Texting on cell phones, ‘creeping’ on Facebook, and surfing the Internet is like breathing air for the Millennial generation and tapping in to the mind of the new-age student is key to effective teaching.
Sometimes referred to as the “Entitlement Generation,” students born between 1982 and 2002 have a different idea of what the university experience should be, says Jeanette McDonald, manager of Educational Development in the Office of Teaching Support Services at Wilfrid Laurier University.
McDonald was the keynote speaker at the Spring Perspectives on Teaching May 19.
Professors and teaching assistants crammed into one of the new lecture theatres in the University Community Centre which seats 250, and left it standing room only. Deb Dawson, director of the Teaching Support Centre, says it is the highest response to the bi-annual conference.
“Our faculty genuinely cares about learning who is in the classroom today,” says Dawson, noting the better faculty understand students, the more likely they are to connect inside and outside the classroom.”
McDonald says friction between professors and students can be attributed to a misinterpretation of roles and expectations by both parties.
To help students and faculty better understand each other, a panel of undergraduate students offered their perspectives on university.
Speaking frankly, Adam Tuck, a recent graduate in Media, Information and Technoculture, says “we are here for a piece of paper.”
“We are used to dealing with about 140 characters at a time, that’s all that Twitter will accept,” he jokes. “Unless you make it relevant to us … there is not much to keep us interested.”
Lauren Turner, a third-year Health Sciences student, echoed the need for course material to be relevant within the course context, in the workforce, or applicable to daily life.
Citing the multiple hats she wears, including student, volunteer, daughter, girlfriend, co-worker, sister and friend, Turner says she is overloaded and can only focus on degree-relevant material.
“It has to be relevant because I don’t have time for things that aren’t relevant,” she says.
The role of professors has changed, says McDonald, as they are no longer the sole source of knowledge. She suggested using face-to-face time to provide context for the information, which could involve experiential learning opportunities or testing out theories in the classroom.
“We want them to be knowledgeable and ‘knowledge-able'” she says, noting one of the roles of instructors is to prepare students for jobs that might not even exist yet.
Jennifer Sadler, third-year Computer Science student, reassures professors that using new technology can be an asset, but is not required for good teaching.
“If you show us why you love what you teach, we will be motivated to learn it.”
Some students have a consumer mindset towards post-secondary education – it is a service they are buying and like in the marketplace, they have a right to ensure they receive good, quality service.
“Students want value for their money, but are we any different?” asks McDonald. “We want value for our money.”
The use of wikis, blogs, and other forms of social media has made students not only the consumers of knowledge, but also creators.
“Students of today, they have grown up in a mediated society … and it’s ubiquitous to them,” says McDonald.
McDonald cautioned faculty members to remember that students are a product of their fast-paced, intense environment that is pushing them to make choices early, be assertive and multi-task. Simultaneously, there has been a sharp increase in serious mental health issues.
So-called helicopter parents are more involved in children’s decision-making and promote the individualistic ethos of believing “it’s all about me,” she explains.
But, these don’t have to be considered negative qualities.
Students today are more civic-minded, team-oriented and use the Internet and technology to stay connected. They are more inclusive of diversity and can leverage technology to their advantage.
“Part of my role is to help students mediate their experiences,” she says. “Whatever you do with working with Millennials, it comes down to good pedagogy.”