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Design Thinking and Millennial Learning: Meeting the needs of today’s learner
Alex B. Criswell – Senior Instructional Designer: Adtalem Global Education
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Today we will cover the following.
- Research on Design Thinking
- How is Design Thinking used at Adtalem?
- Research on Millennial Learning
- Comparison of Theories
- Recommendations for Millennial Learning
- Summary of Design Recommendations
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Our organization adopted the Design Thinking approach for Course Development. The Design Thinking concept is of IDEO, founded by David Kelley and operated by Tim Brown.
Design thinking is a human-centered approach involving the approaches of Feasibility, Desirability, and Viability. Innovation is formed when utilizing these three approaches consecutively.
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The Design Thinking Approach involves the following phases:
- Empathize: Frame a Question
- Define: Gather Inspiration
- Ideate: Generate Ideas
- Prototype: Make Ideas Tangible
- Test: Test to Learn
- Iterate: Share the Story
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Adtalem Global Education is stemmed from the Latin word Adtalem (to empower). Our name encapsulates our purpose and our commitment to our students, communities, and each other.
Through our Mission, Vision, and Purpose, we empower our students to (Adtalem Global Education, 2018):
- Transform lives and enable careers;
- Improve the world; and
- Achieve their goals, find success, and make inspiring contributions to our global society.
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Millennials, also known as Generation Y are individuals who were born from 1977-1996 (Generational Breakdown: Info About All of the Generations, 2018). Their parents are of the Baby Boomer generation or of the smaller generation known as Generation X.
Grandparents of Millennials are known as the Silent Generation.
Children of Millennials are currently known as Generation Z or the Centennial Generation. This spans from the end of the Millennial Generation timespan to today. There is a proposal to identify a new generation, Generation Alpha, as noted my Mark McCrindle. His rationale for a new identification of individuals is this rationale: Generation Alpha individuals were born with innovative technology and is considered to be the “most transformative generation ever.” (Sterbenz, 2015)
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As noted by Learning Theories (2017), the ARCS model consists of the following categories, with a brief list of items to provide an overview
Attention
- Attention can be gained through perceptual arousal or inquiry arousal
- Methods to gain the attention of the learner can include, but is not limited to active participation, variability, humor, inquiry/brainstorming, and use of specific examples.
Relevance
- Use of some major strategies to connect relevance, including experience, present worth, usefulness, modeling, and variety.
Confidence
- Help students understand their likelihood for success
- Provide objectives and prerequisites
- Provide constant feedback
- Allow the learner to have self-control
Satisfaction
- Make learning rewarding/satisfying
- Demonstrate how the skill is useful
- Be brief in patronization
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Price (2009) noted five Rs for engaging millennials: 1) Relevance, 2) Rationale, 3) Relaxed, 4) Rapport, and 5) Research-based
methods.
These five Rs are the primary basis of my recommendations.
- Relevance—Course content has to be relevant to current culture. Instructors can use real-life examples that mirror millennials’ experiences. For example, ask your students, “What would you do…?”–type scenario-based questions.
- Rationale—Instructors can justify or provide rationale behind the ideas, policies, and regulations in the learning environment to the learner.
- Relaxed—Millennials prefer a warm, empathetic atmosphere. They think “No wrong answers.” Instructors can conduct laid-back learning sessions (less formal) to engage them.
- Rapport—Millennials look for better one-on-one relationships with professors. Instructors can demonstrate personal interest into their achievements.
- Research-based methods—Instructors can consider incorporating active learning methods (not a traditional lecture-only format) into their teaching.
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They require teaching methods that connect with their social and visual needs
Collaborative learning
Learning through service (community and social service)
Multimedia classroom – Social media (Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube)
Gamify the learning experience
They need to know that what they are learning is important and relevant to their culture and what is currently happening in society/the world
Millennial learners expect their teachers/leaders to be knowledgeable, as well as, caring
A connection is needed between the learner and their ‘mentor’
The instructor/coach must have a personal interest in their success
They need consistent and constant feedback on their progress, as they need to know they are improving
Offer flexible studying options
- Let students study and work on their own time
- Provide a less formal, relaxed, and empathetic classroom.
