Meeting the Challenges of Teaching Multiple Generations in the Same Classroom: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and more....

Lisa Sullivan, PhD Vanessa Boland Edouard, MPH Boston University School of Public Health

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Presenter Disclosures
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Lisa M Sullivan Vanessa Boland Edouard

(1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: No relationships to disclose

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Trends
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Applications and enrollments in Schools of Public Health continue to grow (76% and 55% increase from 1998 to 2008) More minority students (34% in 2008) Percent female (70%) relatively constant Approximately 60% full-time

ASPH Annual Data Report 2008

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Students
SOPHAS 2008-2009 mean age of 26 years (median=24 years); range 17-63 years Age of students decreasing (slowly)
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BUSPH Past 10 Years

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Mean age decreased by 3 years (29 to 26) Classrooms more varied by age
41%
37% 24%

1999
11% 28%

2009
12% 40% 7%

20-24 25-29 30-39 40+

Aging faculty..
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Definitions
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Generation GI Generation Silent generation Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials or Generation Y

Years Born 1900-1924 1925-1945 1946-1964 1965-1979 1980-2000

Age Today 85-109 64-84 45-63 30-44 9-29

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Our Schools
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Faculty

Students
Boomers

Gen X

Gen Y

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Backdrop
Life experiences impact the way people learn
As students are getting younger, faculty are aging Challenge for faculty to be effective in teaching and to make teaching and learning relevant
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How Many Can You Identify?

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Understand This?
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Starbucks *$ AISB As I said before AITR Adult in the room BFN Bye for now BITD Back in the day CT Cant Canttalk talk DEGT Dont Donteven evengo go there there GAS Got a second?

HTH IDST IMS KWIM M4C NP NYC SEP

Hope this helps I didnt say that I am sorry Know what I mean? Meet for coffee? No problem / Nosy parent Not your concern Somebody elses problem

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How About You?

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Are you constantly on-line? In the office, at home,.. Is your cell phone/PDA always with you? Do you attend meetings with your laptop? Are you always multitasking (e.g., conference call & answering e-mail)? Do you use the computer to help you remember dates and tasks?

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Mixed Classrooms
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Older Students Benefits Experienced

Younger Students Technologically Savvy

Challenges

Anxious

Lack Identity

Mixed classroom closer to work environment

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Generation X
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Latchkey kids both parents working Many from single parent homes

Technologically savvy
Grew up with corporate downsizing and layoffs, fewer career opportunities

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Generation X
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Independent, problem solvers Ambitious, self-starters Want support but do not want to be told what to do or how to do it

Expect instant gratification, immediate feedback

Know they must keep learning to be marketable

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Generation Y
Largest generation since baby boomers
Many from divorced, single parent homes but parents are extremely hands-on (decade of the child) Overindulged, overprotected, self-absorbed
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Technologically savvy

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Generation Y
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Self-confident, entitled Ambitious with high expectations Want to know process, rules, how to get ahead Expect to start at the top Want constant and immediate feedback Move quickly from one thing to another Not as independent as Gen X (parental back-up)
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Helicopter Parents
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Our Students
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Surfers and scanners not readers and digesters Expect constant and immediate feedback Want directness over subtlety Technologically savvy but crave personal contact Always hurried know what they want Want to learn

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Our Faculty
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Healthiest and wealthiest of generations to date Redefine traditional values Hard-working Passionate (can change the world) Believe in hierarchy may find it difficult to adapt to more flexible arrangements
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Some Comparisons
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Boomers Boomers TV

Gen X Gen X Video Games

Gen Y Gen Y Web Web Text Message Text Message Realistic Realistic Parallel Parallel Careers Careers When I want it! When I want it!

TV Memorandum Memorandum Competitive Competitive SolidCareer Career Solid Feedback Once a year Once a Year

Video games Email E-mail Skeptical Skeptical Portable Portable Career Career Feedback How am I doing? How am I doing?

