Business Week just published an expose on Gen Y Learning Needs vs. Babyboom/Gen X faculty learning delivery.
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2010/bs20100121_624849.htm?campaign_id=bs_nws_Jan25&link_position=link8
There are always tensions between learners and teachers due to generational differences. These tensions may be exacerbated at the MBA level as the old salts seem to bring more value to the table when they have "been there, done that." But Gen Y, with the technical sophistication, may be starting the learning process further away from babyboom/Gen X faculty, expecting much more virtuality than is currently offered.
Opposed to the BW article, I would offer that then need of Gen Y students is to learn the style of the babyboom/Gen Xers who will be employing them. While some of those employers will embrace 100% virtual, most likely there will still be meetings--plenty of them--old fashioned memos and hard copy reports, and, yes, ties for the gentlemen. I understand we need to go to where the Gen Yers are to reach them,. but we also need to bring them back to where they need to be in terms of understanding the world of work as conducted by the old _arts.
What do you think?
Dr. P.
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Dr. P., I couldn't have agreed with you more. It may be because I am also not from the generation Y group. But it may also be that I believe not everything in life is virtual. And that I still see a need for the brick & mortar places in our lives, a hand shake, first impressions, and creating something tangible. Virtual world is here and now, and we must fully embrace it in order to stay competitive; just as long as we don't believe that there is no other world other a virtual one. As they say, everything in life involves balance. So let's try and not throw out the baby- in this case the "real world"- with the bathwater & go totally virtual . Because in the process we may lose all that is still worth keeping & learning from those brick & mortar pasts.
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