What do you know about these generations that will be important to consider in designing your course? What possibilities exist with making assumptions about our learners and their learning needs? How can you overcome some of these potential challenges?
Objective Questions: What have you learned about working with different generations of learners in an online forum?
Throughout the assigned videos and readings, and my own research I have found that designing successful courses online for multiple generations requires a variety of different styles, tools, and methods of engagement in order to guide learners through a course. In scholar Michael Marmon’s (2018) research on social presence in online learning, he highlights the importance of creating online course that are well structured and organized because he found that online students are often challenged by both the content of the course and the “fundamental skills that support learning in an [online environment]” (p.69). This is especially relevant for generations that are “Digital Immigrants” as outlined by Marc Prensky’s (2001) two categories of learners; which is informed by generations different exposures to technology throughout their lifetime. He described the two as “Digital Natives” and Digital Immigrants,” Digital Natives are the Net-Generation or those who have grown up in the digital world whereas, Digital Immigrants are those who were exposed to the digital world later such as the Silent Generation, Babyboomers, or Generation X. Prensky’s research shows that many of the Digital Immigrants are teaching Digital Natives and as a result, the technology gap causes some tension in the learning environment because “today’s students think and process information differently” (p.1). He argued for a teaching methodology that incorporates “legacy content” such as traditional learning methods (reading, writing, lectures) with “future content” such technology, robotics and the politics associated with them (p.1). Together, he proposed that this method creates an environment where intergenerational teachers and students can be successful as both learner and instructor.
Caroline Koh’s (2015) research on teaching the net-generation and 21st-century learner’s, provides methods for teaching them and she suggested motivating students with virtual labs that provide instant feedback and interactions with peers and instructors. Alongside a variety of embedded resources such as online tools, forums, and documents. Some of these methods are echoed in research on teaching different generations (“Teaching across Generations,” 2014) where the author outlines the characteristics given to each generation and proposes both suggestions for each generation and suggested strategies for all students (figure 1).
Figure 1
The authors argue that creating a variety of learning practices will appeal to all generations of learners in addition to acknowledging that the characteristic placed on learners in each generation may be biased. The author asks us to question the validity of these generation labels because of their bases on specific class, racial and social background. Therefore, working with different generation online requires insight into their generations exposure to technology, generation-specific characteristics as well as an awareness of different global and local backgrounds.
Reflective Questions: How does this fit with your experience? What has your own learning been like related to interacting and learning with different generations?
In my experience as an instructor, I worked primarily with students from the “Y” and “Z” generations. And as a late millennial, near the border of Gen Z, I recognized and empathized with the descriptions of the millennial and Gen Z characteristics. Like White’s (2015) description of them, I grew up in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, have been conditioned to believe that you need a University degree to get in the door, and was raised with technology at an early age. I grew up with myspace then facebook and Instagram, and find that social media plays a large role in my life and education. I found as an instructor that I could use my knowledge of technology and social media to engage students but, also that students would constantly be challenging me with new resources that I was not aware of. However, another challenge has been teaching students from different countries who have experience with different learning styles and expectations. For example, some of my students from other countries feared failure more than others or struggled with assignments centered on critical thinking. In addition, some students were more comfortable engaging in peer discussion whereas as other preferred solitary work. This experience showed by the importance of being aware of intergenerational and international classrooms as “Teaching Across Generations” touched on.
In developing an online and taking online courses, I have found that I have a high expectation with the level of technology and the design and structure of a course. And I feel that the upcoming generations hold these expectations as well. In Liam Morgan’s research on Y learners, he found that “One of the most consistent themes to emerge from the diaries was the students heightened awareness of what was available in terms of ICT and multimedia and being able to make judgments about their effectiveness (p.167). I also find that while technology may be a learner curve for some learners, well-designed courses and web-tools are usually user-friendly and made to be quite clear for many different types of users. Therefore, while some online tools may not be accessible for everyone, I do find that the ease of design helps everybody. When I took an online course, I found that the instructor was hands-out and did not take the time to check-in or introduce themselves to the students. There was also no peer-to-peer interaction that Marmon (2018) argues is vital in an online course. However, they aren’t as easy to incorporate and teach other generations and types of learners. It is not accessible for everyone, however, I do find that the ease of design helps for everybody.
Working with other generations have been very rewarding for me and I have found that I get along with baby boomers (as the Tammy Erickson [2008] described). I find that there mutual learning that happens when working with baby boomers and Gen-Xers. I teach them about some of the latest resources and they guide me on navigating the workplace. As a student, being taught by digital immigrants I found that my instructors often used traditional learning sources which is what I grew up on and am comfortable with. However, I found that there is a need to engage other learning methods because of the various new ways people in the millennial and z generation are learning to learn, and are teaching themselves to learn (gaming, online resources/courses, etc).
Interpretive Questions: What does this new learning mean to you? What new insights do you now have? How has your thinking changed because of this learning?
From all of the readings, I learned that when designing an online platform it has to incorporate learning methods that are accessible to all generations as well as people with different learning styles. In order to do this, I will need to incorporate tools that are user-friendly, encourage peer engagement, and are interactive. This challenged me to think about how I can successfully create an online course that incorporates different tools while still making it easy to navigate through all the content in clear and concise delivery. As Marmon (2018) pointed out, students will be challenged by both the course content and for many of them the online platform.
Some of the articles reminded me of my own experience working with inter-generation and international students, and the different content delivery they may be accustomed too and the learning hurdles they may have. I have new insights on how digital immigrants or natives can incorporate legacy and future content, that appeals to both of their learning needs as well as instructors teaching needs. Lastly, the readings changed how I think about peer-to-peer interactions online. They showed the importance of it and the importance of creating intentional spaces for these interactions online.
Decisional Questions: How can this new learning be applied in your online course?
In order to minimize the learning curve for all generations, I am going to focus on developing the course layout to create courses that are easy to navigate and intuitive. I am also going to incorporate multiple web tools with diverse uses such as video chats, quizzes, and games. I will do this to appeal to the learning styles and comfort levels of various generations and learning styles. Lastly, I will incorporate social engagement through forums to encourage peer communication and give the students a sense of community. I will also try to incorporate a peer project which will encourage students to work together and also share their experience taking an online course and any challenges they may have.
Reference List:
Koh, C. (2015). Motivation, Leadership and Curriculum design Engaging the Net Generation and 21st Century Learners / edited by Caroline Koh.
Managing Generation Y with Tammy Erickson. (2008, May 27). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/rDAdaaupMno
Marmon, M. (2018). Enhancing social presence in online learning environments / Michael Marmon, editor.
Morgan, Liam. (2012). Generation Y, Learner Autonomy and the Potential of Web 2.0 Tools for Language Learning and Teaching. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 29(3), 166-Wide Information Systems, 2012, Vol.29(3), p.166-176.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Teaching Across Generations – Part II. (2014, August 12). Retrieved from https://uminntilt.com/2014/07/14/teaching-across-generations-part-ii/
White, S. (2015, May). The Generation Z effect. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/canadian-university-report/the-genz-effect/article26898388/
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