Building Bridges: Restructuring Online Library Tutorials to Span the Generation Gap and Meet the Needs of Millennial Students

Dianna E. Sachs, Carrie C. Leatherman, Kate A. Langan

Western Michigan University

OverviewOverview

Our Study: Compare 2 Online Our Study: Compare 2 Online Research TutorialsResearch Tutorials Millennial learning outcomesMillennial learning outcomes Millennial satisfactionMillennial satisfaction

What is a “Millennial”? What is a “Millennial”? Working on a tutorial?Working on a tutorial?

Strategies for “Millennial-friendliness”Strategies for “Millennial-friendliness” What happens next?What happens next?

BackgroundBackground

““Searchpath”Searchpath” Created 2001 – award-winning in its Created 2001 – award-winning in its

timetime

Today

Seen as:Seen as: Text-heavyText-heavy Clip artClip art Visual onlyVisual only Too linearToo linear Not very Not very

interactive interactive Overwhelming Overwhelming

contentcontent Awkward quiz Awkward quiz

reporting structurereporting structure

What is a Millennial?What is a Millennial?

What is a Millennial?What is a Millennial?

Millennial Generation/Generation Millennial Generation/Generation Next/Gen YNext/Gen Y Born 1982-2002Born 1982-2002 ““Digital natives”Digital natives” Lifelong internet and technology usersLifelong internet and technology users Multi-taskersMulti-taskers Like graphicsLike graphics Non-linear thinkersNon-linear thinkers

ActivityActivity

Think back to when you were 12 Think back to when you were 12 years old. years old. Did you…Did you…

Four GenerationsFour Generations

Silent (pre Silent (pre 1945)1945)

Boomer Boomer (1945-1965)(1945-1965)

Gen X (1965-Gen X (1965-1982)1982)

Millennial Millennial (1982-2002)(1982-2002)

TelephoneTelephone Landline Landline (party line?)(party line?)

LandlineLandline Landline/ Landline/ Cell phoneCell phone

Smart phoneSmart phone

MusicMusic Records/RadioRecords/Radio + 33 1/3 RPM+ 33 1/3 RPM + Audio + Audio cassettes/ CDscassettes/ CDs

+ digital music+ digital music

ComputerComputer Just starting – Just starting – punch cards, punch cards, binarybinary

Major research Major research institutionsinstitutions

Introduced in Introduced in high schoolhigh school

In the homeIn the home

CommunicatiCommunicationon

Letters/Letters/TelephoneTelephone

Letters/Letters/TelephoneTelephone

+ E-mail+ E-mail + Texting and + Texting and SNSN

AuthorityAuthority Respect Respect authorityauthority

Question Question authorityauthority

Challenge Challenge authorityauthority

Aspire to Aspire to bebe authorityauthority

OrganizationOrganizational Lifeal Life

Committed/ Committed/ Social contractSocial contract

Disillusioned/ Disillusioned/ DownsizedDownsized

Realistic/ Realistic/ Risk takersRisk takers

Take charge/ Take charge/ Group workGroup work

Current Events SourcesCurrent Events Sources

SilentSilent BoomerBoomer Gen XGen X MillennialMillennialss

TelevisionTelevision 82%82% 76%76% 61%61% 65%65%

InternetInternet 13%13% 30%30% 53%53% 59%59%

NewspapeNewspapersrs

50%50% 34%34% 24%24% 24%24%

RadioRadio 15%15% 20%20% 22%22% 18%18%

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Millennials… “A Vision of Students Millennials… “A Vision of Students Today”Today”

Source: “A vision of students today”. Michael Source: “A vision of students today”. Michael Wesch, Kansas State University. YouTube, Wesch, Kansas State University. YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o.

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Millennials' life experiencesMillennials' life experiences "Digital natives""Digital natives" Process information differentlyProcess information differently Learning Style: experiential, Learning Style: experiential,

interactive, authenticinteractive, authentic Multi-tasking, graphics, hyperlinked, Multi-tasking, graphics, hyperlinked,

networked, games, interactivity, networked, games, interactivity, fast-pacedfast-paced

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Learning Learning Preferences:Preferences: Multi-taskingMulti-tasking Graphics Graphics HyperlinkedHyperlinked NetworkedNetworked

GamesGames InteractivityInteractivity Fast-pacedFast-paced

So what did we do?So what did we do? Summer 2009 – created Summer 2009 – created

ResearchPath!ResearchPath!

ResearchPath

Used video, audio, and kinestheticUsed video, audio, and kinesthetic More concise contentMore concise content Interactivity throughoutInteractivity throughout Student narrationStudent narration Photos of actual WMU studentsPhotos of actual WMU students Up-to-date visual componentsUp-to-date visual components

Did we succeed?Did we succeed?

