UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT POPULACE

MILLENNIALS IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SETTING

Faculty/Staff Development Day

Taft, California

8 January 2010

TAFT COLLEGE

James Forkum, Ph.D.Dean and Athletics Director: Santa Rosa Junior

College

Sherry Forkum, Ph.D.Director of Writing, IT Faculty Liaison, & English

Professor: William Jessup University

Principal Consultants: Generational Differences Consulting

gendiff.com

Presenters:

Understanding the Generational Divide and Significance

Institutional Impacts

Knowledge of Millennial Characteristics (Technology)

Tools and Applications for Practical Use

OBJECTIVES

“6” in the Societal Settings

Know Our Own Generation to Understand Other Generations

Change, Motivation, Recruitment/Retention, Team-Building, and Maintaining/Increasing Growth

Strengthening of Relationships and Increasing Institutional Effectiveness

Why Should You Broaden Your Knowledge of Self and Others?

G. I. Generation – 1901-1924 (ages 86-109)

Silent Generation – 1925-1942 (ages 68-85)

Boomers – 1943-1960 (ages 50-67)

Generation X – 1961-1981 (ages 29-49)

Millennials – 1982-2002 (ages 8-28)

Homeland – 2003 - (ages 7 and under)

GENERATIONAL GROUPINGS

SILENT BOOMER GEN X MILLENNIAL

Size 52 Million 78 Million 70.2 Million (Decreasing)

78-100+ Million

Other Names Traditionalists Me GenerationBaby Boomers

Modern “Lost” Generation

Slacker Generation

Generation YEcho Boomer

Generation Next

Heroes GI Generation Themselves Anti-Heroes Parents

Family Life Earliest marrying and babying generation

Silent womenLarge numbers of

women in the workforce later in the

generational cycle

Religious and/or spiritually oriented

Health orientedWaiting until later in life to have children

Became first “helicopter”

parents

Adult oriented from an early age“Anti-child” movement

Less parental supervision than ever

before (Latch-key)Little peer interaction

in childhoodContinue as “Blackhawk”

parents

“Special” – eagerly anticipated

Lowest parent to child ratio ever

Universally protectedSheltered

Most Child Safety Laws Signed“Spy” Devices

Definitive Characteristics

SILENT BOOMER GEN X MILLENNIAL

Work Large increase in number of people in “helping professions” in 1960s

WorkaholicsCareer focused30+year career

First to seek work/life balanceNot constrained by time and/or place

More discretionary income than any previous groupService and Green oriented

Significant Life Events

DepressionSexual revolution occurred while this generation was in mid-lifeKorean War

VietnamSexual revolutionKent StateJFK

Gulf WarBerlin Wall comes downChallenger explosion

ColumbineSeptember 11Afghanistan & IraqContinued high school and college/university incidences

Notes Generation of jealousies and role reversalsFocused on previous generation while young and subsequent generation in adulthood

Intense attention focused on this group for the entire Boomer lifespanSelf-aware and self-centered (largest number of self-help books)

Mired in an age of death*AIDS*Homicides drug-related deaths increased*Suicidal (at a near record rate of almost 5000/year in mid 1980s)

OptimisticConventionalRacially diversePressuredBody Art – Inked and Pierced

School Life Described in college as: Withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, unadventurous

Grade inflation at all time highOverall SAT scores decreased from 1946-60Enjoy learning for learning’s sake

Grade inflation decreasedFirst generation to be less educated than parents – by both choice and circumstanceLargest segment of online owners

Grade inflation on riseExpect active learning in classroomStudy less than previous generationsVolunteerism part of graduation requirementsReaders

Continued:

A team that allows choices and openly explores ideas, and whose members value learning, will better accommodate the needs and values of members of different generations.

Constance Patterson, Ph.D.

Something to Think About

Turn to a neighbor and describe one of the generation’s physical characteristics.

Talk about a characteristic of your generation.

Now describe the “physical” characteristics of a Millennial.

Activity

Is this the image you described?

In the Rear View Mirror

Millennials are Digital Natives, Other Generations are Digital Immigrants

Smart PhonesPodcastsTexting/SextingWeb SurfingMySpace/Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,

FourSquare (Social Networks)Finger on the pulse of the WorldRight Here/Right Now Generation

TECHNOLOGY NOTES

*Most ethnically and racially diverse – Ages 13-29:

18.5% are Hispanic, 14.2% are Black, 4.3% are Asian, 3.2% are mixed race or other, and 59.8% are white

*Social Networking and Google, etc. are an everyday part of their social and learning lives.

*More inclined to trust in institutions than Gen Xers or Boomers. (Pew Research, December 2009)

The Millennial World

Intuitive Both information and multimediaAlthough, understanding technology and source

quality may be shallowMore visually literate than any other generationMore comfortable in image-rich environment

than with textMove between real and the virtual

instantaneouslyLiteracy goes well beyond text, because of visual

media Text literacy may be less well developed

Digitally Literate

First person learnersLearn by doing rather than by being told what

to doPrefer to express their views and incorporate

their experiences instead of always being toldLearn through discovery, exploring for

themselves or with peersLearning in this manner enables them to retain

the information and use it in creative and meaningful ways

Persistent with trial and error (video games)Active learners instead of passive learners

Experiential

Underage Drinking Marijuana Use (High)(Boomers) Rave Culture (Ecstasy Use) Sexually Promiscuous (Hooking Up) Technology Use Etiquette (Misuse/sexting) Time Management (Sleep Patterns) Poor Communication Skills (Texting=Speaking/Writing) Media Oriented (Self-Image)

Multi-tasking Mass Stimulation Lack of Critical Thinking/Problem Solving as an individual (Groupthink) Plagiarism/Cheating (turnitin.com) Problem Discerning Truth (Wikipedia)

CURRENT NEGATIVE TRENDS AND PROBLEMS

Thrive on Structure

Community Service

Small Group/Cohort Structure

Tradition

Passion

Forkum’s Top 5 Millennial Attributes

Edutainment: Millennials and GenXers expect entertainment

Boomers and Silents will be comfortable with lectures and traditional teaching style

GenXers prefer individual work to group work and will complain when given a lengthy reading assignment

Millennials are readers

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

Ask for Professional Experiences

Change Activities Often

Tap Into the Tech-Savvy of Younger Xers and Millennials

Foster a Team Environment

Assign Group Roles for the First Group/Team Projects

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Trying to Appeal to All Generations in the Same Assignment

Generational Discord Norming Process Time management Sage on the Stage Ignoring Differences Completely Not Raising the Bars

HINDRANCES

Always Tell the Truth Revealing the Reality (“300” perspective)Let Them Know: What They Do Really Does Matter

(positive/negative)Explain the “Why” and What Is In It For ThemLearn Their Language, Communicate In Their Terms-

Teach Them Your Language – Foster CommunicationMake the Competitive Environment FunModel The “Way”Build RelationshipsLink to Family and TraditionChallenge To Find Technological Solutions To

Everyday Issues

Building Blocks to Success

Provide Structure

Provide Leadership and Guidance

Encourage the Millennial’s Self-Assuredness, “Can-Do” Attitude, and Positive Personal Self-Image

Take Advantage of the Millennial’s Comfort Level With Team/Squad Structure

Listen to the Millennial

Millennials Are Up For The Challenge and The Change

Find The Way To Work Together for the Common Good

In The End…

It’s not the First Act of the play that counts, but how you leave the stage at the end of the performance.

Our Challenge to You