Faculty Focus Volume 19 Number 1 March 2020
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Faculty Focus Volume 19 Number 1 March 2020 Based on a comparison of the pretest results Contains Is Generation Z All that Different? Steven Berman from each year, statistically significant reduc- articles by: tions in scores in recent years were found in • Steven Berman Dr. Steven L. Berman Self Esteem and Purpose in Life. On a more • DeLaine Priest is a member of the positive note, there was also a significant drop Psychology Depart- • Martha García and in Identity Distress scores in recent years (see ment, teaching on the Julia Listengarten Sanford/Lake Mary figure 1). This would indicate that although • STEM Women Faculty Campus. He teaches recent students are reporting feeling less pur- Mentoring & Network- both undergraduate pose in life then previous cohorts, they are ing Community courses and those in less distressed about this lack of direction. In • Martha Brenckle, the Clinical Psychology Master’s pro- particular, identity domains that showed sig- Annabelle Conroy, gram. His research interests focus on nificant reductions in distress in recent times identity development among adolescents Patricia Farless, and and young adults. included issues related to religious beliefs, Amanda Snyder values, friendships, group memberships, and • Shahram Ghiasinejad favorite conversation of educators is on sexuality. Typically, identity distress tends to • Adbul-Akeem Sadiq A the ways in which students have changed be positively correlated with identity explora- • Gail Humiston over their years of teaching, but these declara- tion and negatively with identity commitment. • Gregg Buckingham tions typically rely on anecdotal and unscien- In other words, when one is focused on, and • Sue Bauer and Aimee tific personal observations complete with all trying to answer, questions such as Who am I, deNoyelles the biases that are inherent in this sort of meth- Where am I going, and What do I want out of • Anne Prucha and odology. When I hear a fellow professor say- life (identity exploration), anxiety and distress Kacie Tartt ing, “Kids nowadays,” my eyes roll in skepti- tend to increase; however, when one finally • Aimee deNoyelles cism, as I’m rarely convinced that they have decides and feels like the issues have been and Charlotte Jones- really changed much at all. However, I recent- resolved (identity commitment), anxiety and Roberts ly realized that I had in my own possession the distress tend to dissipate. However, among • Courtney Lopas and tools by which I could actually test out some this sample of students, despite decreases in Michelle Kelley of these ideas. I have been collecting data on distress, there were increases in exploration, • Chrysalis Wright the psychological characteristics of students especially in the area of sex roles. There were • Jeanine Viau from 2010 through 2019 (with the exception also significant decreases in identity commit- • Sharon Woodill of 2014 when I changed up the curriculum and ment, especially in the areas of values and • Katelyn Cooper did not collect data), which covers the tran- friendships. In summary, it appears that these sition from Millennials to Generation Z. The Generation Z students, as compared to Millen- data is from a personal growth psychology nials, are exploring their identity more (their Listserv course, which I teach every spring semester. roles, goals, and values), while simultaneously Sign up to receive In this course, students complete various exer- feeling less identity commitment and purpose our monthly e-mail cises over the length of the course to work on in life. Surprisingly though, they are feelings newsletter. Please visit the Faculty their identity issues. It is part of my program less distress over not yet knowing where they Center website for of research, so I have been pre and post testing are going and what they believe in. As previ- instructions. them on a number of psychological variables ously stated, this finding is contrary to a con- in order to assess if and how participation in sistent finding in the literature that as identity the course is creating change in the individu- exploration goes up, so too does identity dis- als. The class enrollment averages around 100 tress, whereas when identity commitment goes students per year, with gender distribution up, identity distress goes down. More simply usually around 85% female. It is a 3000-level stated, not knowing where you are going in life course, so it is typically comprised of around naturally causes a degree of worry and anxiety, 95% juniors and seniors. whereas having a strong sense of who you are and where you are going tends to give people Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning www.fctl.ucf.edufctl.ucf.edu Vol. 19, No. 1 2020 a sense of comfort—or at least that has been a consistent find- bers of people using it have increased as well. Growing up sur- ing in the literature. However, in the case of this study, my rounded by this new and evolving technology, Generation Z, students have not been anxious and distressed over not know- commonly referred to as Gen Z, is quickly becoming the most ing where they are going in life; they seem to be enjoying the technologically-savvy generation. The ways that students en- journey without being overly concerned about the destination. gage and learn are changing. Innovative new approaches to teaching must be made to accommodate this new generation. Whether I can generalize from my classes over the last ten years to what has been going on with Gen Z kids overall re- Because Gen Z has been shaped by technology, it plays an im- mains unanswered, but these students appear more open than portant role in how they interact with the world around them. their predecessors to new experiences and ideas. In today’s It is important for higher education to adapt to the changing political climate, it gives me some comfort to know that the needs of students. It is pertinent that higher education keeps kids of today may value taking many different courses and pace with the evolution of technology. finding themselves. Perhaps a liberal arts education still holds some value in the coming generation! On the other hand, the With billions of Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook users drop in self-esteem suggests possible increased vulnerability daily, social media is becoming the primary means of commu- that warrants further study. Taken together, this data gives me nication across multiple generations. Because of the expedi- hope, even if it generates more questions than it answers. ency of communication through social media, Gen Z students expect immediate results. This makes it even more important that information is readily available and that there are open lines of communication between students, faculty, and staff. Another way to engage with Gen Z is by blending the use of technology with face-to-face lecture. This creates different levels of interaction with academic learning. With the rising popularity of YouTube, integration of videos is another ap- proach to engage students through technology in the class- room. Many professors also utilize podcasts to supplement lectures. By incorporating technology into the classroom in nontradi- tional ways, higher education can evolve with the students it serves and engage with them in ways that keep them inter- ested and invested in the classroom. As independent learners, utilizing technology for Gen Z students can provide easier ac- Figure 1. Average identity distress ratings by class year. cess to resources and communication and can keep students engaged in the learning process. Technology is not something to be afraid of, but rather should be harnessed to improve the classroom and campus experience for university students. Technology in the Classroom: Engaging with Generation Z Students in New Ways References DeLaine Priest https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-Generations-X-YZ-/241185 https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2017/08/21/5-things-gen-z-craves- DeLaine Priest is Associate Vice from-higher-education President for Student Success at UCF. With over 25 years of experience in https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2017/09/28/7-ways-gen-z-differs-from- higher education and five years of ex- millennials perience in business and industry, she https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2019/02/06/9-fast-facts-about-your- currently provides leadership and ad- gen-z-students ministration to 12 units that focus on https://www.chronicle.com/article/Self-Directed-Learning-and/244968 student transition, advising on career https://www.chronicle.com/article/Tell-Me-a-Smart-Story-On/246083 services, learning support services, the first year experience, orientation, and student success. n recent years, the usage of technology has become more Iand more widespread. With the rise of technology, the num- FACULTY FOCUS 2 Vol. 19, No. 1 2020 Sharing Proficiencies: From Early Modern Symbolism to Contemporary Image-Making Martha García and Julia Listengarten Dr. Martha García is Professor, Co- Dr. Julia Listengarten is Professor, ordinator/Director of the Bachelor of Graduate Program Director, and Ar- Arts in Spanish Program & the Minor tistic Director of the Department of in Spanish. Her research concentrates Theatre. She has worked in New York on the aesthetic aspects of the litera- City as a theatre director and drama- ture and culture of Medieval Spain as turg. Her research interests include well as early Modern and Enlighten- avant-garde performance and theory, ment periods. She has presented her contemporary scenographic practice, research at regional, national, and international confer- and nationalism in theatre. She is the author of academic ences and is the author of academic books, chapters, re- books and articles, translator, and co-editor of scholarly views, interviews, and encyclopedia entries. She is ac- publications. She has directed multiple productions, and tive in NEH programs, and she has been the recipient of she is a recipient of many awards including the recent teaching and research awards and recognitions.