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The Next Generation Learner

The Next Generation Learner

Diana G. Oblinger, Ph.D.EDUCAUSE Live, July 21 2004

Copyright Diana G. Oblinger, 2004. 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, 2004. 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.

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KidsKids

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Children age 6 and under

• 2.01 hours / day playing outside

• 1.58 hours using computers

• 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

00

1.01.0

2.02.0

PlayPlayoutsideoutside

Use Use computercomputer

ReadingReading

– Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003

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Teen’s web use

• 100% use the Internet to seek information on colleges, careers and jobs

• 94% use the Internet for school research

• 41% use email and instant messaging to contact teachers or schoolmates about class work

• The Internet is their 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

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What kids want from the net

– Grunwald Associates, 2003

New & exciting

Base: Kids 9-17

0 10080604020

Learnmore/better

Community

Show otherswhat I can do

Be heard

Percentage

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What would you do without the Internet?

• “We could not do any schoolwork”

• “We have to have the most current, up to date information to be accurate”

• “Devastated—everything would be so much harder and take so much longer to do”

• “We depend upon having the Internet now”

How would your schoolwork be affected if you no longer had access to the Internet anywhere?

– – NetDay, 2003NetDay, 2003

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College studentsCollege students

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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

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Freshman 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

• Paul Newman has always made salad dressing

• Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents

• Gas has always been unleaded

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Today’s learners

• Digitally literate

• Mobile

• Always on

• Experiential

• Community-oriented

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Media literacy

• 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

00

50005000

1000010000

1500015000

2000020000

2500025000

E-mailsE-mailsVideo Video GamesGames

ReadingReading

TelevisionTelevision

Cell Cell PhonePhone

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Internet: A social technology

• Net Gen’ers use the Internet primarily as a social technology

• While at home, students use the Internet to maintain multiple lines of communication with others―IM used for quick communication (e.g.,

What’s up?)―Email or phone used for longer

communication

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

--Lextant, 2003

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Out of class experience

• The largest discretionary block of time for students is outside of class

• Students have clearer memories of singing or writing or volunteering than of a class

―Kuh, et al.,1994 & Light, 2001―Kuh, et al.,1994 & Light, 2001

• 4/5th of students said the specific incident that changed them profoundly took place outside of the classroom

• Learners construct their own courses of learning, often facilitated by technology

14NetGen learning preferences

• Teams, peer-to-peer

• Structure

• Engagement & experience

• Visual & kinesthetic

• Things that matter

15Net Gen strengths

• Multitasking

• Goal orientation

• Positive attitudes

• Collaborative style

• Technology savvy

―Raines, 2002―Raines, 2002

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College Internet use

– Jones, 2002

• 79% Internet has a positive impact on academic experience

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

• 72% Check email every day

• 60% believe the Internet has improved relationships with classmates

• 56% believe the Internet has improved relationship with professors

• 46% Allows them to express ideas that they would not have expressed in class

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Rising expectations

• The rising expectations of computer-literate constituents are difficult to meet

• Service expectations―Self-service ―Customer-service―Immediacy―Customization―Choice

• Students want customizable learning experiences

• They are more vocal in expressing their opinions

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Non-traditional becomes traditional

• More than half of undergraduates are women

• One-third are other than white

• 43% are 24 or older (i.e., of non-traditional college age)

• 80% are employed

• 39% are employed full-time

• 10% or undergraduates have a disability

• Number of students (ages 5-24) who speak a language other than English at home more than doubled from 1979 to 1999

―NCES, 2003

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Adult learners

• 35% of undergraduates are adult learners

• 70% of all adult learners are female

• 38 is the median age of undergraduate adult learners

• 45% of adult learners are over years of age

• 80% of adult learners are employed

– Swail, 2002 citing NCES, 2002

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Risk factors

• Part-time enrollment

• Delaying entry into post-secondary ed

• Lack of high school diploma

• Having children

• Being a single parent

• Financially independent

• Working full time while enrolled

--NCES, 2003

Risk factors associated with not completing a degree

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Generational comparisonGenerational comparison

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Product of the environment

• Video games

• Computers

• Email

GenerationGenerationXX

GenerationGenerationXX

• The Web

• Multiple, mobile devices

• Instant messaging

• Online communities

Net GenNet GenNet GenNet GenBaby Baby BoomersBoomers

Baby Baby BoomersBoomers

TV generation Typewriters Memos

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Attitudes

TV GenerationPC

GenerationNet

Generation

Web What is it? Web is a tool Web is oxygen

Community PersonalExtended personal

Virtual

Perspective Local Multi-national Global

Career One careerMultiple careers

Multiple reinvention

Loyalty Corporation Self Soul

Authority Hierarchy Unimpressed Self as expert

―Savage, 2003―Savage, 2003

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Age vs. online preferences

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mature Boomer Gen X Millenial

63%55%

38%

26%

(N = 27) (N = 324) (N = 814) (N = 344)

―Dzuiban, 2004―Dzuiban, 2004

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

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

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ImplicationsImplications

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InfrastructureInfrastructure

27Pervasive learning

• Mobile

• Federated devices

• Ubiquitous Internet

• Presence aware

• Integrated & aggregated

• Interactive

• Social

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Digital archives

http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/

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Learning objects

• Any digital resource that can be reused to support learning

• Customizes learning experiences

• Fosters new relationships through sharing content

• Streamlines course development

―Metros, 2003―Metros, 2003

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Cyberinfrastructure

• Remote data collection

• First-person learning

• Development of expertise

NSF IIS-0329837

--Sanderson, 2004

3131

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PedagogyPedagogy

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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:

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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

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Visualizing problems

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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

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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

38Environmental 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

39Results

• Augmented reality: engaging and easy

• Cooperation and competition in game play

• Gender patterns appear (males are number driven; females are interpersonally driven)

―Klopfer & Squire, 2003

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Questions to ask

• How well do we understand our students?

• Do we have an infrastructure that enables ubiquitous access?

• How interactive are our learning environments? Are there ways that technology could increase that interaction?

• What types of physical spaces will lead to greater learning? to greater community?

• Do we meet student expectations for service and convenience?

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© 2004 All rights reserved.

doblinger@educause.edudoblinger@educause.edu