The Influence of
Generation M on Learning
Object Development
Denise Stockley, PhD
Joy Mighty, PhD
Agenda
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Generation M
Millennial Characteristics
Teaching Generation M
Learning Objects and Generation M
Generation M
Generations
Birth Cohorts
20-22 years
GI’s (WWII)
1901-1924
Silent Generation
1925-1942
Baby Boomer
1943-1960
Generation X
1961-1981
Millennials
1982- Present
Generational Differences
Baby
Boomers
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TV
generation
Typewriters
Memos
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Generation
X
Video games
Computers
Email
Net Gen
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D. Oblinger
The Web
Mobile devices
IM
Text Messaging
Online
communities
For this Generation…
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Ctrl + Alt + Del is as basic as ABC
Computers have always fit in their backpacks
The Internet is better than TV
Reality is no longer real
Doing is more important than knowing
Multitasking is a way of life
Typing is preferred to handwriting
Staying connected is essential
There is zero tolerance for delays
Consumer and creator are blurring
Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their
parents
Millennial Characteristics
“The Top 7 List”
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Howe and Straus
MILLENIALS ARE SPECIAL
Special - Product of a dramatic birth-rate
reversal. Older generations have instilled in
Millennials that they are vital to the Nation.
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Generation of “wanted” children
Central to their parents’ sense of purpose
Many Boomer parents delayed having children until
financially secure
MILLENIALS ARE SHELTERED
Sheltered – Spawned by the youth safety
movement after events such as Columbine,
child-abuse in the media, child safe devises
and rules.
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Baby on Board signs were created for this generation
Their well being has dominated legislation (child
restraints, home products, movie/video ratings, campus
security)
Boomer parents tend to be over-protective
MILLENIALS ARE CONFIDENT
Optimistic/Confident - Good news for a
Millennial = good news for the Nation! 9 in
10 Millennials describe themselves as
“confident,” “happy,” and “positive”.
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Raised by parents believing in the importance of selfesteem
Optimistic yet practical
Hopeful of the future
Enjoy strong connections with their parents
MILLENIALS ARE TEAM-ORIENTED
Team Oriented - Millennials believe in their
“collective power”. Group learning is
emphasized in the classroom.
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They are used to being organized in teams
They have spent much of their time working and learning
in groups
They have established tight peer bonds
They are inclusive
MILLENIALS ARE ACHIEVING
Achieving – Higher school standards and
more accountability.
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They are very much into setting and meeting goals
They have the benefit of best-educated parents
They are the smartest ever with rising proficiency in
math, science and standardized tests
They are subject to mandatory testing
MILLENIALS ARE PRESSURED
Pressured – Parents are pushing them to
avoid risks, study hard, and take advantage
of opportunities.
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They are pushed to succeed
They are pushed to attend college
They are pushed to choose careers that “pay off” nicely
MILLENIALS ARE CONVENTIONAL
Conventional – Millennials support the idea
that rules can help. They take pride in their
improving behavior.
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They identify with their parents’ values
They are “rule followers” (if we give them clear rules they
can understand)
They accept authority
“Whatever” – passive approach to dissent
They feel close to their parents
The Millennial Generation
Teaching
Generation M
Generation M’s Learner Characteristics
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Rules are perceived without personal or moral commitment
leading to “cheating is OK if you don’t get caught’
Learning not for the sake of learning and thrill of knowledge
Studying to pass the test, pass the course, and get the
degree
Easily bored if ‘nothing to do’
More general knowledge but less discipline to explore a
subject in depth
Experience high levels of stress and anxiety
Large career aspirations, but with unrealistic expectations
about what is required to reach
the goal
Generation M: Pedagogical Strategies
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Collaborative Learning
Problem or Case Based Learning
Service-Learning - learning must expand beyond classroom
walls
Learning Communities
Learn academic content through real-world examples
Learning must be relevant, engaging, and meaningful to their
lives
Information must be individually tailored
Portability of information is critical
Learning Objects
and Generation M
“Based on these perspectives of the new
generation of learners, we are faced with a
design conundrum where instructional design
epistemological traditions may not be consistent
with the constructivist, collaborative
engagements afforded by online environments.
At the same time we have the potential of a new
generation of learners for whom technology IS
the environment and for whom learning means
different things. If we adopt this assumption,
then we must re-think the paradigms for
conceptualising, creating and implementing
online learning environments.” (Sims, 2006)
Learning Objects Definition
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Sample definitions
Interactive computer program
 15 minutes to 2 hours
 One sitting
 Addresses an Instructional Bottleneck
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Ultimately, learning objects are any digital entity designed to
meet a specific learning outcome that can be reused to support
learning.
CLOE@Queen’s
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CLOE@Queen’s is our approach for learning object
development, which is rooted in the need to build and
sustain a learning community. This approach is used in
the partnership, hiring of students, and working with
faculty.
Partnership between the Centre for Teaching and
Learning, Information Technology Services, Queen’s
Library
Team includes: Educational Developer, Technical Staff,
Librarian, and 2 senior undergraduate students
 http://www.queensu.ca/cloe/
Students as Learning Object Developers
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Actively involved in the design process – not just the
consumer of learning objects
Participate in Camp CLOE
Act as the project manager and worked directly with
the faculty
Students are recommended to us by our Computing
Science faculty
 Students felt honored to be asked to be on the
project
 Students worked more hours than their contractual
agreement as they were very involved in the
project
Design Considerations
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Expect personalized/individualized needs and
preferences to be incorporated
Expect immediate gratification/feedback
Expect to be challenged
Expect to be rewarded
Expect teamwork to be built in – not everything is an
individual or solo activity
Expect multi-user ability - influence of the gaming
industry
Expect learner-centric vs teacher-centric
Expect content to be dynamically generated
Expect experiential learning, facilitation, and reflection all
in one neat package
Accessing Learning Objects
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Need to run on as many platforms as
possible
Mobile computing
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Tablets
PDAs
IPODS
Cell phones
Etc.
Remember the importance of needs analysis
and usability testing!
Next Steps
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How can you develop learning objects that
are Generation M friendly?
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For More Information
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Denise Stockley
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[email protected]