> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Self-Directed Learning and Augmented Reality: How to Teach Gen Z

By  Jeffrey J. Selingo
October 31, 2018

Some campus leaders still talk about millennials as if they were the prototypical undergraduates. But enrolling now is Generation Z, the most diverse cohort in modern American history, one that grew up during the Great Recession and its aftermath, entirely in the era of the smartphone and social media. Today’s students crave value and relevance, they seek campus services over amenities, and they’re near-constant users of Instagram and YouTube. To compete for a shrinking pool of high-school graduates and meet greater expectations for student success, colleges must adapt.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

Some campus leaders still talk about millennials as if they were the prototypical undergraduates. But enrolling now is Generation Z, the most diverse cohort in modern American history, one that grew up during the Great Recession and its aftermath, entirely in the era of the smartphone and social media. Today’s students crave value and relevance, they seek campus services over amenities, and they’re near-constant users of Instagram and YouTube. To compete for a shrinking pool of high-school graduates and meet greater expectations for student success, colleges must adapt.

Planning for that transition means rethinking strategies and priorities to meet the needs of today’s students. The Chronicle recently released a special report, “The New Generation of Students: How Colleges Can Recruit, Teach, and Serve Gen Z,” drawing on demographic trends, surveys, front-line observations, and an expanding array of books and experts to examine the mind-sets and motivations of Gen Zers and describe how colleges can best serve them. In the report, we explored some changes to teaching that would suit this new cohort.

Vickie Cook directs the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the U. of Illinois at Springfield.
U. of Illinois at Springfield
Vickie Cook directs the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the U. of Illinois at Springfield.

Technology has been integral to the daily lives of many of today’s teenagers since they were toddlers. But when they come to campus, they’re looking for a mix of virtual and face-to-face learning, says Vickie S. Cook, an associate professor and executive director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield. That requires a new approach to synchronous learning (at a set time) and asynchronous learning (at your own pace). “This generation doesn’t distinguish between the two,” Cook says. Here are some of her tips for developing an effective educational experience for Gen Z.

Let students tell their stories using their tools.

ADVERTISEMENT

Explain learning goals and let students determine how to meet them using technology. Encourage them to create their learning through YouTube, podcasts, blogs, or even video games. Use the resources students produce — for example, a video on how to solve a math problem or conduct a biology experiment — for peer advising. This “near-peer” model can be effective because students identify with the advisers.

Create immersive environments.

Take a cue from medical schools at Case Western Reserve University, the University of Nebraska, and elsewhere that use virtual and augmented reality to let students interact with patients before they enter a hospital setting. In other disciplines, such technology can allow students to apply concepts as they learn them and demonstrate the relevance of the material.

Build flexible learning spaces.

ADVERTISEMENT

Study rooms and other spaces on campuses that encourage group work should be configured with movable walls and furniture to adapt to independent use. And look for underused space in hallways where writing surfaces can be added to walls, as the University of Southern California did in a new building for its school of communications and journalism.

A version of this article appeared in the November 9, 2018, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Teaching & LearningInnovation & TransformationOnline Learning
Jeffrey J. Selingo
Jeffrey J. Selingo, a former editor of The Chronicle, is the author of Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions (Scribner, 2020). He is a special adviser at Arizona State University and founder of the ASU/Georgetown University Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin