Marie C. Pullan
Computer Programming and Information Systems
Farmingdale State College
CIT – May 2009

view video

I first saw it with my daughter. Trying to get her
study without the CD player on was impossible.
Trying to concentrate with the stereo on drove me
crazy, but didn’t seem to have any impact her.
Like many parents, when it comes to getting
consumer electronics information—a new cell
phone plan, for example—we ask the kids to figure
it out for us. I wonder in how many homes it’s the
kids that set up the VCRs, remote controls, and
DVD players?

 The Net Generation are also known as millennials. Born
between 1982 and 2003, they are the first generation to grow
up with the Internet. Information technology is woven
throughout their lives and they view technology as a
natural part of the environment.
 The ability to access their college records, register and pay
for classes online and participate in online classes is no more
remarkable to them than color television was for the prior
generation. One generation’s technology is taken for
granted by the next.
 Computers, the Internet, online resources and
instantaneous access are simply the way things are done.
This generation has never known life without the Internet.

I have found that even the least technologically
inclined millennial can tell me things about
graphics and images that I didn’t know. They
have a digital literacy that eludes previous
generations.
I studied about experiential learning. My students
have all expressed wanting—and needing—
hands-on experiences to learn. At first I thought it
was due to all those hours with LEGOs when
they were young. Now, I think it is something
more significant. What I assumed was
impatience is something they consider
immediacy—responses are supposed to be fast.

 Prior to entering college, most students have used a wide
variety of technologies in their everyday lives
 Audio book cassettes as young non-readers
 E-books and sophisticated hand-held games as adolescents
 Cell phones used to text so they can ―talk to‖ their friends
 FaceBook and Twitter to interact anytime, anywhere via the
Internet
 They are Digital Natives
 Yet, too often students’ use of technology in higher
education settings has been relegated to searching the
Internet, accessing an online course, or word-processing.
Nowhere is the lack of technical sophistication more evident
than in student support services.

 Millennial students live online
 Millennial students are connected. For them, the
world has always been a connected place.
Highly mobile, moving from work to classes to
recreational activities, millennials expect
connectivity.
 Millennial students expect immediacy. Whether
it is the immediacy with which a response is
expected or the speed at which they are used to
receiving information, millennials are fast.

 Having grown up in a world of instant
gratification made possible through the infusion of
technology into their lives, their view of a delayed
response results in the perception that their needs
or issues are not being given adequate value or
attention .
 College-age students are unlike past generations.
Millennial learners prefer doing to knowing, trial-
and-error to logic, and typing to handwriting.
Multitasking is a way of life for them, staying
connected is essential, and there is zero tolerance
for delays or lack of service

 The millennial generation will demand
technical sophistication along with 24 hour
access to services they want and need from any
institution they interact with – either a bank or
university.

 Increasing numbers of students require flexibility
due to their life styles and work habits, and will
shop for courses that accommodate their agendas.
 Students have grown accustomed to doing
business after midnight or shopping at two o’clock
in the morning. As a result, they have come to
demand 24-hour access to university services such
as health care, dining, technical support and
libraries.
 Even though many institutions have developed
and provided basic services online, there are still
significant opportunities for developing advanced,
interactive services over the Internet.

Despite rapid and significant growth in online education,
little attention is focused on the non-academic needs of
distance learners. With increasing numbers of students
enrolling in online courses combined with the
challenges associated with retention and successful
completion; student support services need to be re-
examined from a new perspective.

 The need to provide improved student support services has
never been greater. In recent years, the cost of higher
education has continued to increase. As tuition
increases, external pressures from
students, parents, legislators, and alumni to contain costs
mount. At the same time, millennial students expect
improved and comprehensive services.
 The availability of technological solutions for student
services has never been greater. The plethora of enterprise-
wide solutions, outsourcing opportunities, and on-campus
development tools provide a wide range of options for the
design and deployment of responsive student services.
 The Net Generation’s expectations for student services are
high and rising. The opportunities for us to respond to—and
even exceed—these expectations are equally boundless.

The City University of New York is the nation's
largest urban public university. The University
serves more than 243,000 degree-credit students
and 240,000 adult, continuing and professional
education students. The City University of New
York connects students, faculty and staff with a
detailed directory of departments including the
Help Desk, Human Resources, Registrar, Student
Life and e-Permit Campus Approvers among
others via a portal.


CUNY Portal E- CUNY Portal E- CUNY Portal Online Career College Central Web-Based FOCUS CUNY TIPPs
sims permit Cardinal Check Libraries VAULT Network Career &
Educational
Planning Program
Change The on-line permit This automated Download Post your job, FOCUS-2 is an CUNY TIPPS is a
Address/phone/emai process allows advising tool information on internship and online, university database
l /PIN students to make provides Industry Career career positions self-guided, that contains
Register arrangements to take information on Guides, Industry online at the Online interactive program information on
Transcript courses at other student's progress Employer Guides Jobs Board link. designed to help course equivalencies
Check CUNY colleges towards completing and other Career This is a service students select the within the City
grades/schedule without having to their degree Topic Guides. available free to our right college major University of New
Check tuition, directly (in person) requirements. students and to you and plan their career York system. This
financial aid/bill contact both the Get advice and our corporate and based on personal website also
home and host information and workplace partner. interests, values, provides
colleges for network with other skills, information on
approval. job seekers on the personality and university transfer
largest online career aspirations policies for students
community with with associate's
Vault's Electronic degree earned from
Watercooler - called the City University
a \"killer app\" by the of New York.
New York Times.
This website is
particularly helpful
for incoming
students who
previously attended
a CUNY college
taking courses on
ePermit in the near
future at another
CUNY college
while pursuing their
baccalaureate degree
at Queens College.