- Let them know that there ‘no wrong answers’
- Millennials should be exposed to micro-learning methods
- They have constant access to information, which can be challenging for them to absorb what they learn; make it bite-sized
- Millennial learners do not have a preference to view professional studio quality videos
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| |
The Five R’s |
| The ARCS Model |
|
Research-based |
Relevance |
Rationale |
Relaxed |
Rapport |
| Attention |
Learners prefer research-based methods and active learning techniques. They have a short attention span and if the content is not relevant to them or is presented in a way they do not prefer or understand, they will not retain the information. |
It is imperative to provide a rationale for any reasoning that can be prompted for discussion. Should a rationale not be provided or is not relevant to them, their attention span can greatly decrease with that particular subject. |
Learning environments need to remain relaxed in nature where consistent and credible feedback is provided or the learner will lose interest in the item(s) discussed. |
| Relevance |
Today’s learners prefer their instructors to provide a connection to the content and their current culture and/or lifestyle. These connections need to be through active-learning methods with less use of text and more multimedia and collaboration. |
Providing a relaxed learning environment with relevant content, along with consistent feedback is what today learner desires. |
| Confidence |
Providing relevant material will assist the learner in understanding their success rate in the course. If the content is not relevant to them or active-learning techniques are not followed, they will not be motivated to continue. |
Learners prefer structure, but also the ability to control their learning, which can boost their confidence and satisfaction. |
A relaxed learning environment with consistent feedback and praise (rewards) make the learner feel more involved. Remember, do not over patronize their work, but provide constructive feedback they will understand. |
Learners desire constant and consistent feedback, which requires reinforcement that is consistent in nature. |
| Satisfaction |
Keeping up with current trends to provide relevance to the learner and the content will boost their satisfaction in learner and allow them to feel rewarded when they demonstrate their skills learned. |
With these theories in mind, a cross-comparison table was created to show the comparison between the Five R’s (Price, 2009) and the ARCS model (Keller, 2009).
A list of suggestions includes.
- Learners prefer research-based methods and active learning techniques. They have a short attention span and if the content is not relevant to them or is presented in a way they do not prefer or understand, they will not retain the information.
- It is imperative to provide a rationale for any reasoning that can be prompted for discussion. Should a rationale not be provided or is not relevant to them, their attention span can greatly decrease with that particular subject.
- Learning environments need to remain relaxed in nature where consistent and credible feedback is provided or the learner will lose interest in the item(s) discussed.
- Today’s learners prefer their instructors to provide a connection to the content and their current culture and/or lifestyle. These connections need to be through active-learning methods with less use of text and more multimedia and collaboration.
- Providing a relaxed learning environment with relevant content, along with consistent feedback is what today learner desires.
- Providing relevant material will assist the learner in understanding their success rate in the course. If the content is not relevant to them or active-learning techniques are not followed, they will not be motivated to continue.
- Learners prefer structure, but also the ability to control their learning, which can boost their confidence and satisfaction.
- A relaxed learning environment with consistent feedback and praise (rewards) make the learner feel more involved. Remember, do not over patronize their work, but provide constructive feedback they will understand.
- Learners desire constant and consistent feedback, which requires reinforcement that is consistent in nature.
- Keeping up with current trends to provide relevance to the learner and the content will boost their satisfaction in learner and allow them to feel rewarded when they demonstrate their skills learned.
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I have followed the Design Thinking process I conducted my research and crafted these recommendations.
I formed my recommendations and research around following guiding questions.
- How might we approach course content to make it more interactive, engaging, and effective?
- How can we better engage the millennial audience?
- What approaches, technologies, and rethinking can we apply to better engage the adult learner?
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Following are some recommendations based on the research on how millennials learn and other best practices related to the modern learning principles.
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- Define objectives up front. Being open and transparent in communication will help students remain engaged throughout the process. Develop a personalized experience.
- Include overview videos to introduce concepts/topics. The overview should include the primary purpose/objectives and how they fit within the scope of full subject covered in the Module/course.
