| ISU generation diversity discussed at the CTLT |
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| Written by Chelsea Peck, Daily Vidette Staff Writer |
| Tuesday, 09 September 2008 18:00 |
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The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology held a session on Tuesday entitled "Guess Who's Coming to Class" to discuss the diversity of this generation of students attending Illinois State. Jan Murphy, associate provost, and Matt Fuller, assistant director of the University Assessment Office, gave presentations describing how students view themselves and how diverse the student population is. "Generation Y is between the ages of 14 and 28. They are from a dual-career family and are optimistic about their future in spite of the economic downturn," Murphy said. This group of students has very lofty goals for themselves in their personal, educational and professional lives. They are confident in their abilities and are technologically savvy compared to many generations of students in the past, Murphy said. The demographic of this generation is more racially and ethnically diverse, although students may not always see it. "We work and work and work to keep the number of minorities high," Murphy said. The generation has some downfalls compared to older generations as well. Students in Generation Y are less resistant to disease and have more learning and psychological disorders. Illinois State Generation Y students view themselves as above average on many core class abilities, but upon entering college are viewed as average or below. "In high school these students reported working six to 10 hours a week on academic work. They reported to expect to work 11 to 13 hours in college," Fuller said. "Students don't have the expectations to do all the work." Professors and advisers to these students were urged to be aware of this generation's learning abilities, confidence, opinions and demographics to help teach and connect on a new level. |
