Dr. Mark David Milliron

Milliron called upon the audience to join the conversation on how to best inform a classroom, keeping in mind the multiple generations of learners that will step foot into a classroom or log in to a virtual one.

Milliron is the founder and CEO of Catalyze Learning International, a private consulting and service group, and serves as the board chair for the Institute for the Study of Knowledge. His speech, “A New Generation of Learning: Diverse Students, Emerging Technologies and a Sustainability Challenge,” was based on his explorations in education trends with K–12 school districts, community colleges, universities and corporate leaders worldwide.

Different Students, Different Needs
Milliron started his lecture by defining who the next generation of learners will be. “It’s really clear that education is no longer just about a neat linear pipeline,” Milliron said. Over the next 10 to 15 years, “people are going to be coming in and out of education at all ages and stages.”

Over this same period, Milliron said there will be a “buildout” of the education system that encourages people to come to education at a “stage of readiness.” “Our education infrastructure needs to be more welcoming so adult learners actually have a positive experience coming back to learning,” he said.

Connecting in the Classroom
“To develop a new generation of learning,” Milliron said, “we have to use all the tools and techniques at our disposal.”

Milliron shared the story of an instructor who used audio as a way to connect with her students. This instructor believed a positive editing experience was imperative to her students’ enjoyment of writing. So instead of writing comments on her students’ papers, the instructor read her notes into an audio recorder and delivered them to each student as MP3 files. The response was overwhelming, with students telling their instructor, “It felt like you were over my shoulder, helping me the whole time.”

Not all technology, however, receives as positive a reception from both student and educator. Milliron recently visited a classroom in London that used an interactive whiteboard instead of a textbook to allow students to go on a virtual tour of ancient Rome.

The interactive whiteboard engaged the students and made learning enjoyable. The problem, Milliron said, is that instructors might not be comfortable using this new technology. If instructors are not familiar with the technology available to them, they probably won’t use it, he said.

Milliron urged teachers to stay up to date with technology because it will allow them to connect with their students and provide the best education possible. Alternately, Milliron reinforced that adult learners need to understand technology for the best learning experience possible. 

Where Technology Meets Tradition
“We want education that will attract, serve, retain and engage our students,” Milliron said. A blended infrastructure—a combination of new technology and a great teacher—is the way that these students will learn over the next generation.

Walden, he said, is on the right track: “You combine face-to-face residencies with online experience. You’re doing the blending; you’re living in this world. You’re part of an online university.”

Read more about the “Perspectives of the World” series.

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