Episode 24: Generation Z as Learners: How to Create Meaningful Learning Experiences that Connect with Today's College Students with Dr. Meghan Grace

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Description:

Our guest for episode 24 of the Lecture Breakers podcast is Dr. Meghan Grace. She's here to share more about the research on Generation Z, how they learn, and how we can create meaningful learning experiences that connect with today’s college students.

If you follow me on social media, you know I like to share memes related to the 1980s since that's the decade I grew up in. I enjoy using 80’s pop culture to promote this podcast for example.  Movies such as Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…these are just a few 80s movie references I’ve shared over the past few months.

It’s fun and it allows me to share a little of my personality online. And, (not that I’m implying ANYTHING about your age), many of you are probably familiar with some of these 80s references. Rewinding cassette tapes with a pencil, wondering what the heck a floppy disc was supposed to do, and of course, watching MTV, which was the place where they played actual music videos!  It’s fun to be nostalgic and have a way to connect with others in my generation.

And, while this works for us, it probably wouldn’t work very well with today’s college students. We can’t really connect with them through these pop culture references the same way we can when we’re talking to a friend who grew up around the same time we did. We have to find a new way to connect with today’s college students.

And, that’s what today’s episode is all about. Generation Z. These are young adults born between 1995-2010 who are now coming to college and joining the workforce. They have different views of the world, of what they want their education to be, and how they fit in (or not) to the society they are part of and will be leading in the future.



In this episode, we'll explore these questions (and more!):
  • Who is Generation Z?
  • What are their values, especially when thinking about college?
  • How do they build relationships and make connections with others?
  • How do they like to learn?
  • What matters to them and what frustrates them, especially in the college classroom?
  • What types of teaching strategies and learning experiences resonate the most with Generation Z?
  • What can you do to encourage educators to change the way they are doing things and move away from the "this is the way I've always done it" or "this worked for me so it should work for my students" mentality?

 

Show Notes:

     

    Transcript:

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