The Millennial Generation:
The Next Generation in College
Enrollment
Gaston College
November 1, 2010
Terri Manning
Bobbie Frye
A Study Funded by the Workforce Development Board
It May Take a Village to Raise
a Child, but it Takes a Society
to Raise a Generation
Economic Conditions
Societal Norms
Political Events
Major Crises
Each Generation
• Consists of approximately a 20-year span (not
all demographers and generation researchers
agree on the exact start/stop dates)
• Has a unique set of values
• Reacts to the generation before them
• Looks at their generation as the standard of
comparison
• Looks at the next generation skeptically “these
kids today…”
• They are either idealistic, reactive, civic or
adaptive
Things Have Changed
1950’s
1960’s
1980’s
2000 +
The Veterans (Silent Generation or
Greatest Generation) 1925–1942
(adaptive)
• Raised by the GI Generation (civic)
• Large families (3-5 children)
• Strong sense of extended family
(same town or home)
• Grandparents in the home
• Average 10-year-old spent 4-6
hours daily with a significant adult
role model
• Rural society
• Apprenticeship businesses and
farming
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed Reward
Duty before Pleasure
Adherence to Rules
Honor
The Veterans
• Children of the Great Depression and WWII,
this generation decided not to attack the
institutions created by the generation before
them, but instead, as global thinkers, they
chose to focus on improving and refining
them so that they could be good for
everyone, not just a select few.
• The overall goal was not to change the
system, but to work within it.
• While economically very successful, they were
also the inventors of "the midlife crises"
probably because they didn't get a chance to
enjoy the freedoms of their youth.
The Veterans
Important Events
• Lindbergh Completes
First Transatlantic Flight
• Stock Market Crash
• Depression
• The New Deal
• Social Security
• Pearl Harbor
• The End of WWII
• FDR Dies
• Korean War
Cultural Memorabilia
• Kewpie Dolls
• Mickey Mouse
• Flash Gordon
• Radio
• Wheaties
• Tarzan
• Jukeboxes
• Blondie
• The Lone Ranger
• The McCarthy Era
Veterans - How They Learn
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New is not necessarily better
Not innovative with new ideas
Like structure, schedules and procedures
Brain processes new ideas into old mental
framework
• Some refuse to work with technology (too
overwhelming a learning curve, others jump in)
• Want clear expectations and guidelines
• Must memorize the basics
School Experiences for Veterans
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Hard work
Respected their elders
Children were to be seen and not heard
Felt an obligation to make the grade
Performance based on individual ability
Little feedback unless negative
More intrinsic reward for good performance
Learned from history (other’s experiences)
Small class size, one curriculum for all
No special ed (students no where in sight)
Virtually never tested with standardized tests – less
comparison to others
College Experiences
• Lucky to be there – few able to attend until the GI Bill
then campuses and centers opened all over the place –
more competition
• Traditional teaching/learning environment
• Associate new learning with previous learning
• Sequencing of knowledge and skills
• Education is a process – must memorize the basics
• Seek to become content experts
• Faculty = “sage on a stage”
• Experience of mentors is relevant
• Take time to really understand material
• Taught by processing through formulas – have to
understand why things work – not that they “just do”
Values of Faculty/Staff in this Age
Group
• Loyal to employer (company man) and
expect the same in return
• Believe they should be rewarded for
tenure
• Work ethic = efficiency and hard work
• Stable, thorough and detail oriented
• Don’t buck the system but work within it
• Uncomfortable with conflict and
disagreements
• Not change oriented
The Baby Boomers 1943–1964
(the largest generation, idealist)
• Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9%
• Families moved due to GI Bill, GI housing
and industrialization
• First generation to live miles from
Core Values
extended family
Optimism
• Family size smaller (2-3 children)
Team Orientation
Personal Gratification
• Few grandparents in the home
Health and Wellness
• Moms stayed home, dads carpooled
Personal Growth
Youth
• Children spent significant time with
Work
adult role models
Involvement
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Baby Boomers Life Events
Important Events
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Rosa Parks
First Nuclear Power Plant
The Civil Rights Act
Cuban Missile Crisis
John Glen Orbits the Earth
Martin Luther King Leads March on
Washington, D.C.
