Boomers, Gen-Xers & Net-Geners: Designing Educational Technology to Meet Students' Needs

January 2005
Alicia Russell

The Internet has changed the way Northeastern University does business. From submitting an application for admission to reading a course description online, many prospective Northeastern students use the web as their first point of contact with the University.

While university admissions and enrollment administrators are working hard to attract top-tier students to Northeastern with a high-end web presence, deans, chairs and faculty must figure out how far they need to go to retain these tech-savvy students.

Much press has been given to the recent study by the Pew Internet in American Life Project, which found that 87% of Americans between 12 and 17 and 77% between 18 and 24 use the Internet. Confirming those statistics is John Schwartz of Newsweek, whose oft-quoted article on Net Geners (the name given those aged 24 & under) depicts a generation who has grown up on PowerPoint, prefers Google to Webster's, and has never known life without the Internet (2005).

So, does this generation that cut its teeth online expect an educational experience replete with sophisticated animation and Podcasts downloaded to their cell phones? Not necessarily. In fact, these young students often realize, according to educational technology researcher Diane Oblinger, that they know more about technology than their professors (2003). In a 2005 study, Judith B.Caruso and Robert B. Kvavik found, "Students prefer a moderate use of IT in their courses, and they expect faculty to use technology well." Extending this, Oblinger states that whatever educational technology faculty decide to use must be accompanied by 24/7 customer service for today's students who have "zero tolerance for delays" (2003).

How this translates to a university's educational technology mission is complex. The 24 & under set comprise the majority of the more than 14,000 full-time undergraduate students at Northeastern. Not only are these students tech savvy, they are representative of the generation that also expects personal interaction with their professors (Kvavik, 2005). Currently, the staff at the Northeastern EdTech Center is researching and documenting students' educational technology expectations in its efforts to improve learning outcomes and to facilitate interaction between students and faculty.

In The Chronicle of Higher Education, David Glenn cites a Penn State University study which found that the extent of students' academic integration - (how frequently they interact outside of class with teachers, librarians, and other staff members) - and students' social integration - (their participation in campus clubs and friendship networks) - directly contributes to the retention rate (2005).

Interestingly, while research documenting older students' desire to participate in campus life is to date inconclusive, most older students do share younger students' desire for personal interaction with professors (Kvavik, 2005).

Nearly 25% of the Northeastern student population is not a Net Gener. The more than 5,500 graduate students and part-time undergraduate students are more likely to be Gen-Xers and Boomers, yet their needs are similar to that of their younger, full-time undergraduate counterparts. According to Vice Chancellor of Information Technologies Services at Maricopa Community Colleges Ron Bleed, one key difference is older students' need for flexibility. To address that issue, faculty who teach in graduate or part-time programs may consider teaching hybrid courses to allow students with the competing priorities of work, family and community the flexibility of replacing face-to-face class time with online learning. Of course, full-time residential students with internships, part-time jobs, community service projects and research projects would also benefit from the flexibility hybrid learning affords.

What may be most important is that effective educational technology seems to be well worth the effort. Nearly 65% of the students surveyed by Caruso and Kvavik indicated that they believed the technology used in their courses improved learning (2005). More than 75% of the students who have used a Course Management System (CMS) such as Blackboard reported a "positive or very positive experience using the system" (2005).

The experience at Northeastern reflects this finding. Last spring, 400 plus students nominated more than 200 faculty to receive a teaching with technology award. Professors from Arts & Sciences, Bouve, Business, Computer Science and Engineering received awards. The qualitative comments ranged from appreciation for personal feedback to belief that online tools had enhanced learning. Findings from this contest suggest that even if your students do know more than you about technology, you might consider giving it a try. They'll thank you for it.