Generation Y: learning generation, demanding generation?
Generation Y is an often-talked-about concept, but today everyone has their own way of defining it. The concept is seen as a kind of incomprehensible nebula. It is mainly found in the educational sciences and in managerial culture. It is the latter that provides the most synthetic definition:“Generation Y refers to people born between 1978 and 1994. […] This generation, which grew up with computers, the Internet and new technologies, is characterized by a constant search for novelty and personal fulfillment, a certain impatience, hostility towards traditional forms of hierarchy, a desire to progress rapidly, a desire to stand out from the crowd and a desire to reconcile work, personal life and civic commitment.”
And yet, despite the many divergent points of view, whether from human resources or educational science, Generation Y has some recurring points in common: a culture of the net, of instantaneity, of learning by doing, of meaning, and globalized. Thus, the culture of instantaneity that members of Generation Y display highlights, among other things, the fact that they are impatient, particularly when it comes to acquiring knowledge that requires concentration over a long period of time. Even if this generation is impatient, it is no less demanding. What’s more, the aforementioned net culture in which Yers find themselves adds to the growing desire of these new learners for something ever more dynamic, modern, interactive and even playful.
Ys are also becoming more and more involved in their own learning. Julien Pouget, consultant-trainer and lecturer at JP & Associés, describes this “learning by doing” culture in his book Integrating and managing Generation Y,refers to self-training and co-training, learning methods that Y learners are more likely to use. So, if a Y learner doesn’t find what he or she is looking for in an e-learning module, if his or her quest for meaning and understanding isn’t nourished, or if he or she doesn’t personally find himself or herself in the proposed pedagogy or graphic environment, the risk of dropping out or even not engaging in training becomes greater.
Both educational and graphic design are therefore no longer viewed in the same way as before. The Yers’ relationship with training is not the same as that of their fathers. Today, training is a long-term process, both formal and informal, at one time or another necessarily remote, and necessarily involving the use of new technologies. Their constant connection to the Net, search engines, free online encyclopedias and blogs of all kinds, make them well-informed learners, convinced that a single source of knowledge will not suffice.
Today, innovation in teaching methods and tools is more necessary than ever. If we want our learners not to click on the cross at the end of the second screen in our modules, we need to be original, dynamic and innovative. We also need to avoid “boring” our learners, while remembering that learning isultimately at stake. Taking advantage of the potential offered by today’s authoring tools, not hesitating to cross-reference the results obtained so as to have a single module, drawing inspiration from current cultural, societal and even political events, and knowing how to use our little grain of folly to finally stand out and offer something new – this is the recipe for digital learning in 2013.
And finally, if the best solution were simply to be Y and do as they (or we) do, wouldn’t that be the ideal way to speak to this still little-known yet very present audience?
