How to educate your Generation Y students
We’ve already told you about Gen Y and what type of working environment they prefer in our previous blogposts. But how should you educate this typical group that has been written so much about? The old way of a lecturer taking the stage, no longer works for this generation. The key is to adapt the old methods to the characteristics of the Gen Y’ers. Only in this way will you be able to reach your students.
Stop competing with technology; embrace it
Known as digital natives, Generation Y’ers can handle technology as no other. Moreover, technology plays an important part of their lives. Millennials are online anywhere at any time. Incorporating technology into your education is therefore also important. Just a lecture will bore students, instead make it interactive by using multimedia. Use the apps that they are using on daily basis, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube to support your lessons, or use a quiz app such as Kahoot! to catch their attention. Instead of banning phones and laptops from classes and lecturers, make the most out of them!
Relevance is key
Millennials love relevant courses. Make a connection to real life, this helps students to identify with a certain topic. Involve current developments and events in your courses, instead of the old examples found in books and see how much more engaged your students will be.
Step away from authority
Gen Y students thrive in an informal setting, where they can interact with their lecturers and fellow students. They don’t like authority and prefer approachable lecturers. Moreover, millennials are always looking for ways to improve themselves and love to receive feedback. They immediately want to know what they did right or wrong. Ensure your courses are full of interaction and have enough room for students to ask for feedback.
Make assignments original
Learning by trial and error is something that Gen Y’ers love, they enjoy exploring their skills. Instead of another 15-page paper that they need to hand in at the end of a semester, make your assessments more original. Let them create a video presentation instead of a powerpoint, let them vlog for a while, or make them do a project for an actual company. The assignments should be interesting and have a connection to what they can expect in their future jobs.