President John F. Kennedy
Assassination
National Organization for Women
Founded
Martin Luther King Assassination
Robert F. Kennedy Assassination
Watergate
Kent State Massacre
Vietnam War
Woodstock
Cultural Memorabilia
• Television
• The Ed Sullivan Show
• Barbie Dolls
• Fallout Shelters
• Poodle Skirts
• Pop Beads
• Slinkies
• TV Dinners
• Hula Hoops
• The Peace Sign
• Laugh In
How Boomers Learn
• Want things to fit into the “big picture”
• Want recognition for how well they have
done
• Team oriented, work well in groups
• Like to explore and analyze, look at
different views
• Follow instructions well
• Good with content
Boomer’s Educational Experiences
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Overwhelmed the school system, large class sizes
Ability grouped (red birds and blue birds)
Question authority but respect position
See life as an adventure (and school)
Emphasis on team work (cohort education)
Need silence to concentrate
Were told “you are lucky to be here, others are standing
in line to get in.”
• Want to feel valued
• No special ed students in school but honors courses in a
few subjects
• Rarely tested and not for school performance (PSAT, SAT)
College Experiences
• Attending more common – boom in 60’s and 70’s
• College campuses a reflection of turbulent times – faculty
often rebels – Kent State Massacre, etc.
• Emphasis on self-exploration, mind expansion, lots of
philosophizing in classes - content over-explained and overanalyzed – deep thinkers (not necessarily critical thinkers)
• Aspire to intellectualism
• Some career emphasis but still heavy general education and
classics-based
• Left home and never looked back
• Emphasis on memorization and skill built upon skill
• Taught by process and to be content experts
• No technology – print by mimeograph machines
Boomer Faculty/Staff Values
• Majority of faculty and significant number of students (age
45-66ish)
• Always share personal experience – “what has happened to
me is relevant to you”
• Value stability and respect
• Like to see their successes
• Tend to “workaholism” and have difficulty balancing their
lives, working 40 hours is “slack.”
• Are competitive
• See themselves as the standard of comparison
• Appreciate technology because of how easy it makes their
work – still fear they might “break it” and may have a
“back-up plan”
The Late Veterans and Early
Boomers Gave Birth to the Next
Generation
• The Gen Xers 1965–1982
• A Lost Generation…
A Nomadic Generation…..
• Half the Size of the Baby
Boom (reactive)
Gen X Life Events
Important Events
• Women’s Liberation Protests
• Watergate Scandal
• Energy Crisis begins
• Tandy and Apple Market PCs
• Mass Suicide in Jonestown
• Three Mile Island
• US Corporations begin
Massive Layoffs
• Iran Hostage Crisis
• John Lennon Shot and Killed
• Ronald Reagan Inaugurated
• Challenger Disaster
• Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker Spill
• HIV
Cultural Memorabilia
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The Brady Bunch
Pet Rocks
Platform Shoes
The Simpsons
Evening Soaps (Dallas
and Dynasty)
• ET
• Cabbage Patch Dolls
• Super-hero Cartoons on
TV (He-man)
How Gen Xers Learn
• Task oriented – like to learn new skills
• Speed is important
• Self-paced learning, independent
learning
• Want to have fun while they learn
• Informal learning environments are best
• Hate group work
• Want feedback from teacher
Educational Experiences
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Learned to rely on self (don’t like group work)
Distrust authority
Seek challenging environment (career education emphasis)
Want feedback on progress
Want to do things their way – like no rules and freedom on
assignments
Had special ed classrooms in school but separated
Had honors programs
Funding cut to education
Testing “mania” began with them
First daycare centers arose with them
Many latch-key kids
College Experiences
• Numbers dropped from 60’s and 70’s
• More emphasis on career education
• Technology began to emerge (Eric Silver Platter,
FAX machines, PCs [Apple and Tandy], calculators)
• More extracurricular activities
• Some self-paced learning
• Costs increased, more financial aid
• More structure and group activity
• Experiential exercises emerged
• Began “learning on my own” due to technology
Gen Xers as Faculty/Staff
• Significant number of faculty and significant number of
students (age 28-44ish)
• Cynical and pessimistic, impatient with poorer people
skills
• Want work-life balance, want control of self, time and
future
• Think globally and seek independence
• Like technology and want an informal work environment
• Don’t want the boomers’ work ethic
• Communication is important and talk to adults as
friends/peers (not impressed with authority)
• Believe reward should be based on productivity not hours
worked, loyalty to people not a company
Generation X
• This is the conscientious, extremely
pragmatic, self-sufficient generation that
has a ruthless focus on the bottom-line.
