MILLENNIALS IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SETTING

1. MILLENNIALS IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SETTING UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT POPULACE

2. TAFT COLLEGE Faculty/Staff Development Day Taft, California 8 January 2010

3. Presenters: 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

4. OBJECTIVES • Understanding the Generational Divide and Significance • Institutional Impacts • Knowledge of Millennial Characteristics (Technology) • Tools and Applications for Practical Use

5. Why Should You Broaden Your Knowledge of Self and Others? • “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

6. GENERATIONAL GROUPINGS • 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)

7. Definitive Characteristics

8. Continued:

9. Something to Think About 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.

10. Activity 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.

11. Is this the image you described?

12. In the Rear View Mirror

13. TECHNOLOGY NOTES • Millennials are Digital Natives, Other Generations are Digital Immigrants • Smart Phones • Podcasts • Texting/Sexting • Web Surfing • MySpace/Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare(Social Networks) • Finger on the pulse of the World • Right Here/Right Now Generation

14. The Millennial World *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)

15. Digitally Literate • Intuitive • Both information and multimedia • Although, understanding technology and source quality may be shallow • More visually literate than any other generation • More comfortable in image-rich environment than with text • Move between real and the virtual instantaneously • Literacy goes well beyond text, because of visual media • Text literacy may be less well developed

16. Experiential • First person learners • Learn by doing rather than by being told what to do • Prefer to express their views and incorporate their experiences instead of always being told • Learn through discovery, exploring for themselves or with peers • Learning 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

17. CURRENT NEGATIVE TRENDS AND PROBLEMS • 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)

18. Forkum’s Top 5 Millennial Attributes • Thrive on Structure • Community Service • Small Group/Cohort Structure • Tradition • Passion

19. CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS • 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

20. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES • 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

21. HINDRANCES • 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

22. Building Blocks to Success • 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 Them • Learn Their Language, Communicate In Their Terms- Teach Them Your Language – Foster Communication • Make the Competitive Environment Fun • Model The “Way” • Build Relationships • Link to Family and Tradition • Challenge To Find Technological Solutions To Everyday Issues

23. In The End… • 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

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