How Different Am I from My College Students?

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Taken from http://www.homesforstudents.org/

How Different Am I from My College Students?

A Comparison Exercise

By Prof. Jonathan Acuña-Solano, M. Ed.

School of English

Faculty of Social Sciences

Universidad Latina de Costa Rica

Monday, April 25, 2016

Post 254

When I compare myself –in all those years I was an undergraduate student at Universidad de Costa Rica- to my college students at Universidad Latina, we seem to be oceans apart. As a matter of a comparison exercise, here I present you with a short summary of my learners’ main differences if my current learners are compared to me, a complete different kind of learner.

Classification Mode	My University Years as a Student	My Current Students in College
Generation	I’m a Generation X child.	My Ss are Generation Y.
Ethics	Cynical	Hopeful
Media Preference	Direct messaging	Social Media-Oriented
Feedback	Synchronous or asynchronous	Instant and constant
Work engagement	Preference for working alone	Preference for working with partners
Internet Capacity	Savvy and literate	Savvy and unconsciously competent, at times
Rewards	Search for better salary and perks	Promotion & recognition of their effort

Today –if compared to what happened in the 80s-, faculty members can become familiar with their students in very different ways. Professors get to know their learners by 1) understanding that there is a generation gap that makes us function in society differently, 2) comprehending the way we react to media since Generation Y students are more into social networks than Generation X instructors, and 3) stopping their working and engagement styles where there is a lot of group and peer work. None of this was present during my college years, and I bet my old professors had no clue that 30 years later we had to worry about these variables. None of us learning in the 80s and who chose to become teaching professionals ever wondered what education was going to be like today.

If we had no clue to what education was meant to be today, what about the sources of motivation for learners today? Motivation comes from very different sources, and different generations understand motivation differently. Though both types of motivation, -extrinsic and intrinsic-, may be present for both groups, it does not imply both understand them equally. And that may be connected to how members of both generations expect rewards. Instant rewarding for us students from the 80s was simply unheard of; learners today, our Generation Y students, expect it now.

And what seems to be preventing Generation Y students from learning? On the one hand, their Internet capacity in connection with their social media orientation makes them be less focused and more into personal rather than professional life. On the other hand, the way Generation Y students expect feedback to be provided is not yet a norm in a society where there are more Generation X members who are not yet willing to make changes in the way they work. The change is imminent, but not yet here.