• Born and raised at a time when children
were at the bottom of our social
priorities, Gen Xers learned that they
could only count on one thing themselves. As a result, they are very
"me" oriented.
• They are not active voters, nor are they
deeply involved in politics in general.
The Gen X Childhood
• Divorce reached an all-time high
• Single-parent families became the
norm
• Latch-key kids were a major issue
of the time
• Children not as valued – looked at
as a hardship
• Families spread out (miles apart)
• Family size = 1.7 children (many
only-children)
• Perception of the world as “unsafe”
• Average 10 year old spent 14 ½
minutes a day with a significant
adult role model
• Parents looked around and said –
we need to do this better
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed reward
Duty before pleasure
Adherence to rules
Honor
Generation Next (civic)
The Echo Boom/Millennials…
 The Millennials are almost as large as the baby boom-some say
larger - depending on how you measure them (approx. 81M).
 The Millennials are the children born between 1982 and 2002
(peaked in 1990), a cohort called by various names:
Echo Boom
Generation Y
Millennials
Net Generation
Things Began to Change for This
Generation
• Abortion rates peaked in 1980 and began a slow decline.
• Poverty rate for children peaked in 1983 and began a slow
decline (Medicaid began).
• US divorce rate peaked in 1981 and began a decline.
• Homicide rate against children peaked in 1982 and began a
decline.
• They were born into a better world, a more optimistic world
than the generation before them.
Millennial School Experiences
• Many private schools, charter schools, magnet schools – all
to meet the needs of the individual child –many, many
choices
• School uniforms, child safety, high performance standards,
character education, cooperative learning and community
service
• Goal oriented – outcome based education (what’s in it for
me)
• School is a means to an end – one must endure until the
next level
• Interactive, participatory and engaging – are consulted by
adults
• Everything 24/7 and available electronically
Millennial School Experiences
• No “grunt work” - must do “meaningful work”,
participate in decisions
• International flavor, celebrate diversity, different is okay
• Motivated by working with bright, motivated and moral
people
• Student makes judgments about truth and believability
of what is taught
• Classroom mainstreamed – multiple levels based on
ability and interest
• Constantly tested and compared to peers (learned to
take tests so now of little use for college admissions)
• Feel pressure for high achievement
How Millennials Learn
• Try it their way – always looking for
better, faster way of doing things
• Prefer graphics before text, reading of
excerpts
• Like small and fast processing technology
– best when networked
• Want instant gratification and frequent
rewards (spot)
How Millennials Learn
• Focus on skill development – not
memorization of what they perceive they
don’t need to know
• Productivity is key – not attendance – so
make class worthwhile or they won’t come
• Have different critical thinking skills based on
their high tech world not thought processing
(need help here)
• Rely on teacher to facilitate learning
• Group think and interaction
Millennial College Experiences
• Multiple options – state, private, proprietary schools,
community colleges, dual and concurrently enrolled,
middle college, etc. (Where does one start and
another begin?) make the choice by “what’s best for
me.”
• Fast paced learning
• Group activities (learning communities, peer tutoring,
service learning, supplemental instruction)
• More assumed responsibility from colleges for the
social issues of students (before, faculty weren’t
concerned)
• Don’t want or need silence to concentrate – freaks
out the librarians
Millennial College Experiences
• All possible content is on the internet – need
process and skills-based
• Get out as fast as you can
• Stay home as long as you can – are protected
and mentored
• Get “do-overs” often
• Lots of technology, no tolerance for delays
• Are not hardy, drop out and quit easily
• Dislike ambiguity – “just tell us what we need
to know”
Millennials
• This generation is civic-minded, much like the
previous GI Generation.
• They are collectively optimistic, long-term
planners, high achievers with lower rates of
violent crime, teen pregnancy, smoking and
alcohol use than ever before.