Conducted 4-part research studyConducted 4-part research study Student comfort and satisfaction surveyStudent comfort and satisfaction survey Student focus groupsStudent focus groups Student responses to tutorial quizzesStudent responses to tutorial quizzes Student learning outcomes for IL & Student learning outcomes for IL &

research skillsresearch skills

Study Methods and Study Methods and ProceduresProcedures

HSIRBHSIRB Advertise, Advertise, Advertise!Advertise, Advertise, Advertise! Incentives, Incentives, IncentivesIncentives, Incentives, Incentives Multiple session times Multiple session times  Proctored sessionsProctored sessions

ParticipantsParticipants

Student Satisfaction Survey  – Student Satisfaction Survey  – 13 participants13 participants

Focus Group  – 11 participantsFocus Group  – 11 participants Quiz Results – 23 participants Quiz Results – 23 participants Research Project – 6 participants Research Project – 6 participants

and countingand counting

Student Satisfaction Student Satisfaction SurveySurvey

11 questions – ResearchPath vs. 11 questions – ResearchPath vs. SearchpathSearchpath 4 multiple choice4 multiple choice 7 open ended7 open ended

Quantitative ResultsQuantitative Results

Preferred ResearchPath to Preferred ResearchPath to Searchpath:Searchpath: 85% more interesting 85% more interesting 78% easier to understand (retained 78% easier to understand (retained

more information)more information)

Open-Ended ResponsesOpen-Ended Responses

4 main areas of student comments: 4 main areas of student comments: self-pacing = good!self-pacing = good! audio vs. non-audioaudio vs. non-audio interactivity and engagementinteractivity and engagement up-to-date contentup-to-date content

Focus GroupsFocus Groups

9 9 MillennialMillennial participants participants 8 “Compare and contrast” questions8 “Compare and contrast” questions Student-driven discussionStudent-driven discussion

Focus Group Quotes:Focus Group Quotes:

A A bbuuffffeett ooff iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn!!

Tutorials à la carte!Tutorials à la carte!

Focus Group HighlightsFocus Group Highlights

What they want:What they want:

Conversational; informal; Conversational; informal; self pacingself pacing; ; get more if you want more;  audio; get more if you want more;  audio; simpler, straight to the point; simpler, straight to the point; hands-onhands-on; ; broken-up into “chunks”; neutral color broken-up into “chunks”; neutral color scheme; scheme; enthusiasmenthusiasm; options for visual ; options for visual or non-visual, audio or non-audio; larger or non-visual, audio or non-audio; larger screen; screen; different formats and different formats and presentationspresentations

Focus Group LowlightsFocus Group Lowlights

Things to avoid:Things to avoid:

Cheesy; Cheesy; distracting/loud color distracting/loud color schemesschemes; small screen; bad logos; ; small screen; bad logos; lack of control over contentlack of control over content; not ; not enough meaningful graphics and enough meaningful graphics and images; images; too much information all at too much information all at onceonce

Quiz AnalysisQuiz Analysis

Which tutorial was more successful?Which tutorial was more successful? Each tutorial measured different thingsEach tutorial measured different things No No directdirect comparison possible comparison possible

Identified areas of weakness in Identified areas of weakness in tutorialstutorials Consistent trouble with certain conceptsConsistent trouble with certain concepts Reevaluate presentation of those conceptsReevaluate presentation of those concepts

Learning Outcomes Learning Outcomes AnalysisAnalysis

Still in progress…Still in progress… Take tutorial & “hypothetical research Take tutorial & “hypothetical research

project”project” Compare results with control groupCompare results with control group

Preliminary results:Preliminary results: Students become IL equally from both Students become IL equally from both

tutorialstutorials Taking tutorials increases IL compared with Taking tutorials increases IL compared with

control groupcontrol group

What’s Next for What’s Next for ResearchPath? ResearchPath?

Technical difficultiesTechnical difficulties Go further! More interactivity, Go further! More interactivity,

customizationcustomization ADA compliant “text only” versionADA compliant “text only” version Continue study Continue study

More participants = more representative More participants = more representative samplesample

Phase 5: use identical quiz questions for Phase 5: use identical quiz questions for both tutorialsboth tutorials

FutureFuture Food for thought – what will the next Food for thought – what will the next

generation look like?generation look like?

? ?

Clip art obtained from www.clker.com

Your turn!Your turn!

What can you do to make your own What can you do to make your own online tutorials (or other materials) more online tutorials (or other materials) more Millennial-friendly?Millennial-friendly? Learn from othersLearn from others

Invest time and technical expertise to do Invest time and technical expertise to do it rightit right

Ask your students!Ask your students! Ask Ask manymany students students Listen to what they say – and what they Listen to what they say – and what they don’tdon’t

saysay

Your StoriesYour Stories

Created online resources for Created online resources for Millennials? Millennials?

Share your experiences!Share your experiences!

BibliographyBibliography Millennials' life experiences (Tracey Moon) Millennials' life experiences (Tracey Moon) Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials:

Understanding the new students. Educause Review, 2003(July/Aug), 36-47.

Reith, J. (2005). Understanding and appreciating the communication styles of the millennial generation. Vistas (2005).

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).the Horizon, 9(5).

Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6).9(6).

Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center. Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Millennials: A Portrait of Generation NextNext. http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-. http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdfconfident-connected-open-to-change.pdf

ResearchPath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/researchpathResearchPath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/researchpath Searchpath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpathSearchpath: http://www.wmich.edu/library/searchpath

Presentation is…Presentation is…

Available at:Available at:

http://homepages.wmich.edu/http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cjm8593/~cjm8593/

Questions?Questions?