Dear Constantin Bratianu

Here you have an example:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1477388017300294

Regards

Dear Srdjan Atanasijevic,

I agree that microlearning is quite linked to the way digitalization works, but when a certain theory or complex model is broken down into pieces the nature of the problem might change.

Dear all,

This is an interesting discussion. Please, take into account that the existence of learning styles is considered a myth. For instance:

Article The Learning Styles Myth is Thriving in Higher Education

Based on this, in my opinion, it is really risky to claim that millenials have a different learning-style. However, it is possible that digital tech is changing the way we think, the way we learn, even our brains. But more research is needed in this field. Of course millenials have learning preferences, and probably they are in line with what digital world offers. But what we know for now is that preferences don't determine learning. What determines the instructional method is the content of learning instead of learners' preferences.

Regarding the reference provided by Alejandro Ros-Gálvez, it is important to note that the study have two important limitations:

- It only measures learners' perceptions about the use of videos, so there is no measure of learning.

- It doesn't use a control group.

So, no conclusions can be reached beyond the fact that participants liked videos for learning. Regarding this specific research field, here is an interesting study on (no) differences between learning from text and learning from videos:

Article Afflerbach Strategies for comprehending and integrating text...

Besides, in this case, better comprehension for text:

Article Comprehension across mediums: the case of text and video

Bests,

Pablo D.

I found that they don't like linear text type (classic printed text). That's probably thank to hypertext and Internet.

Thanks Pablo and Dijana for your contributions to this discussion.

Turning this round to the educator, perhaps this is more a question of preferred or most effective delivery mechanisms then?

In response to a deeper question, I'd be cautious that the advent of digitisation and the internet is resulting in, or being accompanied by corresponding rapid changes to brains (unless there is good evidence to suggest this). Could such a radical change happen in a couple of generations, after 1,000s years of careful evolution?

And going deeper still, from the point of fostering conceptual understanding, I'll still defer to Vygotsky (1930s) and Ausubel (1960s), again, unless or until anyone has good reasons for me not to.

Thanks Robert Illes for your contribution.

Hi,

Sure, we should be cautious with the idea that the brain changes as a consequence of experience with digital tech. I completely agree with this point, Robert.

However, we must think on these possible changes as individual ones, made possible by brain plasticity. This wouldn't be a phylogenetic evolutionary matter.

So, the answer would be: yes, experience can rapidly change our brains in spite of they developed through thousands of years.

I would recommend reading the Mindset List. They update it each year to help faculty to put into perspective the different experiences of different generations. Here is the current one https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/20180821/mindset_list_is_released

I am sure you can find archived ones for the Millennial generation, which are quickly approaching/in their 30's.

Dear Srdjan Atanasijevic,

I believe it depends on the learning objective. Let's imagine three different situations. (1) The objective is to grasp information; (2) the objective is to develop some skills; (3) the objective is to develop a given competency.

I think that bite-size training might be suitable for (1), but not for the two other situations. The problem is that bite-size training is usually transmissive (video and presentation), an approach that is not effective to develop high-level skills or competencies. For (2) and (3), one should consider active learning techniques.

All of this discussion about "micro learning" is not offering a unique approach. It's how we initially teach children all over the world in all languages - chunking, small bits, "just in time" and not a formal lecture. I don't have a lesson plan for "don't touch that hot stove!" Ouch!

How Do Millennials Learn?

The The 5 Rs Research-based methods:

Millennials prefer a broad spectrum of learning strategies. The concept of learner-style is more pronounced in this generation. They prefer learning materials that are delivered to cater to their visual, auditory and even kinesthetic needs.

They need to experience change in delivery formats to maintain interest. Their attention spans are shorter – they quickly move on to other forms of learning. Their ideal learning environment involves less lecture and more collaboration with peers. Group-based projects that emulate the work environment (authentic assessments) are ideal for these learners.

Relevance

Millennials are aces at “googling” and discovering information. They do not value a piece of information for its own sake, rather for its relevance to their lives. Trainers will find millennials engaged in hands-on or application-based case studies, where new knowledge is discovered and synthesized actively between group members.

he goal for trainers here is to connect the eLearning environment to the performance context of these learners to convince them of its relevance.

Rationale

Baby boomers or generation X-ers respond well to an authoritarian teaching style. They follow orders for the sake of complying with commands. On the other hand, millennials were raised in a less authoritative environment – where decisions and actions were constantly justified. Flexibility and recognizing the socio-emotional rationale behind new ideas and processes are expectations of millennials. When trainers and instructors provide the rationale behind policies and regulations in a learning environment, these young learners are more likely to respond positively.