• This generation believes that they have the
potential to be great and they probably do.
We are looking to them to provide us with a
new definition of citizenship.
Demographic Trends
 The Baby Boomers chose to
become older parents in the
1980s while Gen X moms
reverted back to the earlier
birth-age norm, which meant that two
generations were having babies.
 More parental education: 1 in 4 has at least
one parent with a college degree.
 Kids born in the late ‘90s are the first in
American history whose mothers are better
educated than their fathers by a small
margin.
Demographic Trends – Changing
Diversity
 Increase in Latino immigration Latino women tend to have a
higher fertility rates than nonLatino women.
 Nearly 35% of Millennials are
nonwhite or Latino.
 Twenty percent of this generation
has at least one parent who is an
immigrant.
 Millennials have become the most
racially and ethnically diverse
generation in US History.
Safety Issues
The Safest Generation
• This generation was buckled up
in car seats, wore bike helmets,
elbow and knee pads when skating, and were the
inspiration for “Baby on Board” signs.
The Well-Being of U.S. Teens
• Mortality Rate for US teens aged 15–19 declined from
1960 to 1997.
-Teens are having fewer accidents than Boomers
Major Influencing
Factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Their parents
The self-esteem movement
The customer service movement
Gaming and technology
Casual communication
Parenting Millennials
• This generation is being parented by welleducated, over-involved adults who
participate in “deliberate
parenting.” They have
outcomes in mind.
• Boomers were the first
generation to be thrown
out in to an unsafe world
as adolescents.
• The 60’s and 70’s were very scary and many
of us felt unprepared for it.
• We were naïve and didn’t have enough tools
in our tool box to deal with it.
Baby Boomers as Parents
• Boomers rebelled against the parenting
practices of their parents.
• Strict discipline was the order
of the day for boomers.
• They made conscious decisions
not to say “because I told you
so” or “because I’m the parent
and you’re the child.”
• Boomers became more
“friendly” with their children.
They wanted to have open lines of
communication and a relationship with them.
Baby Boomers as Parents
• They explained things to their children, (actions,
consequences, options, etc.) – they wanted them to
learn to make informed decisions.
• They allowed their children to have input into family
decisions, educational options and
discipline issues.
• We told them “just because it is on
television doesn’t mean it’s true”
or “you can’t believe everything
you read.”
• We wanted them to question
authority.
The Result
• Millennials have become
“a master set of
negotiators” who are
capable of rational thought
and decision-making skills at
young ages.
• They will negotiate with anyone
including their parents, teachers
and school administrators.
• Some call this “arguing.”
Helicopter Parents
• Helicopter Parent (n) A
parent who hovers over his
or her children.
• Or Snowplow parent: Parents who clear
the way for their children
• ……these (echo) boomers are confident,
achievement-oriented and used to hovering
"helicopter" parents keeping tabs on their
every move. (Anthony DeBarros, "New baby
boom swamps colleges," USA Today, January
2, 2003)
Helicopter Parent go to
College
• A new generation of over-involved
parents are flooding campus
orientations, meddling in registration
and interfering with students' dealings
with professors, administrators and roommates,
school officials say.
• Some of these hovering parents, whose numbers
have been rising for several years, are unwittingly
undermining their children's chances of success,
campus administrators say. Now, universities and
colleges are moving rapidly to build or expand
programs aimed at helping parents strike a better
balance.
Colleges Ward Off Overinvolved Parents By Sue Shellenbarger
From The Wall Street Journal Online
Issues for Discussion - Dealing With
Parents
• The last group of millennials will begin
college in 2020.
• We need to begin to be proactive now.
– Orientation for parents
– Materials for parents
– Communication with parents via newsletter or
emails
– Help them learn how to help their student
– Help them understand what it takes for a
student to become independent and help
themselves
Dealing With Parents
• FERPA only limits us from talking to parents
about student progress, attendance, grades,
etc. but nothing else.
• We feel we shouldn’t have to deal with
parents – because our history indicates our
average student age has been about 30.
