Tailoring Teaching to The Learner: Millennium Students and Characteristics challenge in 21st Century. Millennium Characteristics. Developmental Characteristics of the Millennial Student. Adult Learner Characteristics.
Millennium Students and Characteristics: Tailoring Teaching to The Learner
Millennium Characteristics
The millennial student (born after 1980) constitutes the largest cohort in our nation’s history and the most diverse college-going generation (Coomes & DeBard, 2004). Several characteristics represent this generation of students. They are structured rule followers, protected and sheltered, confident and optimistic about their future, conventionally motivated and respected, cooperative and team-oriented, pressured by and acceptance of authority, and talented achievers (Howe & Strauss, 2000).
The millennial learner has been characterized as having a consumer mentality (he/she expects that if tuition is paid, a degree will be granted), has ubiquitous computer access, and is intolerant of no engaging pedagogical techniques (McGuire & Williams, 2002). Thus, millennial students often do not seek knowledge that results from learning as the goal, but rather knowledge that is generated by the temporary rewards gained by demonstrating mastery of the knowledge (eg, only interested in good grades on an exam rather than seeking knowledge retention ).
Faculty is challenged to emphasize the importance of learning as a process of self-discovery and growth in order to promote effective life-long learning (Wilson, 2004). Faculty members need to be cognizant of millennial generational characteristics because the learners’ expectations are often inconsistent with the institution’s requirements. For example, even though millennial students have come to expect high grades, they typically only do what is expected of them (DeBard, 2004).
In addition, although the percentage of students who spent six or more hours studying per week declined, students remained optimistic about success (DeBard, 2004). Such optimism without sufficient effort can become a source of conflict and failure. Students also lack study skills because they frequently learned the material in high school just for the examination rather than for comprehension, retention, and later application.
In addition , as a result of the increasing number of students accepting jobs to help finance their education, less time is available to study. Overall, millennial students may have unrealistic expectations for what it takes to succeed academically and professionally. The characteristics of the millennial learner not only provide challenges, but also provide opportunities for faculty to promote effective learning.
Faculty should consider the following information and teaching tips (DeBard, 2004; Filene, 2005):
- Today’s students grew up in child-centered families. Often, parents remain involved when these students leave to attend college. Carefully explain to students that they must give their consent so that faculty can discuss information about the student’s classroom performance with parents.
- Students learn more readily when given structured assignments. They trust authority and count on authority. Because they lead very structured lives, they are often directionless without structure. To provide structure effectively, specifications about course responsibilities, assignments, and testing measures must be included in the syllabus, policy handbook, or as part of orientation to the course or program.
- Students respect cultural differences, accept high-stakes proficiency testing as a rite of passage, and are pressured from living in competitive environments. Students expect to be held accountable, and they have respect for objective evaluation. Providing feedback in a timely manner helps to allay anxiety for those who are pressured to succeed.
- Students are conventionally minded conformists who want to get along and are team-oriented. They are motivated by noble causes and readily volunteer to join groups of peers. Group activities that facilitate cooperative learning or service-learning activities work well to keep students motivated, interested, and engaged in learning.
- Students are focused on grades and expect high grades for compliance with academic standards. Alignment of assignments should be matched with a reward structure that is clearly explained, documented, and enforced.
Read More: Role of Faculty for Millennial Student
https://nurseseducator.com/nursing-as-a-career-role-of-the-nurse-educator-in-the-21st-century/
Developmental Characteristics of the Millennial Student
In general, the developmental tasks of the young adult shift from the identity-seeking behaviors of the adolescent to finding one’s place in broader society. Arthur Chickering (1969) describes seven “vectors” of development for the traditional-age college student: achieving competence, managing emotions, becoming autonomous, establishing identity , freeing interpersonal relationships, clarifying purposes, and developing integrity.
His framework of developmental tasks is flexible, indicating that individual students can move through the tasks at varying times. Faculty’s awareness of these tasks can assist students who are struggling with them to become more autonomous, to develop an internal locus of control, and to determine how they will relate to self, others, and society.