Relaxed

Think “laid back” when you conduct your training sessions. Millennials prefer a relaxed learning environment, with minimum pressure, more freedom to complete assignments and also more freedom for personal expression and creativity.

eLearning course mentors need to create a warm, empathetic, “no wrong answers” collaborative environment.

Rapport

Millennials strive on personal relationships. When being raised, they had complete attention from their parents. They are used to older adults showing more interest in their lives. They prefer and appreciate instructors showing a personal interest in their training and development plans and achievement goals.

These learners also perform better at work and in the classroom when instructors connect with them on a personal level.

How Do Millennials Learn Best: Engaging Millennials In The Workplace

The workforce is quickly being replaced by millennials. Training managers need to modify their teaching strategies and course delivery methods to rein in the potential and the learning styles of millennials.

Still wondering how millennials learn? Incorporate these 5 Rs in your course mentoring strategies to weed out those that did not work well in the past. Ideally, train your trainers on these 5 Rs so that they experience a rewarding teaching environment.

Hi Ibraheem, I find your comments highly relevant and experience your observations in my every day teaching and research. We as educators are challenged to respond to the needs/demands of this learner group given that we tend to work in relatively inflexible work environments which are rule bound. So the systems in HEIs which are relatively slow to change, are are not necessarily in tune with these learners' demands. Nor do we have as educators appropriate time allocations to respond eg to the need to build rapport, which I agree is essential. In a world where education seems increasingly about dealing with numbers of students and not individuals I feel we are challenged to cope with all the different demands on us..

Hi everyone,

I am interested in this collaboration.

I am a PhD student at the Pegaso International University of Malta/Naple

I am currently also collaborating with the University of Salerno on the OIG.

I'm working on the orientation of young people, on the skills of the future.

I look forward to receiving further details on the topic to be treated together to start working.

Here are my addresses for those who want to collaborate, and publish articles, participate in conferences: [email protected]

What I can see and it's my experiences too, is that generation(s) is not a factor that count. REF: Article Evidence-Based Higher Education ? Is the Learning Styles ?My...

Last time I checked the research literature, the consensus was that "learning styles" do not exist. Students have preferences, but this does not effect their learning outcomes. Some people in this discussion have commented that millennials prefer shorter units of learning, and more practical activities, over lectures. However, I would be surprised if many students ever preferred lectures. I stopped giving lectures ten years ago, and have been teaching online since. But, this semester I have back to the classroom, to deliver a blended learning module, which seems to be working. Students get short units of learning, with online quizzes and forums, then face-to-face to discuss what they have learned. I will be discussing this at EduTECH Sydney, in June. https://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2019/05/mobile-learning-with-micro-credentials.html

Tom I am and have the same view. Learning styles with Dunn as the main reference in the beginning of the year 2000 been through several meta evaluations received a lot of criticism.

Is it useful to think of 'learning strategies' rather than 'learning styles'? People draw on different strategies at different times (rather than having a fixed personal 'style') - but there are patterns in the strategies people use, and arguably value in trying to develop learners' strategies for certain learning tasks. Useful starting point for 'learning strategies' might be Dunlovsky http://www.indiana.edu/~pcl/rgoldsto/courses/dunloskyimprovinglearning.pdf

In case a critique of 'learning styles' would be useful, a recent one is:

Kirschner, P. A. (2017). Stop propagating the learning styles myth. Computers & Education, 106, 166-171.

There is a belief that Millennials might be the first global generation refusing to be a passive actor in their higher education. Therefore, methods for teaching this new generation should be based on what kinds of learning outcomes are wanted.

To reach the Millenials in higher education settings, creating a student-centered and/or technology-enhanced learning environment must be paid special attention.

Since this can be a very comprehensive topic, I asked a similar question a few months ago and I believe that some answers can be relevant to this issue ...

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_do_you_think_about_using_Social_Media_in_Higher_Education_YES_or_NO

Feel free to share your thoughts!

I came across the following blog post which presents the argument against learning styles in a very accessible way - I recommend reading it. http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2019/6/6-1

Great! Thank you, Ben.

1) Short attention span

2) Inclination to be more responsive to visual learning

3) Not receptive to long instructional messages

Thank you Kaukab Abid Azhar for these interesting ideas!

Is it about the learning style of millennials, or is it more about innovative ways to teach and lecture? I would suggest following Prof. Eric Tsui of the Hong Kong Poly U (Constantin Bratianu we both know him very well). For instance, he uses avatars to keep the students engaged.

Francesca, the question is about the learning styles, or better to say, about the changes generated in these learning styles and their way of thinking by digitalization.