From a Different Perspective Diana G. Oblinger, Ph.D. Copyright Diana G. Oblinger, 2005. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission.

From a Different Perspective

From a Different Perspective

Diana G. Oblinger, Ph.D.

Copyright Diana G. Oblinger, 2005. 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.

Copyright Diana G. Oblinger, 2005. 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.

―

CarieCarie

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―Howe & Strauss, 2003

Media exposure

• 10,000 hours video games

• 200,000 emails

• 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, 2004―Kvavik, 2004

0

20

40

10

30

Limited IT

Moderate IT

No IT

Extensive IT

Online

Per

cen

tag

e

Balance between the old and new

―Roberts, 2004―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

LectureQ&A

Facilitated discussion

Case study

Debate

Problem solving

Game

Real project

Voting

Passive Active

Em

otio

nally

eng

agin

g

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:

http://workbench.concord.org/modeler/ss3.htmlhttp://workbench.concord.org/modeler/ss3.htmlhttp://workbench.concord.org/modeler/ss3.htmlhttp://workbench.concord.org/modeler/ss3.html

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

QualitiesQualities ConcernsConcerns

――Prensky, 2001Prensky, 2001――Prensky, 2001Prensky, 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

―

ChrisChris

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 responsibilitiesJob shift

– Bleed, 2005

0

20

40

10

30

Per

cen

tag

e

60

Age vs. online preferences

―Dziuban, 2004―Dziuban, 2004

Mature

63%Boomer

55%

Gen X

38%

Net Gen

26%

Students who were very satisfied with Web-based learning by generation

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

―

JamieJamie

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, 2004Threshold, 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% email 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 9-17

0 10080604020

Learnmore/better

Community

Show otherswhat I can do

Be heard

Percentage

Multitasking while online

– Grunwald, 2004

0 10080604020

PercentageBase: Kids 13-17

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―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 comparisonGenerational 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―Suter, 2001

Students compared to faculty

Multitasking Single or limited tasks

Engaging Disciplined

Spontaneous Deliberate

―adapted from Himes, 2004

Pictures, sound, video Text

Random access Linear, logical, sequential

Interactive and networked Independent and individual

StudentsStudents FacultyFaculty

―

Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was

designed to teach.

Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was

designed to teach.

―Prensky, 2001

―

Steps to take 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?

Very Very importantimportant

Very Very importantimportant

ExcellentExcellentperformanceperformance

ExcellentExcellentperformanceperformance

PoorPoorperformanceperformance

PoorPoorperformanceperformance

UnimportantUnimportantUnimportantUnimportant

Step #3: What should we do?

Step #4: What is the right balance?

Action Reflection

Speed Deliberation

Peer-to-peer Peer review

Visual Text

Social Individual

Process Content

Step #5: What must we do to be successful?

– Oblinger and Kidwell, 2000– Oblinger and Kidwell, 2000

VisionVisionVisionVision

Service DeliveryService DeliveryService DeliveryService Delivery

InfrastructureInfrastructure

Technology Financial PoliciesTechnology Financial Policies

InfrastructureInfrastructure

Technology Financial PoliciesTechnology Financial Policies

OrganizationOrganizationOrganizationOrganization

ProcessProcessProcessProcess

VisionRationaleGuiding principlesLeadership

Service

Student supportFaculty supportAdmin & student

InfrastructureTechnology PolicyFinancial

Organization

Org structureLeadershipDecision-making

ProcessBuy-in

Communication

Speed andresponsiveness

―

The goal is an organization that is constantly making its future rather

than defending its past.

The goal is an organization that is constantly making its future rather

than defending its past.

―Hamel & Valiksngas, 2003

© 2005 All rights reserved.

[email protected]@educause.edu