“The outlook of those we teach has changed, and thus the way
in which we teach must change.
The world in which we all live has changed, and thus the
content we teach must change” - Frand, 2000, p2
My Generation
By:
KA Johnston
“The outlook of those we teach has changed, and thus the way
in which we teach must change.
The world in which we all live has changed, and thus the
content we teach must change”- Frand, 2000, p.2
http://www.my-generation.org.uk/
Judith Addo & Michael Railton
• Explored the Net Generation's learning styles;
the perceptions of these learning styles held by
faculty members and
how to treat the ensuing gap in perceptions in
order to better facilitate the education of the
Net Generation
4
Generations Defined
Birth Dates
Description
Attributes
Likes
Dislikes
Y Generation
Matures
Baby Boomers Generation X
Net Generation
1900–1942
1943–1960
1961–1981
1982–1991
Me generation
Latchkey
generation
Millennials
Optimistic
Workaholic
Independent
Sceptical
Hopeful
Determined
Greatest
generation
Command &
control
Self-sacrifice
Respect for
authority
Family
Community
involvement
Waste
Technology
Faculty staff
Students
Freedom
Responsibility
Multitasking
Work ethic
Work-life
Can-do attitude
balance
Public activism
Latest technology
Parents
Laziness
Turning 50
Anything slow
Negativity
Red tape
Hype
The omnipresence of technology has shaped the way the Net
Generation views life, learning and society
Oblinger & Oblinger,
5
Generations Defined Y Generation
Baby Boomers 1943-60 Generation X 1961-1981
Raised in a time of failing marriages
when welfare of children fell to the
bottom of the priority list. “latch key
kids”. As a result tend to be more self
dependent, preferring freedom to
bureaucracy
Bay of Pigs, Vietnam War, Cold Fall of the Berlin Wall, emergence of
War, Kennedy Assassination
Hip-Hop culture, emergence of AIDS and
and Watergate scandal
the Web
Trying to construct the kinds of strong
Father knows Best family
families that they lacked, as a result, the
order, so were far more liberal
upbringing of the Net Generation more
than parents today
structured
Raised at time of rise in
substance abuse, crime rates
and sexual risk taking rose
whilst academic achievement
declined
Became a generation that
sought self-perfection and
deeper meaning
Net Generation 1982-1991
Heaviest influence on their upbringing
has undoubtedly been the proliferation
of the internet technology and its
adoption in the home, at schools and
at work
Gulf war, AIDS pandemic, Y2K, dotcom bubble, global warming, Clinton
sex scandal, 9/11, Iraq war
Grown up as part of a “globally
connected, service- and
information-intense, digitally based
culture”
Gravitate toward group activity.
High levels of risk taking amongst the
Focused on grades & performance;
youth resulted in soaring teen pregnancy fascinated by new technologies;
rates
diverse group; identify with parents’
values and feel close to them
And they smoked….. No one size fits all Frand; Howe & Strauss; Oblinger & Oblinger
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Net Generation behaviours
Computers are not a technology, computers are an
assumed part of life.
Internet is better than TV: spend more time online than
watching TV.
Reality no longer real: Things that appear real over the
internet may not really be, and the content may or may
not be accurate.
Doing rather than knowing: Results & actions are
considered more important than the accumulation of
facts.
Nintendo over logic: Nintendo symbolises a trial-and-error
approach to solving problems.
Frand
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Net Generation behaviours
Multitasking way of life: Students appear to be
comfortable when engaged in multiple activities.
Typing rather than handwriting: penmanship has been
superseded by keyboarding skills.
Staying connected: Students stay in touch real time using
a variety of devices.
Zero tolerance for delays: Students expect service to be
available 24/7 in various modes.
Consumer/Creator blurring: There’s a general assumption
amongst this generations that digital resources are
everyone’s property.
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Frand
Research Questions
Faculty Members
• How do South African faculty members prefer to learn?
• What perceptions of student learning styles do SA faculty members have?
• How do SA faculty use Educational Technologies to facilitate their teaching?
Students
• How do SA students belonging to the Net Generation prefer to learn?
• What are the preferred learning styles of SA Net-Gen students?
• What learning technologies do SA students expect faculty members to use in
their teaching?
Bridging the Gap
• What are the differences between the perceptions held by faculty members of
how students prefer to learn and the preferred learning styles of students?
• Is there a discrepancy between students’ expectations of faculty use of
learning technologies and the faculty members’ comfort with using these
technologies?
• What corrective measures need to be taken (if any) to remedy the
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discrepancies?
Research Design
• Builds on other studies - Oblinger & Oblinger
• Quantitative approach
• Use of two questionnaires (Faculty &
Students) – approved by ethics committee
• Electronic questionnaires distributed to UCT,
Wits & CPUT
• 307 student respondents and 15 IS faculty
• Variety of statistical tests used
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Faculty
7%
20%
Admin Staff
Junior Lecturer
53%
20%
Senior Lecturer
Head of Department
• Number of Courses Taught –ranged from 1 to 4
per semester
• Years of Experience – discontinuous distribution
beginning at a range from 4 to 6 years (27% of
respondents) whilst 40% had between 7 and 12
years of experience, remaining 33% had been
teaching for more than 21 years.