• Not so today – most rapidly growing group is
under 25 and will continue to be so for a
while (in 07-08, 50% were under 30)
• Parents need to know about FERPA
What Do Universities Do With Parents
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Parents organization – great help with fundraising
Parent orientation
Parents’ weekend (or other events)
Mail to parents to purchase care packages during
finals week, etc.
• Parents pay for services for their children
• Could be a great group of volunteers for us
• But it takes staff to coordinate them
Baby Boomer Parents have been
their Biggest Cheerleaders
• Millennials expect and
need praise.
• Will mistake silence for
disapproval.
• Millennials expect
feedback.
Who are your heroes?
• An Associate Press/MTV poll asked
millennials who they looked up to as
heroes?
– 50% said their parents (29% mom, 21% dad)
– 11% named a friend
– 10% said God
– 8% named a grandmother
– 7% a brother
– 5% a teacher or professor
CNN 8/20/07
Focus on Self-esteem
• This generation was the center
of the “self-esteem” movement.
• 9,068 books were written about
self-esteem and children during
the 80s and 90s (there were 485 in the 70s).
• The state of California spent millions studying
the construct and published a document
entitled “Toward a State of Self-esteem.”
• Yet they can’t escape the angst of adolescence
– they still feel disconnected, question their
existence, purpose and the meaning of life.
They want to feel valued and cared about.
Focus on Customer Service
• Expect access (24/7)
• Expect things to work like
they are supposed to
• If they don’t “that is your
problem”
• They want what they have paid for
• Everything comes with a toll-free
number or web address
• Want “Gateway Go Back”
in classes
Add the Impact of Gaming
• Gaming has impacted children
– The game endings changed based
on the decisions children made
(Role Playing Games [Legend of
Zelda, Final Fantasy, Chronotrigger])
impacting locus of control.
– Involves a complex set of decisionmaking skills.
– Teaches them to take multiple
pieces of data and make decisions
quickly.
– Learning more closely resembles
Nintendo, a trial and error approach to
solving problems.
We navigated our way through…..
They navigated their way through…..
Technology
• This generation has been plugged in since
they were babies.
• They grew up with educational software and
computer games.
• They think technology should be free.
• They want and expect
services 24/7.
• They do not live in an
8–5 world.
• They function in an
international world.
Cell Phone Technology
• 39% had cell phones in 2004 – 66% by 2009.
Expect to be in contact 24/7.
• Not a phone – a lifestyle management tool
• Staying “connected” is essential.
• Communication is a safety issue for
parents.
• Communication has become
casual for students (IM, email
and cell phones.
Children and Teens and Technology
Children and Teens on
the Computer
Source: Los Angeles Times
Cell Phone Usage
Texting
• The typical American teen sends 50
messages a day or 1,500 a month.
• 31% of teens send and receive more
than 100 messages a day (3,000 a
month.)
• 65% of high school students use cell
phones in school, 25% text in class.
• 86% of adults have cell phones.
Source: www.techcrunch.com (Feb. 2010)
Mobile Devices
• 25% of Americans 12 and older have listened
to audio from an iPod.
• 18% of 8-18 year-olds have iPods/MP3 Players
in 2004 – 76% by 2009.
• 26% of people read news on a mobile device.
The average American digests 34 gigabytes of
information outside of work daily,
• More than 100 million access Facebook from a
mobile device
Daily Technology/Media Use
Kaiser Generation M2-Kids/Youth/Media Survey (Jan. 2010)
Social Networking
• The world spends 110 billion
minutes on social-media and
blog sites. This equates to
22% of all the time online or
1
in every 4 ½ minutes.
• These sites were visited by 75%
of the global consumers who go online. The average
visitor spends almost 6 hours a month.
• Facebook passed the 500 million user mark in July
2010.
• 50% of Americans have profiles on social
networking sites.
Source: www.web-strategist.com
Common Sense Media Poll (Aug. 2009)
Teen social networking by the numbers
51 Percentage of teens check their sites more than once a day.
22 Percentage check their sites more than 10 times a day.
39 Percentage have posted something they later regretted.
37 Percentage have used the sites to make fun of other students.
25 Percentage have created a profile with a false identity.
24 Percentage have hacked into someone else's social networking
account.
13 Percentage have posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of
themselves or others online.
Characteristics of Today’s Children
• 76% want to learn more about the world
(much smaller for them).
