Generation NeXt Comes to College Understanding Today’s Postmodern Students

1. Generation NeXt Comes to CollegeUnderstanding Today’s Postmodern Students Dr. Mark Taylor

2. Topics • Generations in Higher Ed Traditionals, Boomers, Xers, NeXt • Understanding NeXters to reach developmental, institutional and departmental goals. info@taylorprograms.org

3. What do we want to do? • Help students reach developmental goals Learning, workplace readiness, citizenship, etc. • Recruitment Admissions Marketing, Media • Persistence and Retention Prerequisite for student and institutional success. info@taylorprograms.org

4. Generalizations • Heterogeneous • Diverse • “Modal personality” Trends • Lifestage vs. cohort • No stereotypes ! • No criticism ! • No excuses ! • We may need to do things differently • Understanding creates opportunity. info@taylorprograms.org

5. I Gen NeXt info@taylorprograms.org

6. Generation NeXt “Why are they like this?” “Why do they do that?” • They make perfect sense • Logical products of culture • Their traits and expectations are not surprising • Just doing what has worked in the past. info@taylorprograms.org

7. Traditionals • Born before 1945 • At least 62 now • Affected by the Depression, WWII • Between Greatest and Boomers • Often donors, administration and “senior” staff. info@taylorprograms.org

8. Traditional values • Duty, discipline, thrift • Sacrifice, sobriety, delay of gratification • Conformity, authority, hierarchies • Last of a long line • Good old days? Patriarchal, Racist info@taylorprograms.org

9. Traditional higher ed • Like formality Face to face contact handwritten • High status contacts (or kids) • Monumental, legacy appeals • Traditionals like Books Marble Bricks Leaves. info@taylorprograms.org

10. Traditionals said… • “We didn’t know we were poor.” • “It is not supposed to be fun.” • “I want my kids to have better than I had.” info@taylorprograms.org

11. Baby Boomers 1945-1964 We all think we are normal. info@taylorprograms.org

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13. Baby Boomers 1945-1964 • 42-61 years young • “Pig in the python” • Post war affluence • New middle class • “Cleavers” • Special, advantaged, lucky. info@taylorprograms.org

14. Baby Boomers value • Idealistic • Relationship oriented • Individuality/ creativity • Personal fulfillment • Self-improvement • Human potential • “Make a difference”. info@taylorprograms.org

15. Boomer communication • Use various media Most “mainstream” cohort • They do use the web They think they are hip • Relationship oriented Be their friend • Respond to younger people Anyone younger than them Can respond to students Identify with “college self”. info@taylorprograms.org

16. Boomer parents • Critical in school selection, student success • Clarify expectations of their involvement • Priorities different than their kids • What do they want? Safety Supervision Remediation Development Outcomes. info@taylorprograms.org

17. Show Boomers • Well lit, trafficked sidewalks at night • Young people studying • Caring adults RA “rise and shine” • Good, clean fun touch football, Frisbee • Young people moving out of the house • Young people going to work morph entering student into professional worker. info@taylorprograms.org

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19. Generation X 1965-1981 • “Baby Bust” • 25 to 41? • Tail end of the Boom • Shadow of the Boom • “Consciousness Revolution” • Tough times to be a kid • Culture changed/ not equipped • Necessary? • Priority? info@taylorprograms.org

20. Generation X 1965-1981 • Pragmatic • Self-reliant • Less relationship oriented • Flexible • Skeptical • Less optimistic. info@taylorprograms.org

21. Gen X returning students • Pragmatic reasons, outcomes for returning All data, no faith • Need very clear, personal “whys?” Professional, not personal development What is the return on this investment? • “Webster” model Break link with “ivory tower” academics“ image “Professionals in their field”. info@taylorprograms.org

22. Generation NeXt 1982-1994? • Up to 24 years old now • “Baby Boom Echo” • Huge cohort • Wanted, precious, protected children of Boomer parents (soon to see Xers’ children) • Trophy child? • Cleavers? info@taylorprograms.org

23. Generation NeXt 1982-1994 • Millennials? info@taylorprograms.org

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25. Generational cycles • G.I. 1901-1924 Civic • Silent 1925-1942 Adaptive • Boom 1943-1960 Idealist • Gen X 1961-1981 Reactive • “Millennials” 1982- Civic ?!? info@taylorprograms.org

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28. “Millennials Rising”? ? • Conventional/ conformists respectful of social norms and institutions • Trusting of institutions & adults • Collectively vital to nation • Confident about the future • Into math and science, not humanities • Busy with extracurricular activities and community projects • Demand secure, regulated environment • Focused on grades and performance • Accepting of responsibility • Close to parents. info@taylorprograms.org

29. UCLA Higher Education Research Program HERI Cooperative Institutional Research Program CIRP Surveying entering students since 1966 Sandy Astin, et al info@taylorprograms.org

30. UCLA HERI • Record levels of academic disengagement • Growing materialism • Optimistic about chances for success • Unrealistic ideas about their skills and college expectations. info@taylorprograms.org