• Academic Area –60% teaching IT courses and
40% teaching business courses
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Students
Sample
Race (%)
W
B
I
A
Gender (%)
Age (%)
O
F
M 17-19 20-22
23-26
Overall
Students
CPUT
23
53
10
4
10
56
44
48
40
12
7
70
4
3
16
63
37
15
70
15
UCT
35
42
9
7
7
46
54
80
17
3
Wits
31
45
21
0
3
66
34
46
32
22
HEMIS ‘06
26
67
6
54
46
Sc.
1
0
0
2
Bus
63
54
81
45
Other
5
3
7
15
Sample
Overall
CPUT
UCT
Wits
Class Level (%)
1st
2nd
44
29
50
49
86
6
40
34
3rd
20
1
2
0
PG
7
0
6
26
Specialisation (%)
IT Soc.Sc
28
3
43
0
12
0
33
5
12
Learning preferences
Learning Preferences
Take a class or attend a demonstration
Have a friend show me
Just do it and see what works
Read a paper instruction manual
Read an online instruction manual
Overall Students
Mean
St. Dev
4.10
1.01
3.41
1.10
3.07
1.33
3.01
1.24
2.73
1.09
Faculty Members
Mean
St. Dev
3.20
1.21
2.93
1.39
4.07
1.21
3.27
1.22
2.87
1.36
Diff
*CUW
U
*CUW
Strength of Agreement
* - Significant difference between Overall Student and Faculty responses
C - Significant difference between Student and Faculty responses at CPUT
U- Significant difference between Student and Faculty responses at UCT
W- Significant difference between Student and Faculty responses at Wits
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1
1
3
Class
2
4
Friend
3
Just do it
4
2
Read paper
Learning Preference
Overall Student Mean
Faculty Mean
5
5
Read online
13
Learning Styles
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Statement
Students Faculty
Diff
Mean St.D Mean St.D
Having access to IT will be very important for students’ career
Having access to IT is very NB for students’ academic success
Students are only interested in course material that is relevant to
real life
Students would prefer to attend a university that uses the latest
technology to support their learning
Students learn best when there is a variety of visual material
presented in class
To learn best, students need face-to-face contact with instructor
Students get frustrated when they cannot get the information
they need quickly
Resources on the internet have greatly decreased students’ need
to go to the library
Interacting with fellow students in class improves student learning
Resources on Internet do not make a good replacement for faculty
Students prefer to learn independently, not working with others
in learning
Online discussion boards & forums are not useful in learning
Instructor-student interactions in class do not improve learning
4.68
4.52
4.42
0.65 4.80
0.74 4.60
0.68 3.40
0.41
0.51
1.18
W
4.30
0.91 3.67
0.98
*CUW
4.26
0.79 3.93
0.80
CW
4.23
4.15
0.84 4.00
0.91 4.13
0.85
1.06
C
3.83
1.09 4.27
0.59
*CW
3.77
3.39
3.15
2.81
0.97
1.01
1.17
1.02
0.93
0.82
0.82
0.62
Interactive Learning (Statements: 6, 9, 11, 12, 13)
Online Learning (Statements: 8, 10, 12)
2.03
Practical Learning (Statement: 3)
4.00
3.67
2.67
2.07
0.91 1.40
*CUW
C
*CUW
0.51 *CUW
Visual Learning (Statement: 5)
Perceived Importance of Technology (Statements: 1, 2, 4)
Patience (Statement: 7)
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Use of Educational Technologies
Technology
Students
Faculty Members Diff
Presentation software in class
A course management system
Communication with students via email
Course discussion boards
Delivery of most course content online
Internet in class
Online chat
Instant Messaging
Mean
3.47
3.37
3.06
2.99
2.79
2.65
2.36
2.28
Mean
3.73
3.57
3.53
3.43
3.00
2.80
2.14
2.21
St. Dev
0.66
0.73
0.91
0.82
1.05
0.78
0.86
0.95
St. Dev
0.46
0.65
0.92
0.76
1.20
0.86
1.29
1.37
C
*CW
*U
4
Rank
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
Present sw
Course Mgt
Email comms
Discuss board
Online delivery
Educational Technology
Class Internet
Online chat
Insant message
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Recommendations
• Top learning preferences of SA students:
– Use of classes and demonstrations &
– Peer demonstrations in groups
• Top learning preferences of faculty members are:
– Use of hands on approaches - learn by doing &
– Paper instruction manuals
• Faculty should focus on classes and use peer
demonstrations
16
Recommendations
• Need to adopt teaching methods to meet learning styles of Net
Generation
– Teach using relevant material which can be applied in practice
– Use visual methods of teaching
– Make educational material available to students on internet
– Facilitate interactive educational environments
– Facilitate fast access to information
• Use of Technologies
– Make use of presentation software in class -PowerPoint
– Use a course management system - Vula
– Communicate with students via email – not notice boards
– Have course discussion boards
– Deliver course content online
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Video – my Generation
The following is a video that was submitted in a
contest by a 20 year old. The contest was titled
"u @ 50". Apparently this video won second
place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM
6rA
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