• 28% of high school students
access foreign news sources
via the Internet.
• 90% percent of children
between ages 5 and 17
use computers.
• Teens spend more time online using the
Internet than watching television.
From: A Nation on the Move, http://www.ed.gov
What About 1st Generation
Students?
• Not all students will be proficient; first-generation and
students from low income or working class families may
have less experience.
• Their experience with technology has been minimal in
school (poorer districts.)
• They have not had the exposure to educational uses of
technology – software that does WORK for them.
• We need another placement test – remedial
keyboarding and technology.
• Huge digital divide between the “haves” and the “have
nots” based on income levels (class).
Greatest Challenge
• Content experts teaching content to
students – in a day when all possible
content is on the Internet.
• They can find what you know in how
many seconds?
Quote….
• “Once being a professor meant (among
other things) possessing, by dint of
years immersed in library mineshafts,
refinements on knowledge that were
effectively inaccessible to the unlearned
person. Now, most of that esoterica is
available instantly on Wikipedia.”
– Louis Menand, Harvard Professor, 2010, The Marketplace of Ideas:
Reform and Resistance in the American University.
Quote….
• “A pressing pedagogical challenge right now
is the problem of adapting a linear model
for transmitting knowledge – the lecture
monologue, in which a single line of thought
leads to an intellectual climax after fifty
minutes – to a generation of students who
are accustomed to dealing with multiple
information streams in short bursts.”
•
Louis Menand, Harvard Professor, 2010, The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform
and Resistance in the American University.
What world are we preparing
them for?
– The one we grew up in???
– A future world unknown to many of us
– Critical topics
• Information literacy
• Language (bilingual a necessity)
• Technology that does work for them
• Critical decision-making
• Dealing with change
• Globalism, world economy
• Rapid disbursement of information around the globe
• Get ahead with process skills, applied knowledge
Top Ten Skills for the Future
• Work ethic, including self-motivation and time
management.
• Physical skills, e.g., maintaining one's health and
good appearance.
• Verbal (oral) communication, including one-on-one
and in a group
• Written communication, including editing and
proofing one's work.
• Working directly with people, relationship building,
and team work.
•
The Futurist Update (Vol. 5, No. 2), an e-newsletter from the World Future Society, quotes Bill Coplin
on the “ten things employers want [young people] to learn in college”
Top Ten Skills for the Future, cont.
• Influencing people, including effective
salesmanship and leadership.
• Gathering information through various media
and keeping it organized.
• Using quantitative tools, e.g., statistics,
graphs, or spreadsheets.
• Asking and answering the right questions,
evaluating information, and applying
knowledge.
• Solving problems, including identifying
problems, developing possible solutions, and
launching solutions.
The Futurist Update (Vol. 5, No. 2), an e-newsletter from the World Future Society, quotes Bill Coplin
on the “ten things employers want [young people] to learn in college”
Learning Outcomes for the 21st Century
Students in the 21st Century will need to be
proficient in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reading, writing, speaking and listening
Applying concepts and reasoning
Analyzing and using numerical data
Citizenship, diversity/pluralism
Local, community, global, environmental awareness
Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, decision-making, creative
thinking
(The League for Innovation’s 21st Century Learning Outcomes
Project.)
21st Century, cont.
Students in the 21st Century will need to be
proficient in:
• Collecting, analyzing and organizing information
• Teamwork, relationship management, conflict
resolution and workplace skills
• Learning to learn, understand and manage self,
management of change, personal responsibility,
aesthetic responsiveness and wellness
• Computer literacy, internet skills, information retrieval
and information management
(The League for Innovation’s 21st Century Learning Outcomes
Project.)
Quote…
• “Sheer information is no
longer a major piece of the
value-added of higher
education.”
• Elizabeth Renker, The Origins of American Literature Studies:
An Institutional History, 2007.
Millennial Expectations
• They have grown up in an outcomes-based
world – have the attitude “what’s in it for
me?”
• Clear expectations, explicit syllabi, and well
structured assignments.
• They expect detailed instructions and
guidelines for completing assignments.
• They have come from K-12 systems where
students are actively involved in learning and
classroom activities change often.
• Teachers are helpers/facilitators of learning.
