Rethinking How We Engage the Digital Generation - St. Louis Christian College - January 9, 2019

Short URL: https://go.uis.edu/RethinkingEngagementwiththeDigitalGeneration

And for the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalms 100:5 NLT

Who is Generation Z
- Born between 1995 - 2012
- Entered college between 2013-14 and today
- Beloit College's Annual List of Incoming Freshmen (Class of 2020)Characteristics

Gen Z: The Phigital Student
Universities don't meet the expectations of Gen Z Students
- One-third of students feel student administration systems do not meet their expectations.
- Study found that 7 in 10 students would recommend that their universities review and change its digital strategy.
- 49% of students reported taking fewer courses per semester and 45% reported not registering for a course because of the high cost of textbooks.
- 64% of students opted out of buying textbooks for the first day of class
- Students are choosing not to study business and computer science because of the cost of textbooks.

Gen Z students tend to thrive when they are given the opportunity to have a fully immersive educational experience and they even enjoy the challenges of being a part of it.

51% of surveyed students said they learn best by doing while only 12% said they learn through listening.

"Kids today have grown up with technology. They're looking for experiences that use tech purposefully, not frivolously," Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow (emphasis added - https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2018/08/generation_z_prefers_learning_from_youtube.html)

Undergraduate Gen Z students & digital technology

Available at: http://info.unit4.com/rs/900-SZD-631/images/U4-EDU-GEN-Education-research-infographic.pdf

How college is different -- Today and yesterday

(2018 Hoffowler, H.)

More students are going to college
- 2000-2017 saw an increase of 5.1 million students - U.S. Dept of Ed
College is more competitive
- acceptance rates at competitive colleges has decreased
College is more expensive
- College tuition has more that doubled since 1985
Textbooks cost much more
- Textbook costs are 812% higher than in 1985
More technology is used in teaching and in learning
Online learning is a huge factor
- 69% of millennials think they learn better with technology than from people - 50% of respondents older than 45 agreed
Students are more diverse
- 1970 - 15% diversity - 2018 - 42% diversity among students
- 1970 less than half of student were female - 2018 more than 1/2 are female
Fewer students identify with organized religion
- 2005 more than 25% of students identified with an organized religion
- 2014 less than 16% of students identified with an organized religion
Students experience stress at higher levels today
- 70% to 80% of students have a job while attending school
- 40% of them work more than 30 hours a week

National Poll: How Well do American Know Today's Students
* 62% of respondents believe most first-year students live on campus—but this is the experience of only about 13% of first-year students.
* Only 37% of respondents correctly stated that most of today’s college students don’t depend on parents or family for financial assistance.
* And only 47% of people correctly identified that Hispanic and African American college students are less likely to complete their degree than their white peers.

Unlike Millennials, who pursue personal fulfillment more widely than financial goals or job titles, Gen Z values college most as a means to secure a good job. (Malat, 2016)

(End at 2:02)

Engaging Strategies for Gen Z in the Classroom and Admissions?

Think Digital in all communications - assignments, assessments, activities
Break content into short segments - think texts
Make information graphical and bite size - think infographics
Rethink how you communicate
Be relevant! Respect the time of the Gen Z student
Provide individualized advising and instruction - think adaptive learning
Use Social Media approaches to learning
Always discuss how SLCC will prepare students for multiple career pathways
Provide access to resources to help eliminate student loan debt
Acknowledge that this generation sees themselves as Smart, Creative, and Hardworking

Most Helpful Online Classroom Tools for Gen-Z Students

(https://next.bncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gen-Z-Research-Report-Final.pdf)

Gen Z in the Classroom: Creating the Future

http://time.com/3764545/future-of-education/

Teaching 21st Century Teaching Skills Needed to Help Students Build a Career…

Become a Learning Guide
Embrace Technology
Encourage Educational Freedom
Teach Risk-Taking
Understand Speed of Access Matters

What skills do students need to learn as we teach discipline specific content?

Technical skills
Conceptual skills
Interpersonal skills
Entrepreneurial and Innovation skills
Information Literacy
Humanistic Literacy

Producing a Generation of Problem Solvers

...education needs to become a dynamic activity, providing a combination of four ingredients:

- - - - Knowledge, starting with the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, moving onto knowledge of core content and then to higher order concepts and thinking skills, to challenge, question, adapt and apply knowledge in new ways.
        Personal strengths and character development, including helping students find a sense of purpose and ambition, and building their resilience and persistence (knowing how to stick with it and overcome setbacks and obstacles).
        Social experiences so they deepen their relationships with others, learn and think through dialogue and collaboration, and take action together to make and do things for and with other people.
        Activities that give students a strong sense of agency, so that they learn how to turn knowledge and ideas into action to see that they can make a difference to the world so they can serve and contribute. (Ledbetter, 2016)

35% of Millenials

More than 1/3 of Gen Z students own or plan to own their own business.

(Fong, 2018)

Gen Z Students need:
- The ability to prepare for multiple career fields at one time and "slash" careers through development of transferable skills
  - I am a minister/groundskeeper
  - I am a missionary/English language teacher
  - I am a teacher/freelance writer
  - I am a business person/waiter
  - I am an administrative assistant/photographer
  - I am a middle manager/adjunct faculty member

Additional Readings