Bridging the Generation Gap in Technical

EducationGary Whittle, St. Catharine College

Who is in you class?

Veterans- Born before 1945 - 75 million Baby Boomers – Born 1946 to1964 – 80 million Gen Xers – Born 1965 to 1980 – 46 million Gen Yers– Born after 1980 – 76 million

Veterans (ages 62+)

World War II Korean War Cold War Nuclear Bomb The New Deal Social security Income taxes B/W TV

The Silent Generation Value duty, discipline, thrift,

sacrifice, authority Life is about work, not

fulfillment Conformity is good.

Individualism is iffy. Strict gender roles. Follow rules. Respect

authority

Boomers (ages 45-64)

Space Race Civil Rights Vietnam Kennedy & King

Assassinations Woodstock Women’s rights Color TV

Treated as “special,” advantaged children

Focus on individuality, creativity, personal fulfillment

Want to “make a difference” Optimistic and team-oriented Socially and intellectually

involved Proud of working long hours

to get ahead

Generation X (ages 27-44)

Fall of Berlin Wall AIDS Chernobyl Desert Storm 3 Mile Island Watergate Tiananmen Square MTV

Trust authority only if accompanied by competence

Focused on developing skills to enhance marketability

Self-reliant and independent Less optimistic, more

pragmatic and self-reliant Confident in their

technology-based skills Want a life, as well as a job

Generation Y (ages 26 and under) 9-11 Attack War in Iraq Columbine Global Warming Cell phones Internet Xbox and iPod

Socially accepted delayed adolescence

Still reliant on parents Access and process

information faster Extensive users of technology

at home and at work Optimistic, sociable and

achievement-oriented Believe their

experiences/opinions are the ones that matter

.

So… What Difference Does it Make? Who are our students? How do they learn? How do we teach? How is college-level instruction changing? What about technology? What about the “old ways”?

Personal and Lifestyle Characteristics Veterans Boomers Gen X Gen Y

Core Values

AuthorityConformityDisciplineHierarchy

OptimismInvolvement

WorkTeam play

SkepticismFun

InformalityLoners

RealismConfidence

Extreme FunSocial

Family TraditionalNuclear Disintegrating Latch-key kids Merged families

EducationA Dream A birthright

A way to get there A tool

CommunicationRotary Phones

Party LinesWritten notes

Phones"Call me anytime"

Cell phones"Call me only

at work"

InternetFacebook

Email

Money Pay CashSave

Buy now, Pay later

Cautious Conservative

save Earn to spend

Classroom Characteristics Veterans Boomers Gen X Gen Y

Work Ethic Hard workersRespect authority

Obey rules

WorkaholicsDesire quality

Question authority

Elf-reliantDistrust

authority

Multi-taskingGoal oriented

TenaciousWhat’s Next?

Performance is:An obligation An adventure A challenge

A means to an end

Interactive Style

Individual Team EntrepreneurParticipative

Feedback No news is good news

Leave me alone ‘til I

finish !!

Sorry to Interrupt, but

how am I doing?

Whenever I want it, at the

touch of a button

Message to Motivate Your experience is

respectedYou are valued

and needed

Do it your way—forget the

rules

You will work with other

bright, creative people

How Do They Learn?Veterans:

New is not necessarily better Slow to change ideas Prefer structure, schedules and procedures Must have time to tie new ideas to old mental

framework for full assimilation Can be technologically challenged Want a clear statement of goals, procedures,

expectations and product parameters

How Do They Learn?Boomers:

Want their efforts to matter Are frustrated with busy work Want to see the big picture and how things fit Like team projects Motivated by responsibility to the group Don’t care about in-line feedback Value the product, not the process

How Do They Learn?Generation X:

Task oriented – want to learn new skills Change oriented – want version 5.0.1 Want to work quickly If it isn’t fun, there better be a good reason for

doing it Prefer informal communication Do not like team activities Want lots of feedback

How Do They Learn?Generation Y:

Always looking for the “new” High end technology Consumer oriented Need help orienting to college level expectations Skill development focused Productivity, not attendance = rewards Short attention span Critical thinking skills undeveloped

OK…. So How Do I Teach?

Traditional ClassroomHybrid ClassesOnline

OK…. So How Do I Teach?

The class lecture “may be the worst pedagogy, relatively ineffective for most aspects of most subjects and for most students.”

Porter, 1999, p. 16

Teaching With Technology Be sure you know how to use it before you

introduce it Let the students teach/mentor each other Don’t expect universal acceptance Don’t fall for bells and whistles Keep the human element foremost Use multiple levels to meet the needs of all

Teaching With Technology

SAM Web 2.0 Xbox Live Google Earth Facebook/MySpace

The Sims Wii Myst Second Life

Take advantage of their strengths . . Veterans– good mentors, follow rules, value the

institution Baby boomers – hard workers, results oriented,

team players, intellectually involved, proud of their “product”

Gen Xers – Self-reliant, fast working, techno-savvy

Millennials – Open, optimistic, social, techno experts

Learn together, Network together, Grow together

Questions???

Comments….

Thank You

A special thank you toMary Alice BurkhartCoordinator, Noncredit and Customized ProgramsAustin Peay State UniversityCenter for Extended and Distance Education

For her contribution and research.