Satisfaction with Online Courses
70%
60%
50%
63%
55%
40%
38%
30%
26%
20%
10%
0%
Veterans
Source: Educause
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Ambitions
Most popular college majors:
•
•
•
Medicine
Education/teaching
Business and marketing
•
•
•
Engineering
Law and politics
Computer science
 Most
sought after qualities in
careers:
•
•
•
Responsibility
Independence
Creativity
•
Idealistic and
committed co-workers
Most common job trends :
•
•
Source: Industry Week, March, 1998.
Multi-taskers
Change Careers
•
•
Seek security & benefits
Stay with company that
offers a challenge
Difference in Values
• They have witnessed their
baby boomer parents coming
home from stressed jobs,
exhausted, falling asleep at
the dinner table; and don’t
want that for themselves.
• They are a generation who is
interested in a life with value
and meaning – they do not
aspire to what the “boomers”
aspire to – they want
something different.
True Multi-taskers
• Millennials have lived programmed
lives and are already quite capable
of learning several jobs
simultaneously and performing
them admirably.
• Millennials will change careers
many times.
• Retooling and recycling their
skills and talents will become
common.
• To retain them, smart employers
will encourage Millennials to try out different careers
within the same company.
Characteristics They Look for in
Teachers
• At least 50% said:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Enthusiastic about the course/teaching
Are fun to be around
Provide intellectual challenges
Have flexible class policies
Are sensitive to your needs/feelings
Emphasize preparing for future career
Working in Teams
• How do you feel about working in teams?
– I like it
– Have no feelings about it
– I don’t like it
44.7%
25.9%
29.4%
Working in Teams
• In the classroom, do you do the
following? 1 = never
2 = rarely
3 = sometimes
4 = often
Mean (sd)
Are given “team grades” on working
with others
Write papers/do projects with others
Study/do research in teams
2.62 (.89)
2.41 (.79)
2.35 (.80)
Salary Expectations
• Realistically, what do you expect your starting
salary will be when you begin working?
–
–
–
–
–
–
$15-20K
$21-30K
$31-40K
$41-50K
$50K+
Not sure
Millennials
7.7%
29.3%
27.0%
15.9%
7.0%
12.5%
Approximately 65% felt they would learn $40K or less
Jobs in Lifetime
• How many jobs do you
think you will hold in
your lifetime?
– 1-3
35.7%
– 4-6
41.5%
– 7-10
16.5%
– Over 10
6.2%
64% expect to have 4 or more jobs
Future Odds
• The following % felt it was very likely that they
would someday:
Work for themselves/own business
Have lifestyle they grew up with
21%
63%
• 79% felt a two income household would be
somewhat to very important in reaching their
lifestyle goals?
Quality of Life?
Rank order of items that
contribute to a good quality of life
(% ranking item in top 3
on a scale of 1-8)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Having a secure future for my family
Time to enjoy family/children
Having family/children
Having a great job
Having good friends
Having plenty of money
Having plenty of free time
71.5%
68.7%
63.2%
60.4%
55.2%
45.5%
40.2%
Your Generation in the Future
• Someday, your generation will be raising
kids, running corporations and occupying
high political office. When that day comes,
which areas of American life will be better,
the same or worse than today because of
your generation?
– 3 = better
– 2 = same
– 1 = worse
Areas they felt they would do better:
Technology
Race Relations
Areas they felt they would do about the
same:
Economy
Schools
Arts/Culture
Foreign Affairs
Areas they felt they
couldn’t improve on:
Government
Family Life
Religion
Crime/Public Order
Issues for Discussion
• Cheating – vague meaning for students
– Much easier now, we had to work to cheat.
– Electronic toys.
– Online sites (paper mills, etc.).
– Too much focus on the end
point (grade in class) than
learning. Have to help
refocus them.
Issues for Discussion
• Plagiarism
– What is it
– Don’t assume they understand it
– Be careful with sites like “turn it in.com”
– Create materials for them with
samples
– Discuss ownership of creative
works
– Get the library involved
– An issue for all ages
Issues for Discussion
• Communication policies
– How soon can they expect a
response from you
– When are you available for
email
– What will you accept emails
about
– Email is official communication between the student and
the teacher – should look like official communication
– Other casual communication devices
– Connectivity and communication are two of their
strengths and areas they abuse
– You are your own worst enemy
Issues for Discussion
• Cell phone policies
– Faculty are divided down the
middle on this
– Don’t make such a big deal out
of it
– Be fair but don’t let them disrupt
class
– Connectivity is very important to
them
– They will not turn them off but
will silence them
So How Do We Work With Them?
• Because they have grown up in a different world,
never assume that they know certain things like:
– You don’t want to talk to their mother when they are
having problems.
– You don’t get points for showing up or an A for effort.
– The definition of plagiarism and cheating.
– It’s not appropriate to call the professor at home after
9pm.
– They can’t use IM language in papers.
– It’s not okay to email the professor 10 times a day.
– That when they email you at 3am, you’re not sitting
on the other end waiting to respond to them.
– The business office (and most others) close at 5pm.
Some Major Issues Worth
Addressing
• Some of them have been performing below
grade level all their lives… and they may not
know it (age of social promotion).
• You may be the first strict grader they have
encountered (will discourage them).
• Many are not very “hardy.” Will quit or drop
out because “it’s hard.”
• They are very good consumers and will figure
out a way to stay “under the radar.”
• They are not good planners and will do
everything late if allowed.
What Should Institutions Do (In
the Classroom)?
• Develop policies and practices around
appropriate communication.
• Give them electronic access to as much
as is philosophically possible.
• Draw a line on negotiations.
• Give them definitions, boundaries and
rules.
What Should Institutions Do?
• Stop existing in an 8-5 world.
• Establish prerequisites for reading and writing
intensive courses.
• Force them to take developmental courses
the first semester (don’t set them up to fail).
• Stop letting them register late, hand in late
work and procrastinate.
• Have an orientation to online classes that
measures their technical abilities. They take
them thinking they will be easier.
Things That Work – Teaching Thinking
• Students need the ability to sift, analyze, and reflect
upon large amounts of data in today's information age.
• Use scenarios where they must reach a conclusion,
determine what flaws and limits might be embedded in
their approach, what they know with certainty, what do
they not know.
• Give students a controversial problem that can and
should be approached from several perspectives. Help
them to come to a reasoned conclusion.
• Put the students in charge, allow them to lead and
don’t butt in too much.
Things That Work
• Mini learning communities in class
– Break up first time and in the same group
for the entire semester
– Exchange phone numbers, emails, etc.
– When one is absent, someone from the
group calls
– Engages them in the group and thus in the
class
• Teacher conferences
– Get to know the student and student get to
know the faculty – makes a difference
Teaching How to Be a Student
• We assume students know “how to be here, how to
be a college student.”
• Their K-12 experience was different – more active
learning, changing of activities. Every thing was
done for them.
• They don’t know how things work – withdraw from
classes, when to enroll, how to apply for financial
aid, take notes, study for tests, etc.
• We need to make sure they have these skills.
Interested in Things That Matter
• Want to have an impact on the world
• Interested in careers that matter
• Show them aspects of a field or career that has
an impact on society
• Will be attracted to the mission of the
community college as faculty – are beginning
to join our faculty ranks (oldest are 26-7).
• But soon they will be the least of our problems
because someone is already coming behind
them… Gen Z
Who Are They?
• A new “Silent Generation”
referred to as Generation Z,
Generation Alpha or the
Homeland Generation.
• Starts mid-2000’s until
about 2017 to 2020 and
will be considered an
artist generation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss_and_Howe
Generation Z
• Will be raised on technology, they will not be scared
of anything, they will be open to new ideas.
• They will be into truth and loyalty and they will not
be not afraid to voice their opinion.
• They will be flexible and open to change.
• They will be fearless and fun.
• They will be the ‘new’ hope for our own future.
• Their great-grandparents belong mostly to
the Silent Generation and the Baby boomers
form the core of their grandparents.
• Their parents are seen as being roughly
evenly divided between Generation X
and Generation Y.
http://www.generationzbaby.com/generation-z.html
For a copy of this presentation:
http//www.cpcc.edu/millennial
Click on: “presentations and workshops”
Contact:
terri.manning@cpcc.edu