading

By age 21, today’s college studentswill have spent:

– Prensky, 2003

00

50005000

1000010000

1500015000

2000020000

2500025000

E-mailsE-mails

VideoVideo GamesGames

ReadingReading

TelevisionTelevision

Cell Cell PhonePhone

Games are a way of life

69% have played games since elementary school

77% have played games by high school

100% have experienced games by college

60% of college students are regular players Games are part of Millennials’ multitasking

environment, and are integrated into daily life(and studying)

--Jones, 2003

College Internet use

79% – Internet has a positive impact on academic experience

73% – Use the Internet more than the library for research

72% – Check E-mail every day 60% – Internet has improved relationships with

classmates (56% – professors) 46% – Can express ideas they would not have

expressed in class

– Jones, 2002

Internet: a social technology Millennials use the Internet primarily

as a social technology They use the Internet to maintain

multiple lines of communication―IM for quick communication―E-mail or phone for longer

communication

Home computer is a repository of important information; other devices (laptop, PDA) transport the material

--Lextant, 2003

Rising expectations The rising expectations of technology-literate

students are difficult to meet Service expectations

―Amazon.com and Google are their models―They expect self-service,

immediacy, and the abilityto customize

―Engaging learning experiences

Satisfaction levels decreasingwith each successive generation

Millennials: the up side

Goal oriented Positive attitudes Collaborative style Multitasking Technologically savvy Learn by tinkering

―Raines, 2002―Raines, 2002

Millennials: the down side

Weak critical thinking skills Naïve beliefs regarding intellectual property and

the authenticity of information found on the Internet

Question everything High expectation levels / low satisfaction levels Technology preferences have no institutional

context (IM, wikis, blogs, social networking sites)

– Prensky, 2003

UCF’s top down and bottom up approach

The generations inblended courses

33%

54%

15%

1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Mature Boomer Gen X Millennial

Per

cent

(N=18,732)

Students very satisfied with blended learning by generation

57%

41%33%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Boomer Gen X Millennial

Per

cent

(N=491)

Changed approach to learningby generation

50%

38%

20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Boomer Gen X Millennial

Per

cent

(N=491)

Web definitely madeinteraction easier

(N=491)

42%35%

12%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Boomer Gen X Millennial

Per

cent

Students’ positive perceptions about blended learning

• Convenience

• Reduced logistic demands

• Increased learning flexibility

• Technology-enhanced learning

Reduced OpportunityCosts for Education

Students’ less positive perceptions about blended learning

• Reduced face-to-face time

• Technology problems

• Reduced instructor assistance

• Increased workload

Increased OpportunityCosts for Education

College Level Academic Skills Tests (CLAST) English scores

548

782

953

530

610

690

770

850

930

Boomers Gen X Millennials

Mea

n C

LA

ST

Sco

re

N= 16,293

College Level Academic Skills Tests (CLAST) Math scores

505

721

928

490

570

650

730

810

890

Boomers Gen X Millennials

Me

an

CL

AS

T S

co

re

N= 15,812

Upper undergraduatesuccess rate

94%93%97%

0102030405060708090

100

Boomer Gen X Millennial

Perc

en

t

n=447 n=4,330 n=2,172

Upper undergraduatewithdrawal rate

3.5%4.5%4%

0102030405060708090

100

Boomer Gen X Millennial

Perc

en

t

n=465 n=4,530 n=2,250

What is blended learning?

Working definition from the Sloan-C Blended Learning Workshop:

“A course or program that combines online learning and face-to-face instruction in a manner that reduces the number of face-to-face classroom meetings.”

What to call it?

Blended? Hybrid? Mixed-mode? What you call it is not important Ensuring everyone on your campus knows what

your chosen term means is To the more experienced institutions, blending

represents the optimization of pedagogical approaches, rather than a time division between online and F2F

What does it mean to institutions?

Improve teaching and learning (e.g., implement learner-centered pedagogies)

Move from an ad-hoc “bottom up” approach to an institutional initiative

Increase flexibility and convenience for students Increase efficiency of classroom utilization (e.g.,

manage growth, reduce costs)

What does it mean to faculty?

A safe way to explore online learning More work, but likely worth it in terms of improved

student engagement and achievement A way to meet student expectations Possibly the best of both worlds

What does it mean to students?

Blended learning is inwardly directed and can potentially impact all of the institution’s students

For Millennials, blended learning represents an attractive alternative to F2F instruction

Blended learning is a good match for Millennials’ visual, exploratory, social learning preferences

Millennials expect everything to be online Older generations may not perceive blended

learning the same way as Millennials

Institutional Impacts

Organizational structures Student academic support services Policies Scalability of business processes and

infrastructure Faculty development Assessment Classroom multimedia and network access Funding

Critical success factors

Clear sense of institutional purpose and expected outcomes

Pro-active policy formation Faculty engagement and development Learner support Coordinated involvement of campus service providers Online support services Assessment for continuous improvement Modified institutional processes (e.g., classroom

scheduling)

Contacts

Dr. Chuck Dziuban(407) 823-5478

dziuban@mail.ucf.edu

Dr. Joel L. Hartman(407) 823-6778

joel@mail.ucf.edu

Dr. Patsy Moskal(407) 823-0283

pdmoskal@mail.ucf.edu

http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~rite

DISCUSSION