Incorporate various learning styles in the lectures. Include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (i.e., note taking, role playing, etc.) and other active learning strategies to engage students with varied learning styles. For example, current lectures could be restructured with short videos, scenario-based and role playing type activities along with some self-check. Using adaptive strategies can help institutions better connect with millennial students while keeping them engaged.
Supporting Research
4 ways your school can connect with better Millennials. (2016, July). Retrieved from http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/millennial-student-recruitment
Lynch, M. (2016). Top Four Ways to Engage Millennials in Learning Environments. Retrieved from http://www.theedadvocate.org/top-four-ways-to-engage-millennials-in-learning-environments/
Pandey, A. (2016). 6 Strategies You Can Use to Design Effective eLearning For Your Millennial Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.eidesign.net/6-strategies-you-can-use-to-design-effective-elearning-for-your-millennial-workforce/
Sharma, A. (2016). Designing Learning for Millennials. 70(6), 60–65. Retrieved from https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/designing-learning-for-millennials
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Provide constant feedback to foster progress in learning. Millennials and other adult learners want to know they are improving and moving in the right direction.
They prefer to receive clear and immediate feedback after completing any activity such as practice tests, reviews, and checkpoints.
Provide immediate, detailed for both correct and incorrect answers as an instructional strategy to instill and reinforce learning.
Supporting Research
Kotz, P. E. (2016). Reaching the Millennial Generation in the Classroom. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 1163–1166. doi:10.13189
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Create a learning environment that is more relaxed. Novotney (2010) notes “Millennials prefer a less formal learning environment that allows them to interact informally with the professor and other students.”
Supporting Research
Novotney, A. (2010). Engaging the millennial learner. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/03/undergraduates.aspx
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Concepts are presented with a media focus (audio, video, and Test Your Knowledge interactives).
Content is chunked in small bites, using less text with more interactive activities.
Supporting Research
Pappas, C. (2015). 8 Tips to Engage and Inspire Millennials In eLearning. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/8-elearning-tips-to-engage-and-inspire-millennials-in-elearning
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Millennials prefer to work on assignments that are more creative versus the long papers (Novotney, 2010). Some example assignments include the following.
- Collaborative group projects
- Inclusive assignments where members of the group contribute their viewpoints help students think critically and quickly while engaging in dialogue.
- Usage of learning communities—Small groups that can discuss findings and analyze practice exercises or assignments encourage hands-on
Combining micro-learning with gamification will make learning more interactive and engaging (Pandey, 2016). Real-life scenario and problem-solving in game format will provide immediate feedback, provide rewards/incentives, and build motivation.
Example: Use scenario-based media designed using consistent format to present a real-life scenario and problem-solving to engage participants.
Multimedia game-like elements can be utilized (Sharma, 2016) to engage the participants. When game-like features are combined with relevant scenarios and challenges that individuals typically face on the job, it serves as an effective strategy to boost performance.
Supporting Research
Novotney, A. (2010). Engaging the millennial learner. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/03/undergraduates.aspx
Pandey, A. (2016). 6 Strategies You Can Use to Design Effective eLearning For Your Millennial Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.eidesign.net/6-strategies-you-can-use-to-design-effective-elearning-for-your-millennial-workforce/
Sharma, A. (2016). Designing Learning for Millennials. 70(6), 60–65. Retrieved from TD: https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/designing-learning-for-millennials
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In summary, there are several design and technology recommendations to make courses more engaging for the millennial learners.
Price (2009) noted five Rs for engaging millennials: 1) Relevance, 2) Rationale, 3) Relaxed, 4) Rapport, and 5) Research-based
methods.
- Relevance—Course content has to be relevant to current culture. Instructors can use real-life examples that mirror millennials’ experiences. For example, ask your students, “What would you do…?”–type scenario-based questions.
- Chunked concepts with clear objectives: This design strategy breaks down information into bite-sized pieces so students can digest new information more easily. Define objectives up front.
- Personalized learning platform: A personalized learning platform could be utilized for the test preparation/practice.
- Rationale—Instructors can justify or provide rationale behind the ideas, policies, and regulations in the learning environment to the learner.