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Survey of BUSPH Faculty and Students

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Faculty
(n=42)

Students
(n=241)

% Male
Age Gen Y Gen X Boomers
Estimate of Mean Age of MPH Students
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38%

13%

78% 31% 69% 18% 4%

26.4 (2.3) (Actual=26)

26.0 (1.9)

How Faculty Spend In-Class Time

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Other 19% Student Group Work 15% Student Independent Work 7%

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Lecturing 59%

Effective Strategies
30%

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25%

20%
% Responses

Facutly Teaching Strategies Student Learning Strategies

15%

10%

5%

0%

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Communicating with Faculty

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E-mail

Mean # per week per course= 1.1 (TA: Mean # per week per course=0.9)
45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Face-to-face Before & after class Scheduled meetings

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Faculty Responses to E-Mail

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2 - 5 hours

Within 1 day

Student expectation: how quickly should faculty respond to student emails

Within 1 week

Faculty report: how quickly respond to student emails

Longer than 1 week

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Mean # hours per week responding to students E-mail : 5.5

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Students Expectations
Want solid knowledge base and real-world applications Want clear and organized presentation of material Want to be stimulated, active and participatory Expect customer service Want to know why (how does this activity, reading connect to my future career?) Want faculty to be enthusiastic, helpful and engaged Want FTF contact but OK to set boundaries
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Facultys Challenges
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Time Keeping up with my field Dealing with students with varied backgrounds and skill levels

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Strategies
We must understand learners Accept differences among students and between students and faculty Engage students in setting goals and expectations Be flexible, creative and try not to be surprised by anything that happens in the classroom!
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Strategies
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Problem-based learning Student-centered instruction Adult learning/Adult education

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Student-Centered Learning
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Substitute active learning projects and experiences for lectures Hold students responsible for material not yet covered Assign open-ended questions and problems Use simulations, role-playing Use self-paced or cooperative (team) learning

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Student Challenges
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Students feel that teachers have changed the rules Teachers not teaching Paying tuition for what? Some do not want to work in groups Do all members contribute equally? Too difficult to schedule, coordinate Some dominate, others hide
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Faculty Challenges
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Fear stop lecturing & lose control Wont cover all of the material Will students do the work? Fair assessment of group and team work Repercussions of student dissatisfaction (lower ratings, etc)

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Suggestions
Cant satisfy everyone so mix it up! Teach to the top Use student-centered approaches Use effective technology (audience response, real examples) Consider team work, peer-to-peer exchange Focus content relevance Stay connected
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Strategies
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Use different methods In-class Outside of class (must link to course objectives)

Encourage critical thinking and synthesis Create opportunities for reflection Pre-class assignments
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Strategies
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Inductive versus deductive teaching

Inductive let student observe, raise questions, explore before learning concepts Deductive more structured teacher first presents ideas and concepts and uses examples to illustrate
* Difficult for faculty * May take more time * May not be best for all students (esp. students with disabilities)
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Curricular Implications
Focus on skill building, real-world application Use of technology with purpose Simulations Implications for teaching spaces Laboratories Collaboration and interaction are important Most learning is outside of the classroom
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Implications for part-time students

Implications for students who dont own computers

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Next Generation
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More older students as undergraduates More younger students in articulated degree programs and public health majors/minors More variability in our classrooms to come

Make changes now!

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References
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for Generation X, ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education; 1997. Carlson E. Population Bulletin 20th-Century U.S. Generations, Population Reference Bureau, 2009; 64(1). Felder RM, Brent R. Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction, College Teaching, 1996; 44: 43-47. Goldman S. The Educational Kanban: Promoting Effective Self-Directed Adult Learning in Medical Education, Academic Medicine, 2009; 84(7): 927-934. Hoover E. The Millennial Muddle, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 11, 2009. Howard JR, Short LB, Clark SM. Students Participation in the Mixed-Age Classroom, Teaching Sociology, 1996; 24(1): 8-24. Oblinger D. Boomers, Gen-Xers Millennials. Understanding the new students, EDUCAUSE Review (July/August 2003); 37-47. Oblinger D. Educating the Net Generation, EDUCAUSE Review (2005). Trunk P. What Gen Y Really Wants, Time, July 5,2007.

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