First Year Students: What they expect
It’s important that we not compare incoming college students to prior classes of students or expect that they will learn or act in the same ways. To truly support them, we have to consider what they’ve lived and learned through and how this impacts how they show up (or not) in the classroom. We need to acknowledge where they are academically and socially, and be aware of what they expect and don’t know to expect. One of the most important factors in their experiences was online learning: Students learned that they didn’t need to do work in real time, because they could find their materials online. And all of their teachers promoted “flexibility.”
Their expectations:
- Relevance
- They’ve had the internet their entire lives and are used to being able to find things out quickly (whether what they find is accurate is another question…).
- How can you articulate what your class offers that they can’t get elsewhere? What are ways to demonstrate your course’s relevance to the “real world?”
- Agency
- So much has been “done to” them, from the pandemic to climate change to radical political divisions. They need to feel some measure of control (even if they don’t always want the responsibility that goes with it).
- Where can you build agency and choice into your class?
- Money and employment worries
- They are worried about making money and paying off their student loans. They need to see the value of what they’re studying and how it will pay off in the long term.
- Can you articulate how the skills they’re developing in your class will help them on the job market? How can you help them find the language to express what they’ve learned?
- Diversity, equity and inclusivity
- They’re the most diverse generation in US history and they expect difference and identity to be respected and embraced. As one student puts it, they “understand that you can’t really tell anybody how to experience themselves.”
- How will you ensure your classes are equitable and that diverse perspectives are represented?
- Concerned about social justice issues
- They’re well-versed in and expect to address topics related to identity, social systems, politics, social justice, and location. They’re concerned about the world they’ve inherited and their own and others’ futures.
- How can you connect your course content to real-world issues and build in some community-care time?
- Instant gratification
- They’re used to having everything NOW and may feel anxious when they have to wait or frustrated when they don’t receive immediate responses.
- What practices and conversations might help them challenge that expectation? How will you communicate your availability and set expectations around response times?
- Customization/personalization
- They’ve grown up able to customize and personalize everything, with increased choice in materials and options, and expect this to continue in the classroom.
- What can you do to ensure your classroom supports all kinds of learners?
- Pings and alerts
- Every day, thousands of notifications and alerts remind them of every task (and distraction). They will need more reminders of deadlines than students in the past. A note in the syllabus may have been enough in years past, but students today will need more than that. Verbal reminders in class, due date reminders in Canvas, and email reminders all help.
- What are ways to help them understand what all of the alerts are doing to their brains?
- Everything available, all the time
- Students have experienced increased choice in materials and options. They’re used to having everything at their fingertips and this might.
- Where can you expand choice and options around course materials and assignments? If you put all your course materials on Canvas, can you make all modules open at once? How will you communicate your boundaries e.g., when they can expect you to read and reply to emails, so that students don’t expect you to be available 24/7?