The Net Generation

Innovate - Teaching and Learning with the Net Generation

A decade ago, the first wave of the Net Generation began to enter college, forcing educational institutions to deal with a new population of learners with unique characteristics. With the Net Generation representing nearly 7% of the population today (Bartlett 2005) and with nearly 49.5 million students enrolled in schools in 2003 (Enrollment Management Report 2005), responding to the specific needs of this generation of learners is becoming increasingly important. The challenge of evolving pedagogy to meet the needs of Net-savvy students is daunting, but educators are assisted by the fact that this generation values education. These students learn in a different way than their predecessors did, but they do want to learn. In this article we will define the characteristics of Net Geners' learning styles and discuss how educators can make the most of these particular traits.