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instantaneous feedback and constant engagement (Meyer & Nielson, 2015). One of the key
indicators of this expectation is the noted increased use of multi-tasking (Meyer & Nielson,
2015). The changes millennials have brought to higher education are only beginning, and will
become more apparent as the population of the educational world becomes predominantly digital
natives.
Evolving Classrooms
This changing demographic has some interesting consequences within higher education
and has been quickly changing how classes are conducted within the last decade. Instructional
design tactics are evolving rapidly based upon millennial needs and expectations. Millennial
students have a unique perspective of education; the current wave of incoming students were
born into the Internet Age and interactive learning environments are something they take for
granted (Meyer & Nielson, 2015).
Traditional face-to-face lecture-based classrooms are ineffective for millennials students
and do not feature an effective use of Instructional Design. Instructional design in its essence
incorporates a number of characteristics which focus on accommodating the needs of the student.
These characteristics include student-centered learning, group-oriented approaches, and content
which engages the intended audience (Reiser & Demsey, 2012). In contrast, traditional
classrooms feature a one-way communication from educator to audience. Usually this takes the
form of a lecture environment with a speaker presenting to a possibly large audience. There is no
acknowledgement for individual learning or crafting of the material to individual students in this
method which is a drastic turn-off for millennials accustomed to customized content.
Additionally, traditional classrooms were heavily dependent on rote learning of textbook
information. Assignments were heavily based on extensive reading and testing was more geared
towards task-completion than deep understanding of concepts. In recent years the pitfalls of this
approach have been increasingly acknowledged and steps have been taken to improve the
learning environment. One of the tactics with great promise is employing a flipped classroom.
This approach shifts the unsupervised portion of the educational process to home assignments, so
that in-class time can be spent interacting with the teacher, clarifying concepts and relating back
to previous knowledge. This increases learner interaction with both the material and the educator,
a very important metric for millennial students.
Another type of educational interaction which has seen a large leap in recent years is the
online classroom. While early online education was an attempt to imitate in-class lecture settings,
it quickly became apparent that the digital aspect allows for radical changes to the educational
method. Perhaps the most obvious area that this approach has been embraced is among private
colleges. Many for-profit educational institutions jumped on the opportunity to offer online
classes. There are a number of reasons for this. Public institutions often had long traditions to
hold up, as well as regulations and restrictions on how and what content could be presented
(CSU Chancellors Office, 2012). Private colleges, on the other hand, were more able to adjust to
changing market demands. Online courses allowed for not only more flexible instructional
approaches, but also for more flexible scheduling. To a growing population of non-traditional
students who may be working jobs or have other responsibilities, the opportunity to pursue
education at their convenience was an attractive one.
Once it became clear that private institutions were making the shift to online learning
successfully, public institutions began to take notice. Furthermore, when it became apparent that
the for-profits were starting to steal market share from the public institutions due to their
accessibility, they became alarmed. For example, the CSU-system is currently making a push to
standardize core classes amongst the systems 23 campuses to better support modern-student
needs and to keep up with privatized competition. This standardization is hoped to better meet
student needs, minimize class sizes and to eliminate bottle-neck courses throughout the
campuses (CSU Chancellors Office, 2012). This then has led to increased adoption of modern
digital education options by more traditional educational institutions.
Mobile Devices in the Classroom
Mobile device usage in the classroom is also an interesting paradigm. Many students find
mobile devices convenient for accessing course materials while educators generally see such
devices as classroom disruptions. While mobile devices are inarguably a source of potential
distractions in an educational setting, they also can provide an immersive experience within a
course. Higher education institutions are beginning to implement mobile learning as the devices
provide flexibility, promotes higher enrollment due to desirability, and encourages a broader
student population (Ally & Prieto-Blzquez, 2014).
Mobile devices paired with educational apps are in turn transforming the way that
student-teacher interactions take place. For example, clicker apps, such as Poll Everywhere and
Socrative, provide an intuitive clicker polling system that can be used for in-class quizzes,
attendance, and surveys (Kulowiec, 2011). Currently these functions are often handled by the
implementation of expensive single-use clicker devices but the price of such a narrow-focused
tools can be obstructive to students on an already lean budget. The option to integrate these
functions into a device that a student already owns is a much more cost-effective approach.
Mobile devices can also be used in the classroom setting to provide a creative avenue for
classroom topics. Within the higher education realm faculty are adapting to the changing
technology by harnessing popular social media venues, such as Twitter and Facebook, to conduct
classroom discussions, learn foreign languages, follow relevant current events, and complete
assignments (Ally & Prieto-Blzquez, 2014). When comparing a non-traditional classrooms with
mobile device usage to the learning standards outlined from a traditional classroom, it was found
that mobile devices are useful resources in relations to information processing, content access
and creation, and competency (Sevillano & Vzquez, 2014).
Mobile device integration is but one part of the larger picture of the evolution of
instructional technology in higher education. The wave of digital native students flooding into
the educational world has been a dramatic catalyst for transformation, the full effects of which
are only beginning to be seen. Educators have reimagined the classroom to accommodate the
expectations and strengths of a new generation of students, and technology has presented
unprecedented opportunity for user-centered content.
References
Ally, M., & Prieto-Blzquez, J. (2014). What is the future of mobile learning in
education? Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 11(1).
http://dx.doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i1.2033
CSU Chancellors Office. (2012). Online education white paper, 1-39. Retrieved from
http://www.calstate.edu/AcadSen/Records/reports/documents/Online_Education_White_Paper.p
df
Jonas-Dwyer, D., & Pospisil, R. (2004). The millennial effect: Implications for academic
development. HERDSA 2004 Conference, 194-207. doi:10.1.1.216.2538
Kulowiec, G. (2011). Cell phones as classroom tools. Retrieved from
http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/tech-for-teachers/25273
Meyer, K & Nielsen, J. (2015, November 1) "Nielsen Norman Group." Page parking:
Millennials multi-tab mania. Web. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/multi-tab-page-parking/
Millennials: Our newest generation in higher education. (2015, March 2). Retrieved from
http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/students/millennials_our_newest_generation_in_high
er_education.pdf
Reiser, R. A., & Demsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and
technology. Boston ; Munich: Pearson.
Sevillano, M.L. & Vzquez, E. (2014). Analysis of the didactic use of tablets in the
European Higher Education Area. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 11(3).
pp. 63-77. doi http://doi.dx.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i3.1808
Trendsactive (n.d.) Generational trends - Characteristics of generations. Web.
http://www.trendsactive.com/#!/our-trends/generation-trends/