A Tale of the Mature Cynic and the Fledging Eclectic

Chapter Abstract: EDIN ‘Emerging Issues 2’ by David Jennings & Diane Cashman

This chapter will look at how current Faculty are dealing with the needs of the Net Generation in the realm of Higher Education (HE) and online learning. It will review the impact of societal changes that have taken place in educational technology and discuss a model of generational distinctions in the methodological practices of teaching and learning.

Data from a study of Faculty interaction with ICT and online learning will be presented and analysed in the light of current socio-historical concepts and institutional implementations of educational technology. The primary interest will be the roll played by educational developers and technologists in under writing new methodologies and implementations

The ethos of the paper implies that recently appointed academics are primarily of the Generation X (born 1965 – 1980), these individuals have experienced a surge in technological developments but also a great degree of economic upheaval potentially leaving them with a particularly sceptical outlook upon life in general. Hence the ‘Cynic’ in the title of the paper. In Greek Philosophy these individuals were renowned for flouting social conventions and their confrontational style of engagement. Is there an analogy with current practices in HE?

As time progresses the student population, an ever fluctuating cohort, will be led by members of the Net Gen (born 1981 - 1994) and their successors. It is these who are referred to as the ‘Eclectics’, choosing a means that best suits them from current paradigms and creating their own philosophy to suit. This mirrors the current myriad of social technologies in use on the Internet and how learners are able to multi-task and process multiple streams of information at the same time.

The question arises how can the Cynics broker a means of engagement in a format palatable to the Eclectics? Can the previous generation of academics (the ‘baby boomers’ 1946 - 1964) have any chance at all? Can Faculty adopt and adapt to the new demands of learners, in a timely and pedagogically suitable way? What is the role of educational developers/technologists? How might we begin to develop our curriculum to cater for future learners?