- Concept overview videos – Include overview videos to introduce concepts/topics. An overview should include the primary purpose/objectives and how they fit within the scope of full subject covered in the Module/course.
- Relaxed—Millennials prefer a warm, empathetic atmosphere. They think “No wrong answers.” Instructors can conduct laid-back learning sessions (less formal) to engage them.
- Virtual water cooler: This concept is an on online, collaborative, virtual tool for students to chat and engage with peers outside of the training environment.
- Rapport—Millennials look for better one-on-one relationships with professors. Instructors can demonstrate personal interest into their achievements.
- Checkpoints with immediate feedback – Planned, informal checkpoints in the Module provide students with the opportunity to self-check and manage their learning. Immediate detailed feedback can be utilized to reinforce previous learning and provides opportunities to acquire new information.
- Research-based methods—Instructors can consider incorporating active learning methods (not a traditional lecture-only format) into their teaching.
- Multimedia – Concepts are presented with a media focus (audio, video, and Test Your Knowledge interactives).
- Gamification: Real-life scenario and problem-solving in game format will provide immediate feedback, rewards/incentives, and build motivation.
- Restructuring lectures: Incorporate various learning styles in the lectures. Include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (i.e., note taking, role playing, etc.) and other active learning strategies to engage students with varied learning styles.
- Creative and collaborative assignments: Incorporate collaborative groups projects and small group assignments rather than long papers.
In reference to the ARCS model (Keller, 2009), the following recommendations are listed.
Attention:
Active participation techniques
Multimedia
Relevance
Create content relevant to learner in reference to experience, present worth, and variety.
Provide clear objectives
Confidence
Help students understand their likelihood for success
Provide constant feedback
Satisfaction
Make learning rewarding and demonstrate usefulness of the skills learned.
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References
Generational Breakdown: Info About All of the Generations. (2018). Retrieved from The Center for Generational Kinetics: https://genhq.com/faq-info-about-generations/
Online Collaborative Learning Theory. (2017). Retrieved from Learning Theories: https://www.learning-theories.com/online-collaborative-learning-theory-harasim.html
4 ways your school can connect with better Millennials. (2016, July). Retrieved from http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/millennial-student-recruitment
Fry, R., Ruth, I., & Patten, E. (2018). How Millennials today compare with their grandparents 50 years ago. Retrieved from Pew Research Center: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/16/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/
Adtalem Global Education. (2018). About Adtalem. Retrieved from https://www.adtalem.com/about-us.html
Keller, J. M. (2009). Motivational design for learning and performance: The ARCS model approach. Springer Science & Business Media.
Kotz, P. E. (2016). Reaching the Millennial Generation in the Classroom. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 1163–1166. doi:10.13189
IDEO. (2018). Design Thinking. Retrieved from https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking
Lynch, M. (2016). Top Four Ways to Engage Millennials in Learning Environments. Retrieved from http://www.theedadvocate.org/top-four-ways-to-engage-millennials-in-learning-environments/
Novotney, A. (2010). Engaging the millennial learner. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/03/undergraduates.aspx
Pandey, A. (2016). 6 Strategies You Can Use to Design Effective eLearning For Your Millennial Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.eidesign.net/6-strategies-you-can-use-to-design-effective-elearning-for-your-millennial-workforce
Pappas, C. (2015). 8 Tips to Engage and Inspire Millennials In eLearning. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/8-elearning-tips-to-engage-and-inspire-millennials-in-elearning
Price, C. (2009). Why Don’t My Students Think I’m Groovy? The Teaching Professor, 23 (1), 7. Retrieved from http://www.drtomlifvendahl.com/Millennial%20Characturistics.pdf
Rocketfuel Productions Inc. (n.d.). The Accounted [Video Game]. Retrieved from https://www.trajectoryiq.com/project/the-accounted/
Sharma, A. (2016). Designing Learning for Millennials. 70(6), 60–65. Retrieved from TD: https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/designing-learning-for-millennials
Sterbenz, C. (2015, 12 5). Here’s who comes after Generation Z — and they’ll be the most transformative age group ever. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/generation-alpha-2014-7-2.
