The Net Generation enters university: What are the implications for Technology Enhanced Learning?

The term Net generation suggests that the generation of young people born after 1983 are different from any preceding generation because they have been exposed to digital technology in their day-to-day existence, and that this is has a profound impact on their attitudes and approach to learning. Examining the use of the terms Net generation and Digital Natives this paper reports a survey of first year undergraduate students in the UK. This paper, based on research conducted in the spring of 2008 examines whether there is a distinct Net generation amongst first year UK university students and if there are significant differences attributable to age, gender or disciplinary differences. It concludes that whilst there are significant changes taking place amongst first year undergraduate students in the UK they are far more complex than the idea of a single new generation would suggest

Collaboration and the Net generation: The changing characteristics of first year university students

This paper reports on the first phase of research that investigates the Net generation entering university. The paper focuses on claims about the Net generation’s relationship to collaboration and cooperation and the ways that this relationship is associated with technological rather than social processes. Based on a survey of first year students in five universities across a range of subjects and disciplinary areas, the paper concludes that we should be cautious about the claims that have been made about Net generation learners. It suggests that broad brush approaches to generational changes obscure the subtle but important differences between students. It also suggests that claims that there has been a step change in attitudes takes attention away from the kinds of choices that might be necessary in relation to variations that are indeed taking place amongst new cohorts of students

Learning and living technologies: a longitudinal study of first-year students' expectations and experiences in the use of ICT

This paper presents results from a longitudinal study on first-year students' expectations and actual reported use of information and communication technologies (ICT) at university. The study was interested in firstly, knowing if students from the Net Generation (? 25 years) would appropriate more ICT time for both social life and leisure, and study purposes than older students, as this forms the basis for many Net Generation and Digital Natives claims about young people use of technology. Secondly, the impact of university type (place-based or distance-learning) on ICT use was explored. Data were analysed from two surveys that were part of the Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project: The Net Generation Encountering eLearning at University. The first survey which asked for expected ICT time was sent at the beginning of the academic year. The second survey was sent towards the end of the academic year and asked for the actual time spent on using ICTs. Students studying 14 different courses in five different universities (four place-based and one distance-learning) in England took part in the study. The results showed that students underestimated their total ICT time (combined time for social life and leisure, and study purposes) by at least 1 hour per day. The Net Generation students were found to spend more time per day using ICT for social life and leisure purposes than the non-Net Generation students (2.2 vs 1.7 hrs). In contrast, the non-Net Generation students spent more ICT time on study than the Net Generation students (2.3 vs 1.9 hrs. It appears that younger generation students used ICT for social life and leisure more frequently and older students were more likely to use it for study. University mode of study also influenced how students appropriated their ICT time. Place-based university students spent at least one hour more per day on ICT than distance-learning university students. The results found differences across the two age groups were more noticeable at the place-based university than at the distance-learning university

Introducing computer-marked tests in an online Financial Accounting course: patterns in academic performance and approaches to assessment design

In the last two decades online computer-marked assignments (CMAs) have been widely used in accounting education. Although there is a growing body of research on this form of online assessment, most of the previous studies relied on small samples of respondents or focused on student self-report using survey methods. This exploratory mixed-method study aims to combine a quantitative analysis of learners’ academic performance on an online Financial Accounting course with a more in-depth exploration of learner experiences using qualitative methods. The quantitative findings suggest that student previous educational qualifications, age and experience of studying a similar subject are strongly associated with CMA completion, which is also linked to scores on other pieces of assessed work. The qualitative results show that from the learners’ perspective, diversifying assessment methods, introducing low-stakes assessment activities and creating opportunities for situational interest are viewed as key aspects of online CMA design. The paper concludes with discussing the implications of the study for designing and delivering online courses in accounting, particularly in the light of the growing popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs)

Investigation of the legislation of control effectiveness of labor of scientific groups

Based on ideas of systems analysis, this paper considers problems that reduce the effectiveness of work in the scientific sphere, including inefficient group work and critical thinking, have been identified. It is intended to resolve the identified problems, and to suggest ways of increasing the effectiveness of scientific work. System analysis was used due to awareness of the need to choose the most effective alternative for a complex, weakly structured system of scientific work. The authors identified 22 key concepts that affect the effectiveness scientific work and related it to both to individual productivity, and to results of group work and critical thinking. The ranking of concepts on the impact on labor efficiency has been carried out and their interrelations have been determined. The rationale for the humanistic model of the effectiveness of scientific activity is discussed in the light of the needs of modern management and labor economics, which affect the effectiveness of the national economy. The novelty of this work consists of holistic examination of scientific activity in relation to group work and critical thinking

Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university?

This article reports key findings from the first phase of a research project investigating Net generation age students as they encounter e-learning at five universities in England. We take a critical view of the idea of a distinct generation which has been described using various terms including Net generation and Digital Natives and explore age related differences amongst first year university students. The article draws on evidence from a survey of first year undergraduates studying a range of pure and applied subjects. Overall we found a complex picture amongst first-year students with the sample population appearing to be a collection of minorities. These included a small minority that made little use of some technologies and larger minorities that made extensive use of new technologies. Often the use of new technology was in ways that did not fully correspond with the expectations that arise from the Net generation and Digital Natives theses. The article concludes that whilst there are strong age related variations amongst the sample it is far to simplistic to describe young first-year students born after 1983 as a single generation. The authors find that the generation is not homogenous in its use and appreciation of new technologies and that there are significant variations amongst students that lie within the Net generation age band

Internationalization at a Distance: A Study of the Online Management Curriculum

This article explores how part-time students in an online international management course perceived various features of the course-learning design and whether international perspectives were built into their learning experiences. The focus of the study was on cross-cultural differences across groups of learners in the United Kingdom, in other European countries, and in Russia and studying the course in different languages. Using a mixed-method approach, the study’s results challenge the distinction between “internationalization at home” and “internationalization away” perspectives on curricula, due to growing numbers of students studying online from their home countries. Study participants reported high degrees of engagement with international perspectives, but their experience can be best described as “internationalization at a distance,” where traditional campus-based acculturation effects were not observed. The article concludes with a discussion of opportunities for management educators to develop a “glocal” approach to online course curriculum design, intentionally blending global perspectives with locally relevant knowledge and managerial skills

Distance study with the Open University: Views from Russia

В данной статье рассматриваются результаты исследования мнения студентов МИМ ЛИНК об их опыте дистанционного обучения на программах Открытого Университета Великобритании в России. На основе интервью с 26-ю студентами, преподавателями и сотрудниками МИМ ЛИНК автор анализирует опыт внедрения ИКТ в дистанционное обучение. Основным выводам проекта является необходимость локализации и контекстуализации методического обеспечения программ ДО при их использовании в культурных условиях отличных от учебного заведения, где они были созданы

Researching the use of Wikis to facilitate group work

This paper reflects on the experience of introducing Wiki technology into a “Japanese for Beginners” module at one of the universities in the UK and the evaluation of learner experiences that followed. The findings of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis are reported in the light of their significance for e-learning research and practice