Effective teachers need to understand and appreciate the learners’ needs, backgrounds, interests, and learning styles (Brookfield, 2006). In fact, understanding the differences in various generations and how they perform in higher education classrooms can help educators better understand, educate, and address the needs of the learners. According to Roberts et al. (2012), “a generation is defined as individuals of a particular age group who share common experiences, values, communities, and sense of identity” (p. 1). Generational differences also show differences between various generations in terms of historical experiences, economic and social conditions, techno- logical advances, and other societal changes (Wallace, 2006). Generally, four generations may be participating in today’s adult education classrooms which are Silents, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials (Roberts et al., 2012). The Silent Generation encompasses those individuals born between 1928 and 1945. According to Wallace (2006), Traditionalists or the Silents are loyal and disciplined. Majority of them learn best through traditional, instructor-led instruction; and seek to feel supported and valued by their teachers and supervisors. Moreover, individuals who born between approximately 1946 through 1964 are called the baby boomer generation. According to Loretto (2015), Boomers are extremely hard workers and very committed to their personal and professional goals. Motivated by incentives, prestige, and position. Boomers are described as work-centric, independent, goal-oriented, and competitive. Following this, the generation X includes those individuals born between1965 and 1982. Gen X students are leaning back and slackers. In line with this idea, Wallace (2006) stated that these individuals expect freedom and balance in their personal and workplace lives. Gen X embrace change. They are independent thinkers and prefer to engaged in interesting work and efficient (Loretto, 2015). Furthermore, they need instructors to explain in detail their expectations from them, for example future assignments, the parameters of each lesson, and the sequential steps involved in all assignments. Gen X students are judgmental and cliquish. They like to question policies and projects, therefore, those who teach them must provide credible reasons for tasks, decisions, and procedures (Wallace, 2006) . The generation who are web savvy and highly connected via social media, is called Millennial Generation or Generation Y. Individuals who born since 1982 belongs to this generation. Nowadays, most students in higher educational institutions are digital natives. These students learn differently and interact differently than former students and than their older classmates. Due to the fact that they have been raised in the Information age. They use frequently technology such as computers, the Internet, mobile phones during their daily life. According to Oblinger (2004), these students prefer teamwork, experiential activities, and the use of technology. Millennials’' strengths include goal orientation, positive attitudes, collaborative learning style, and multitasking. Compared to members of other generations, Gen Y are more social and confident (Oblinger , 2004). They are generally less independent, more inclusively community oriented, and seek a sense of meaning in greater contexts. References Bowen,J. A. ( 2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning. John Wiley & Sons. Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The skillful teacher: On trust, technique and responsiveness in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Loretto P.(2015). Characteristics of the Baby Boomer. Retrieved March 4, 2016, from http://internships.about.com/od/internships101/qt/Characteristics-Of-The-Baby- Boomer.htm. Oblinger, D. (2004). The next generation of educational engagement. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, (8). Retrieved March 2, 2016, from http://www- jime.open.ac.uk/2004/8/oblinger-2004-8-disc-t.html Roberts, D.H., Newman, L.R., Schwarzstein, R.M. ( 2012). Twelve tips for facilitating Millennials’ learning. Med Teach, 34(4), 274–278. Wallace, J. (2006). Work Commitment in the Legal Profession: A Study of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 13(2), 137-151.
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“Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.” – Bill Gates Hybrid Instructional ModelAccording to Bowen (2012), students learn in different ways and therefore, traditional teaching method (face-to-face) is not ideal for all students. Nowadays, many colleges and universities are turning to hybrid and online courses to meet the needs of 21 century students. These courses ensure that every student is fully engaged in at least some class activities. Research studies have indicated that a mixture of face-to-face and online instructional formats is the best way of instruction to improve students’ participation, preparation, and understanding (Young, 2002). In online learning environments, learning takes place anytime, anywhere that a student wants. Learners can access to instructional material every time they need it. This method is flexible and convenient. However, lack of real interactions between instructors and students is one of the main disadvantages of online learning. A hybrid course or blended course which combines elements of face-to- face instruction with elements of distance teaching can be a solution for this problem. Hybrid courses allow students to access new information, concepts and procedures outside the classroom before the class physically meets. Then, teachers can spend most their class time for discussion and interactive activities. In my mind, although this method is wonderful for enhancing students’ understanding of the subject matter of a course, it is not ideal for every student. In fact, to succeed in any learning environment, learners need to have appropriate learning styles and necessary competencies (Bowen, 2012). In this format of instruction, factors such as students’ motivation to learn, self-disciplined, accountability, and good time management skills are important. Therefore, students benefit most when they have some appropriate personality traits and technical competencies. According to Bowen (2012), “the best education of the future will be a hybrid” (P. 237). In line with this idea, Tuckman (2002) conducted an evaluation study and found that students who took hybrid courses improved significantly more in academic performance than students taught the same material by the conventional classroom approach. In addition, Pederson and Williams (2004) identified advantages of hybrid instructional delivery which are the improvement of academic skills, the flexibility and independence to complete work at the student’s own pace, immediate feedback on student’s work, and better preparation and in-class performance by students. This model makes students more responsible for their learning because they cannot passively rely on teacher instruction alone and class time for review of materials. Moreover, Pederson and Williams (2004) added that using hybrid model of instruction can improve satisfaction with the course, reduce absenteeism and drop-out rate, and decrease repetition of similar courses. It is clear that when students come to class with greater mastery of the topic, students not only enjoy the class and learn more but also the instructor can find classroom teaching more enjoyable. Based on above discussion, it would be valuable to incorporate web-based activities into our classroom to improve students’ learning and quality of classroom instruction. I know that transforming a course to a hybrid format is not easy and takes time. Many factors (e.g., effective leadership, organizational culture, attitudes of teachers and students towards using technology, teachers and students technical competencies in using technology, teachers and students’ personality traits) contribute to successful implementation of blended teaching. Converting our course materials to an electronic format and utilizing blended learning in the delivery of the content require training. We should attend some training programs to learn how best to use technology to improve our students’ learning. Hybrid teaching involves creating online activities that engage students and complement the face- to - face activities (Dashaw & Lee, 2011). We as an educator should be familiar with various teaching strategies to keep the learners active, to promote interaction, and to keep students engaged. We should also prepare a detailed plan for teaching the online components of our courses. clear and meaningful objectives, teaching and learning activates, and assessment activities should be defined. All these elements should be in alignment and support each other. Moreover, training programs should be provided for learners to be prepared to take a course and learn how to use the web based components. Most students think that hybrid and online courses are an easy way to earn college credits. In fact, these courses are much more challenging and require more work since all course activities take place in a virtual environment. Hence, students should have the ability to follow precise instructions, work independently and meet strict deadlines. References Bowen,J. A. ( 2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning. John Wiley & Sons. Dashaw,B., & Lee, R. ( 2011). Designed learner interaction in blended course delivery. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 15(1), 68-76. Pederson, S., & Williams, D. (2004). A comparison of assessment practices and their effects on learning and motivation in a student-centered learning environment. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13 (3), 283-307. Tuckman, B. W. (2002). Evaluating ADAPT: A hybrid instructional model combining web-based and classroom components. Compute and Education, 39(3), 261–269. Young, J. (2002). Hybrid teaching seeks to end the divide between traditional and online instruction. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4(1), 33-38. |
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