 SLN is a partnership in learning with SUNY/ SLN
Campuses.
 SLN works with SUNY campus faculty and staff to
provide online learning experiences at accredited New
York State Institutions.
 SLN supports campuses with educational training
specifically created for online teaching and learning.
SLN also provides helpdesk services for both students
and faculty who participate in the SUNY Learning
Network.
 This support gives SUNY/SLN online students the
opportunity to work in virtual classrooms that foster
intensive interaction, individual attention, high
standards, and enhanced learning outcomes.

 The State University of New York's 64 geographically
dispersed campuses bring educational opportunity within
commuting distance of virtually all New Yorkers and
comprise the nation's largest comprehensive system of
public higher education.
 The State University of New York's 64 campuses are divided
into four categories, based on educational mission, the kinds
of academic opportunities available, and degrees offered.
They are: Community Colleges, Technology Colleges,
Comprehensive Colleges, Research & University Centers.
 With a total enrollment of more than 427,000, students are
pursuing traditional study in classrooms and laboratories or
are working at home, at their own pace, through such
innovative institutions as the SUNY Learning Network and
Empire State College.

Financial Services Bookstore Specialized Connect with Contacts Learning Support
Services Fellow Students
Financial aid/student Purchase books/track Resume Student academic Online help desk/ Online library/writing
accounts orders/online book builder/disability conference/ all Online and local center/ tutoring
store services/online voter alumni/student events tutoring service/mathematics
registration forms services/student library
services professional
for filing academic
grievances or other
academic or non
academic issues.

SLN Helpdesk Training/Teaching Support Technology Support
Available 24 hours, 7 days a week via email, or by Online instructors participate in a wide variety Our campuses receive the best in technology
telephone during operating hours.
of educational and professional development - support - from the latest versions of online
from technology training to working in virtual learning systems to 24/7 to helpdesk support
online worlds. SLN is involved in online
educational activities around the world, and
we share that with our SUNY online faculty,
enriching their online experience - and yours.

 SUNY provides limited online support to SLN
students. While most SUNY campuses offer
basic services online, for the most part they are
limited to the administrative core including
services such as online admission, registration,
financial aid and library services. However,
further examination of individual SUNY
campuses reveal that many provide additional
online support services. The services vary
from campus to campus.

 SUNY at Morrisville -http://www.morrisville.edu
 Online advisement
 Online chat to address admission/financial aid issues
 Online information channel contains useful information about college events, class
cancellations, lab hours, college office hours, club information and financial aid
 SUNY at Alfred- http://www.alfredstate.edu/
 Online career services (career beam). Career Beam is a 24/7 virtual career center.
 Online parent newsletter
 Online news
 Online transfer credit eligibility
 SUNY Old Westbury - http://www.oldwestbury.edu
 Online tours
 Online maps
 Online campus events
 Online career services
 Online mental health
 Online mental health and alcohol counseling

 SUNY at Cobleskill - http://www.cobleskill.edu/
 Project muse - Project MUSE is a unique collaboration between
libraries and publishers providing 100% full-text online access to over
380 high quality humanities and social sciences journals from over 60
scholarly publishers.
 Cobynet- Cobleskill’s information network – One stop access to
SUNY Cobleskill news, weather, class cancellations, web mail with
facebook links
 Banner Web – provides access to many administrative functions for
students, faculty and staff including course registration, bill payment,
and access to grades.
 Online event map
 Online commuter student services
 Online list of approved programs and descriptions

SUNY at Oswego-http://www.oswego.edu/
• MyOswego-
Activate and Update NYAlert info
Activate and/or forward SUNY Oswego email account
Change PIN or Security Question
View Address and Phone number
Print Immunization Report
Update Local Address
Register – ADD/DROP classes
Check registration status –advisor
View Holds/Schedule/Grades
Apply to Graduate
Request books from College Store
View Status/Eligibility
View Award Information
View/Pay bill
View Tax Notification

• SUNY at Oswego-http://www.oswego.edu/
• Rave Guardian- Rave Guardian transforms a mobile phone into a
personal alarm beacon. In the event of an emergency, critical
information you elect to share will be provided to SUNY Oswego
SUNY Oswego University Police to help them more quickly
respond and help you. This service is provided to you free of
charge by SUNY Oswego
• Discover - DISCOVER is a web based career planning program
designed to assist all current students and alumni with many
aspects of career/job search decisions. DISCOVER allows users to
explore personal information through assessment (Inventories)
and use the results information to identify potential career fields
(Occupations) while exploring pathways for training and
education (Schools).

 The evolution of technology has enabled an increasing number of
effective methods of teaching and learning in education.
However, as Hruthka (2001) stated ―excellence in education
means much more than course delivery‖ Support services must
go hand in hand with teaching and learning
 The modern, traditional-age college students are very different
from past generations. They are interested in learning that can be
done at home and fitted around work, family, and social
obligations. They prefer doing to knowing, multitasking is a way
of life, staying connected is essential and they have little tolerance
for a delayed response.
 As instructional delivery methods change, the academy must also
change to meet the needs of learners. Additional research is
needed to help guide administrators in the development of online
student support services and can also provide insight into the
wants and needs of millennial students.