31. A Postmodern Generation • The product of postmodern influences • Shared cultural values? • Premodern “social traditional” traditional roles, conventions, belief, religion? • Modern “scientific-rational”, data, reason, progress, human development? info@taylorprograms.org

32. Postmodern times • Diversity? • Pluralism – many available models, none shared • Choice - over tradition or data • Truth is chosen/ created Always changing • Next best thing • Value own opinion • Values individual over community • Worth = utility/ cost No “morality” (only laws) • Non-judgmental? info@taylorprograms.org

33. Gen NeXt and Postmodern times • More dual career families • More divorce / single parents • More day care • More responsibility/ accountability for schools • Less socialization by parents • More media/ technology • Downsizing, security, opportunity issues • More public sex and violence • More “role models” and choice. info@taylorprograms.org

34. Po-mo student • Academic unreadiness • Record levels of academic disengagement • Record lows for time spent studying • Tired of “school” • Optimistic about chances for success • Unrealistic expectations about their skills and college expectations • Unrealistic future workplace expectations. info@taylorprograms.org

35. The Consumer Student • Producer- consumer orientation • Education seen as commodity ● Monetary goals ● Career, not development ● “get” not “become” • Market driven outcomes • Customer role, customer service “Familiarity”? • Increasing responsibility for outcomes • “Education” must make sense, have obvious value for them; now and later. info@taylorprograms.org

36. Po-mo consumer student • Expect choices / options “Do-over” Times/ places Commitment reluctance Impacts persistence • Expects to negotiate • May feel entitled to outcome High school grade inflation Academic success with little effort? • Expects immediate gratification/ service Impatient. info@taylorprograms.org

37. Parent issues 1. No spanking safe no fear limited notion of “consequence” 2. Offering choices importance of opinions at expense of authority 3. “Unlimited horizons” 4. Self esteem programming. info@taylorprograms.org

38. Parent issues • “Doing for” and “have done” • Defend child against school • Monitoring (them/ us) • In constant contact • Interferes developmentally • Influences self-efficacy • “I couldn’t do it on my own”. info@taylorprograms.org

39. Supervised • Unstructured time? • Creative play? • Programmed childhood? • Impacts imagination/ creativity • Impacts formative relationship skills • Impacts self-direction • High need for direction • May resist direction. info@taylorprograms.org

40. Intellectual/ cognitive issues • Bright, savvy • Concrete / literal (not abstract / reflective) Absolutes (not “formal”/ relative) Problems with abstractions Difficulty applying theory in new setting • Oral (not literate) • High value of own opinion • Skeptical- no intellectual authorities • Intellectually disengaged. info@taylorprograms.org

41. Short event horizon “Life is random” • Expect instant gratification • Impatient • Critical thinking/ problem solving skills? • Mature planning / responsibility? • Disconnect from adult life. info@taylorprograms.org

42. Entertainment orientation It’s supposed to be fun • “I’m bored.” • High need for external stimulation • Poor fit with traditional academic activities. info@taylorprograms.org

43. Responsibility issues • Externally oriented- limited introspection projection of responsibility • Reduced self-efficacy lives controlled by outside forces • Citizenship issues Pandemic cheating • Not especially resilient Adaptation, not coping. info@taylorprograms.org

44. Excellence/ Esteem Issues They are all stars! • Programmed for esteem over achievement • Limited realistic/ negative feedback • Self interested/ self-important • Belief in talents • Rate own skills highly • Expect academic success with little effort • Self-interested/ self-important • “The Deficit Model” • Self-satisfied • Why change? • Startled by difficulties. info@taylorprograms.org

45. Community issues “Army of one” “Be all you can be” • Weaker links to community Small peer group • Expanded individual focus • Limited willingness to subordinate own needs to needs of group • Expect to take care of themselves • Entrepreneurial • Need a community info@taylorprograms.org

46. Communication • Blunt/ direct • Insensitive? • Honest • Entitled to expression • Not traditionally “respectful” • “Civility” issues • Semantically flexible (“txt msg 4 U LOL!) info@taylorprograms.org

47. Wired youngster “Generation Net” “Digital natives” • Multi wired Deeply imbedded Time with media • “Hidden” impacts parents, cheating • High stimulation over stimulated • Multi sensory • Multi task • Everyone is available • Immediate everything • Tech depth/ problem solving? info@taylorprograms.org

48. Wired student • Prefer tech (what is tech?) pro tools vs. “studio” • Hyperlink vs. liner thought • Knowledge vs. retrieval • Expect tech options in courses and services • Expect tech sophistication and support • Expect immediate response/ service • Tech may replace other skills. info@taylorprograms.org

49. Got skills? • Assess complex visual data quickly • Visual/ spatial skills • Brain/ hand neurology • Responding to expected and unexpected stimuli • Rewards for quick decisions • Few consequences • Attention span? short for non-interactive activity (except for zoning). info@taylorprograms.org

50. Communitact • Must be seamless • Get name and number one time only • They can be led, and will “fall into” • But are alert to being tricked • Expect to be “sold” • First few contacts should be to connect and to give to them • Web site. info@taylorprograms.org