For example, students who are striving to become autonomous (not just learning how to live away from home and parents, but trying to make sound judgments) may benefit from role-play scenarios that require acting out problems and practicing how to devise potential resolutions. As faculty, we need to be aware of developmental stages and acknowledge how these developmental needs affect instructional efforts.
Therefore, faculty needs to assess tasks with which students are struggling at the time and how they can be helped to challenge their previous patterns of behavior and begin to formulate new ones that involve learning and higher level problem solving. In addition, developmental tasks affect how students perceive the learning situation and what they expect from it.
Having an investment in understanding developmental tasks may give faculty added insight into more effective ways to connect with students to keep them engaged in the learning process (Davis, 1993). For example, students who work in groups on a project will need specific guidelines and expectations of participation so that all group members participate equally and the group knows what to do if a member is not participating.
This aids in developing a sense of ethical identity in relation to completing a project, receiving equitable credit, and building team-work skills. Understanding developmental stages could spur teaching that is targeted to challenge students to move into the next stage of development.
For example, faculty should design critical thinking assignments that challenge the student to move from seeing just one quick solution to a problem to being able to consider several alternative viewpoints and base a critical judgment on the evaluation of supporting data from several sources. Therefore, learning activities should inspire students to reflect and consider where they are and where they want to be.
Faculty members also need to provide a safe and supportive environment where students feel free to explore disequilibrium and challenges brought about by problem-solving activities without fear of sanctions.
Adult Learner Characteristics
Not all students are from the traditional 18-to-24-year-old group; some may be older and have other characteristics and developmental tasks to complete. In Fall 2003, college enrollment of students above the age of 25 was 36.8% (The Chronicle Almanac, 2005–6). Many are nontraditional students who are adults returning to school for one reason or another. Many return to college to obtain a degree or certificate in order to change careers or advance in their current profession (Hagedorn, 2005).
This population provides many different challenges as well as opportunities for faculty. For instance, adult learners provide a rich source of experiences upon which to draw and share with other students; they seek to apply information that is learned; they often have time constraints; they often experience more anxiety about learning; and they have more diverse learning styles. Knowles (1984) coined the term andragogy, the study of adult learners.
He characterized adult learners as being self-directed, possessing years of experience and a wealth of information, being internally or intrinsically motivated, approaching learning with a desire to apply information to solve problems, and relating new knowledge to previously learned information and experiences ( Baumlein , 2004).
Several educational strategies can be used to maximize learning for students with these characteristics. For example, faculty can provide opportunities for group discussion that tap into the life experiences of the adult learner who can, in turn, become a rich resource for other younger students.
Faculty should provide material that is relevant and meaningful so that learners can connect new information to previously learned information and experiences with direct practical application (Caffarella, 1994). If direct application in clinical settings is not possible, then critical thinking exercises that provide opportunities to apply the material are essential. Adults generally want to apply information to current problems. For example, using case studies provides a good way to apply theory about a particular client scenario that the student is likely to encounter in the clinical setting.
Likewise, having students conduct a health interview for an elderly person aids in transferring the concepts learned in class and provides the application that adults value rather than just reading about how to conduct the interview process. Specific needs of adult learners also can be challenging to face ulty. For instance, adult learners often have time constraints placed on them by family and work commitments.
Strategies to assist with this might include helping to connect students with campus resources that might help with daycare needs, connecting them with other adult students who might be willing to share resources and provide peer group support, arranging for institutional services to be open in the evenings , using e-mail and other technology sources to provide alternative access to faculty to answer questions or provide course materials online.
Furthermore, adult learners often experience more anxiety about learning because they perceive the educational environment to cater more to the younger student who often has fewer roles and responsibilities. Adults often have a greater fear of failing new educational endeavors especially if their previous educational experiences were not positive ( Baumlein , 2004).
Being cognizant of this fear, faculty can provide additional reassurance and support and can provide guidance to the student to seek campus resources and other support networks if needed. In addition, as adults they are often more complex and diverse in their learning styles and, therefore, necessitate that faculty use a variety of educational approaches to facilitate learning.
Encouraging adult students to complete a learning style inventory and helping them to develop a variety of study skills will aid in alleviating some of their anxiety about how to study more effectively and about succeeding as they return to school.
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