Front Line Contact

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• Front Line Contact
• with
• Generation NeXt
• What Planet are These Students From
• Staff Workshop
• June 24, 2005
• Cleveland Chiropractic College Kansas City
• Charles Dorlac Ph.D.

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Special Thanks

• Much of the information in this presentation is
  from a program byDr. Mark L. Taylor, Director
  of Guidance Services Arkansas University-Beebe
• North Central Association Annual Meeting Spring
  2005

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Additional Thanks

• Contributions from Staff and Faculty of Cleveland
  Chiropractic College KC and LA,
• and from Faculty and Staff of other institutions
  of higher learning are gratefully acknowledged.

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Our Experience isNot Unique

• Educators from most colleges and universities
  agree that these Post Modern students, Generation
  neXt, present particular challenges

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Who we are is Where we were When

• Premodern Religion, Traditional Beliefs
  Clear Rules
• Modern Science Clear Direction
• Postmodern Unclear,
• Consumerism Education is Product, a Commodity.

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Consumer Oriented

• Customer service mind-set on
• campus reinforces this attitude.
• (classic darned if you do)
• Best deal
• Sense of entitlement
• Expect to negotiate
• Litigious if disappointed

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Instant gratification

• Personal needs are most
• important
• No perceived value in delayed gratification
• No Experience with delayed gratification

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Entertainment orientated

• Raised on Sesame Street
• High stimulation expectations, low tolerance
• Short attention span
• Easily, Quickly Bored
• Education should be easy, fun entertaining
• Veterans of grade inflation
•  

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Value free

• Religion and traditional values are equal to
  consumerism
• Entertainment and instant gratification
• No guilt so no way to evaluate the impact of
  their own behavior

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Adaptable and Pragmatic

• Learned to adapt to many settings day care,
  latch key kids, self care
• In problem solving they may be
• Open
• Resourceful
• Pragmatic

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Selfinterested

• Expect to take care of themselves
• Their demanding behavior may be assertively
  meeting their own needs
• Lack of guidance, they took care of it

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Skeptical

• Question information
• Expect spin
• Personal and subjective experience is better
  than what they are told
• Why should what teacher says be any better than
  whats on the web

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Cynical and Distrustful

• Institutions are corrupt and untrustworthy
• Why trust higher education?
• Impact of divorce equals doubt
• is, will anyone be there for them
• Whom can they trust?

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Commitment reluctance

• On the look out for the next best thing.
• Wont limit future by making a commitment
  today.

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Safety issues

• School shooting, child abductions, high profile
  pedophiles, 9/11.
• Over protective parents.
• In school programs.
• Why assume this campus is safe?

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Civility Caring Issues

• It is not cool to be too caring,
• minimize the importance of anything
• They may appear repressed
• They are difficult to connect with
• Famously uncivil

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Disengaged Intellectuality

• The least studious group ever!
• Low time studying, high time for boredom and
  tardiness
• More info available but very little ability to
  tell meaningful from meaningless WebGood
  Bad

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Disengaged Intellectuality continued

• Show interest in exactly what they will be
  graded on and exactly what is necessary to
  achieve desired grade
• Learning for learning sake is unknown -- dont
  try it.

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Low selfefficacyMotivation vs. Ability

• Their worlds are so complex, so information
  filled.
• They opt out for a willful naiveté.
• Believe that fate or coincidence has as much
  impact on their lives as their own effort.

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Selective Risk-takers

• Short view of road ahead
• Extreme sports and sex models
• They may interpret fear not as a danger sign
  but as a single to move forward and through

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Impermanence of Relationships

• They show much relationship experimentation
• Safer online virtual
• We are unsure about their ability to be for
  long term intimacy

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Parent issues

• Generation neXt has more parental involvement
  than generation X, The baby boom echo
• Parental hovering
• Parents will call the president to
  complain about a childs grade

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Diversity issues

• NeXters are more comfortable with cultural,
  racial and sexual diversity than any other
  general cohort.
• They are more diverse themselves.
• Class separation may be increasing, however.

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Technoliteratewired since birth

• Good at technology.
• Impatient with others who are not.
• High expectations for campus
• techno-currency and access.

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Summary

• Consumer orientation.
• Expect entertainment, easily board.
• Dont study or do books.
• Have lower academics skill.
• Unimpressed with science, data and
• our credentials.
• Poorly developed goals for future.
• May doubt the efficacy of their own efforts.

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What to do, what to do! ??

• Accept reality
• This is them, we might as well get over it
• When something works for you, dont keep it to
  yourself, tell your colleagues!
• Get ready for something new and try the following

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Faculty role - Staff role

• I have suggestions for faculty
• Help me translate to your roles
• Brain Storm for staff suggestions

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Establish Clear Expectations

• Communicate these Early and Often
• Syllabus is Not Enough!
• Focus each Assignment, Be Specific
• Tell what it takes to make Grade

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Articulate Desired Outcomes.

• Syllabus is not enough! (is there an echo).
• Written handout for assigned paper
• Specific information for tests
• Frequent quizzes that count

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Scientific Method

• Stress role of Scientific Method
• Show Why this is Trustworthy
• Help them Discriminate Relevant Info from Junk
• Give Web Reference Tell Why It is Good

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Expand Your Parameters

• Assign class projects
• Help them work in Teams

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Technical sophistication

• Be Current, Be Ahead of the Curve
• Use the Web
• Use email
• Entertain Them
• Know your Audience and How to Reach Them
• Stretch Yourself

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Educational taxonomies

• Teach up Application not memory
• Concrete Examples

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Teach Real life

• Show usefulness
• Be practical
• Tell how it will help them
• Learning for learning sake will NOT reach this
  group

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Interpersonal Involvement

• Offer opportunities to meet with you outside of
  class
• Out of class meetings with you and other faculty
  students

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Diverse viewpoints

• Appreciate Student Views even if you dont get
  it
• Find something to praise reinforce
• Connect with Them Somehow

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Increase flexibility

• Active Learning Methods
• Be creative in class activity
• Group projects or presentations
• Specific assignments
• Let them weight test vs. papers

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Recognize Trust and Safety Issues

• Respect their concerns
• Work towards campus safety.

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Moderate a Customer Based Service Model.

• Your requirements are clear and non negotiable!
• Be reasonable, listen well, then if you say No,
  give reason
• Rational Not Authority

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Expect Their Best.

• Always have high standards
• Reinforce and praise along the way