Mindset of Gen Z and teaching strategies for both classroom and online classes. Many infographics, also comparing Millennials with Gen Z.

1. Engaging Generation Z in an
Educational Online Environment
Michael England, M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D.
Southwestern Adventist University

14. The internet is rewiring our brains, making us think
more superficially at the expense of deep reading and
analysis. With such heavy use of internet media
already, are children's brains more vulnerable to these
pressures, or will Generation Z deal more intuitively
with these demands?
People are becoming accustomed to a constant stream
of digital stimulation and feel bored in the absence of
it. “Regardless of whether the stimulation is from the
Internet, TV or a cellphone, the brain, is hijacked.”

15. Generation Z is impatient and requiring instant
gratification, an introverted and aloof generation,
with a lower attention span.
Such a high dependence on technology has led to
some psychologists suggesting that there is
evidence of ‘Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder.’
Dr. Edward Hallowell, Psychiatrist, former Harvard
Medical School faculty member and a specialist in
attention deficit disorder claims people have
“...become so busy attending to so many inputs
and outputs that you become increasingly
distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over
the long term, underachieving...You live at a much
more surface level.”

17. Adobe Educate asked 2,500+ Gen Z students aged 11-17, and
1,000+ Gen Z teachers to tell us how they feel about learning,
creativity and the future, and here is what they found...

27. Old school teachers tend
to not appreciate Gen Z’s
digital skills or how their
brains are wired.
Access to so much
data makes Gen Z’s go
for the quick answer
rather than longer
problem solving.
Gen Z’s often do not take
the time to determine the
reliability of information.
GEN Z Learner Mindset

28. GEN Z Learner Mindset
They must be taught to
discover, curate, and
manage information. This
will be essential in the
“idea economy” of the
knowledge era.
Gen Z’s become incredibly more
knowledgeable about their
passions than the generations
before them because they have
access to so much more
information, and they can network
with peers across the globe who
have the same interests.
Gen Z’s are driven by
graphics in learning. They
comprehend complex
graphics better than
previous generations.

29. GEN Z Learner Mindset
The like to have random
access to information, love to
explore using their own
routes, need graphics, want
it fun, and instant feedback.
The Gen Z world is
increasing collaborative,
and their school projects
need to reflect that.
Gen Z students need to be
challenged with project-based,
active learning to meet the
demands of the future.

30. GEN Z Learner – Summary
• Fast delivery of content, data, and graphics.
• Kinesthetic, experiential, problem-solving, hands-on activities.
• Speed, convenience, and finding short cuts to obtaining information.
• Integration of interactive multimedia.
• Multi-tasking.
• Instant feedback, clear goals, challenges, rewards, and positive reinforcement, as
found in video games.
• Delivery of learning in small “bites” or little chunks.
• Trial and error approach.
• Problem solving assignments and exercises instead of memorizing.
• Working in teams/small groups.
• Engagement in creativity and collaboration, whether it is spontaneous
Rothman Ph.D., D. A tsunami of learners called generation Z. Retrieved from
http://mdle.net/Journal/A_Tsunami_of_Learners_Called_Generation_Z.pdf

31. Community of Inquiry
Model
(CoI)
The Community of Inquiry theoretical
framework represents a process of
creating a deep and meaningful
(collaborative-constructivist) learning
experience through the development of
three interdependent elements – social,
cognitive and teaching presence.

32. Cognitive Presence
The extent to which learners are
able to construct and confirm
meaning through sustained
reflection and discourse

33. Teaching Presence
The design, facilitation, and
direction of cognitive and social
processes for the purpose of
realizing personally meaningful
and educationally worthwhile
learning outcomes

34. Social Presence
The ability of participants to
identify with the community
(e.g., course of study),
communicate purposefully in
a trusting environment, and
develop interpersonal
relationships by way of
projecting their individual
personalities.

35. Instructor Persona to Create Social Presence
One of the first steps to establishing social presence in online courses is finding
ways to establish personality – or persona. Students want to get a sense of who
their instructor is as a person.
• Add a detailed biography to the learning management system, including as
much personal but relevant information as they are comfortable sharing.
• Post a recent picture of themselves.
• Share their teaching philosophy.
• Share scholarship or creative works.
• Create welcome and orientation announcements.
• Provide personal feedback that reveals their personality and knowledge of
the students.

36. Course Design to Create Social Presence
• Intentionally design opportunities for teacher-to-student
interaction.
• Create assignments or projects that reflect teachers’ passion
for their subject matter.
• Clearly set expectations and how instructors see their role in
class discussions.
• Add humor when appropriate.

37. Online Communication to Create Social Presence
• Regularly communicate with the class in a consistent,
predictable, and public manner, whether in the discussion
forums, class e-mails, or announcements.
• Occasionally send individual e-mails or messages to students.
• Provide timely and detailed feedback.
• Have students post assignments in discussion forums rather
than in digital drop boxes.
• Self-disclose and share personal stories.
• Address students by name.

38. Instructors who teach online courses must support
learners by understanding that their own social presence
and social cues are important predictors of social presence
in the virtual classroom, and they must model those social
behaviors and create a classroom community and culture
that encourage students to reciprocate in similar ways.

39. The use of paralanguage in
discussion boards and blog posts,
and especially in online
workshops, may be an effective
linguistic strategy that improves
workshops while simultaneously
increasing social presence.
Paralanguage and Use of Emoticons

40. Teachers must model appropriate
interaction and encourage students to use
emoticons by supplying a glossary of
those varying notations. Demonstrating
the breadth of these symbols can help
students express their meaning in a
humanizing and articulate manner.
We must accept that our students are novice learners and don’t necessarily
know how to be socially present, and we must create opportunities for
them to learn how to manifest their presence in online courses.

41. SUMMARY – What We Can Do to Improve
Social Presence In Online Learning
1. Encourage learners to incorporate their feelings, experiences,
examples, and ideas in works completion.
2. Use video feedback.
3. Incorporate personal profiles and photos.
4. Provide messages that are respectful, positive, encouraging,
timely, and frequent.
5. Be responsive to students needs.
6. Ensure quality of the media.
7. Encourage learners to evaluate their positive and negative
feelings.

42. 9 Common Types of Assignments in Online Courses
1. Read or watch, then respond
2. Research papers
3. Exams
4. Discussion boards
5. Blogs
6. Journals
7. Wikis
8. Case-based assignments
9. Self-paced adaptive assignments
While these types of virtual assignments don't represent the total
list of possibilities, they are among the most common. Instructors
will choose which online coursework best fits the material and
learning objectives. Each online class may be slightly different.