Designing a Learning Environment for the Millennial Generation

This presentation by Dr. Maria Yon from UNC Charlotte was very informative and explained many of the reason that we, as professors, think that our current students are different from previous generations--they really are. "Millennials," those students born between 1980-2000, learn differently. They are techno-savy, multi-taskers, creative, overprotected individual with overly involved parents. These students must be involved in the educational process in a different way. Dr. Yon emphasized that instructors must take the first step by learning to understand this new generation of students. We must also change our teaching to engage the student and enhance student learning. The use of technology, classroom structure, experiential activities, modified lectures, collaborative learning, immediate feedback and fun are some of the elements that will help us to achieve this goal. Dr. Yon also noted that the most important thing that a teacher should do is "not waste time wishing that millennials were different; they represent a different time and a different culture that does not reflect you." This presentation also explored the myths of the millennial student, offered tips for working with them and provided a very useful bibliography. A very good session.