millennium learners: implications for higher education

Presentation to Vice Chancellor’s Symposium

Massey UniversityFriday 19 November, 2010

Millennial leaners…

• Confidence• Civic minded• Optimistic• Inclusive• Connected• Goal oriented

• Uncommitted• Self absorbed• Plagiarists• Isolated• Vulnerable• Superficial

OR

Technology is to blame!

Cave teacher….

Read rocks 4 through 6Complete drawings 5 to 7

Read scrolls 4 through 6Complete exercises 5 to 7

Middle ages….

70s….

Read OHTs 4 through 6

Complete exercises

5 to 7

Today…?

Read screens 4 through 6Complete

exercises 5 to 7

Welcome to the age ofdisintermediation…

…and the rise of the free-agent learner

“How could your school make it easier for you to use technology?”

Top 5 student demands:

1. Let me use my own tools & devices

2. Give me unlimited Internet access

3. Let me access my projects anywhere

4. Provide me with communication

tools

5. Give me access to the school

network – even from home

Speak Up 2007 Student Findings

Free-agent characteristics

• Self directed learning• Un-tethered to traditional

institution• Expert at personal data

aggregation • Power of connections• Creating new communities• Not tethered to physical

networks• Experiential learning• Content developers• Process as important as

knowledge gained

Welcome to the eraof ubiquity

Mobility is key

• Movie player• Web browser• Sat nav• Bar code reader• Travel guide• Music player• … and phone

Now commodity items

iPhone dispenser at the airport in San Francisco

Learning in the cloud

Expert support

Reduced support costs

Addresses licensing issues

Ubiquitous access

Reduced capital outlay

Collaboration potential

Automatic software updates

Backup and failover

http://blog.core-ed.net/derek/2009/06/8-ways-cloud-computing-may-change-schools.html



http://tinyurl.com/243zt9c



Welcome to the demandfor personalisation

Online Learning on the rise

2010 showed the largest ever year-to-year increase in the number of students studying online.

Class differences; Online Education in the United States, 2010 - http://tinyurl.com/24edf67

http://tinyurl.com/24edf67



Nearly thirty percent of all college and university students now take at least one course online in the US.





Almost two-thirds of for-profit institutions now say that online learning is a critical part of their long term strategy.





The 21% growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 2% growth in the overall higher education student population.





Nearly one-half of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for face-to-face courses and programs.





Three-quarters of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for online courses and programs.




Student voice

Online learning’s good. It creates flexibility which some students need to have because everyone has different lives and constraints

Student voice

I really enjoyed access to the lecture videos, it meant you got the same quality of explanation if you couldn't attend a lecture due to illness etc. and if you didn't understand something in a lecture you could re-experience it without needing to ask the lecturer, excellent!!

Student voice

I make a lot of use of the online resources, so it definitely works for me, although I do think that having lectures is also essential as long as there is extra explanation and discussion on the topic, but unfortunately some lecturers mainly read the power point slides which we could easily do on our own.

Disintermediation+

Ubiquity+

Personalisation=

Millennium learning

Implications?

• Content

– What is it today, what will define it tomorrow?

• Culture

– To fit in to the existing or to create anew?

• Competition

– What are the new business models?

• Control

– Who controls the learning process?

Thank you

Derek WenmothDirector, eLearningCORE Education Ltd

[email protected]

http://blog.core-ed.org/derek

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://blog.core-ed.net/derek

