How Do Millennials Like to Learn?
The Millennials are now the largest generation in the U.S. workforce (Pew Research Center), sales businesses must develop new tactics to educate their Millennial employees that differ from those used with Baby Boomers or even Gen Xers in the past. Companies must record their transitioning employees’ institutional knowledge and know about the study habits of millennials.
The number of millennials in the workforce is only going to rise in the coming years. KPMG’s Meet the Millennials research predicts that by 2020, millennials will make up 50% of the worldwide workforce. That’s a huge sum of money. In this article, we helped you discover how do millennials learn.
What is a Millennial Learner?
People born between 1982 and 2000 are known as the Millennial generation or Generation Y. This generation was raised around gadgets and video games because they were born into it. Instead of composing an email, they would rather communicate in 140 characters. They have a different way of thinking and learning than Baby Boomers did. That is why you need to rethink your training methods to keep your audience engaged, hooked, and coming back for more.
How do Millennials Like to Learn?
Learners in their 20s and 30s tend to have the following traits in common.
The fact that they grew up in the digital age has resulted in them having a variety of learning styles and ways of acting. They are increasingly perceiving learning as a necessary component of their own professional development within a company. According to a Deloitte survey of millennial employees, on-the-job learning and ongoing training offered by the employer are significant tools for the generation. Young people born after 1980 have a distinct perspective on how information should be given in order to suit their digital needs. Because of this, we have witnessed a shift in the learning environment from being primarily academic to being entirely experiential.
Millennials, in contrast to Generation X, are always on the lookout for sources of inspiration and motivation. It is obvious to them that they must continue to learn in order to progress in both their personal and professional life. As a result, learning and development teams must ensure that learning is responsive to the constantly changing demands of this population. Three main traits can be observed in millennials and their learning methods, according to our observations.
Online Learning
The first computer was created in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1990s—during millennial childhood—that computers became widely available to the general public. Most millennials had a cell phone or smartphone by the time they were teenagers, having grown up with computers. As a result, Millennials are the first generation to be self-identified as digital natives, at ease with and adept of utilizing technology to their advantage. This deeply affects how do millennials like to learn.
Advanced technology is critical to the Millennial mindset; regardless of their surroundings or goals, Millennials perform at their best when outfitted with some sort of digital equipment. That’s why the number of self-employed and telecommuting workers has risen so rapidly as the millennial generation enters the workforce, and why online learning has become so important to the educational system.
Millennials use computers substantially even in traditional education, whether it’s K-12 or higher education. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study indicated that technology, along with possibilities for collaboration and feedback, was one of the greatest priorities for Millennials in learning environments. Due to Millennials’ prior familiarity and interest in technology, making the switch to totally online classrooms is not difficult. This is why online learning is growing rapidly as Millennials become older.
Micro-Learning
When it comes to information, millennials are more interested in practical, real-world applications than abstract theories. Because of their shorter attention spans, millennial learners necessitate microlearning. They would rather learn something quickly with bite-sized content than sit through extended classes. That’s why microlearning is used to educate the millennials.
Millennials are more involved and connected than previous generations thanks to technological improvements. As a result, they’re no longer dependant on the information they used to be. Instead, research and other sources are appreciated since they help build a firm foundation of knowledge.
Customized Learning
It’s given that learners can no longer learn anything solely through text. Digitization has made it more likely for the millennial generation to personalize their educational experience. Learner-centric approaches perform best when it comes to learning since they let students concentrate completely on what and when they want to learn. Keep in mind while thinking on the topic of millennials and learning.
Watching YouTube videos on the train trip home from work demonstrates some efficient LinkedIn marketing and the crucial measures to bear in mind while utilizing LinkedIn to carry out ads for one’s small business on the network itself. Millennials, on the whole, spend a significant portion of their leisure time on digital media platforms. Organizations can use this to have a greater impact on learning. The e-learning modules, gamification, and learning nuggets that are being used by a range of enterprises are popular among millennials.
Gamification
Video games have a terrible reputation, yet it turns out that Millennial training may be successful by combining gaming into a learning plan. Most 18-34-year-olds play video games three times a week, and two-thirds believe that it is helpful in teaching them techniques, problem-solving, and the ability to work well in a group.
Gamification can improve learning results if it is incorporated into your plan.
The competitive nature of these game-like tactics motivates and engages students more effectively. Millennials, in particular, prefer immediate and instantaneous feedback, both of which can be provided through gamification. Don’t be intimidated by the word “gaming.” Incorporating gamification does not have to be difficult. Giving points, badges, and levels can be a game-like method. Other game-like techniques are quizzes and evaluations, displaying progress on leaderboards, and providing feedback or prizes.
Dynamic Learning
To what extent do millennials enjoy learning, this is one response. Millennials are eager to learn in a hands-on, practical setting. They are looking for examples from the real world to assist them to learn. Millennials are more likely to grasp an idea of examples of how the notion can be implemented in the real world are provided. Millennials are also more likely to want to put what they’ve learned into practice and see how well they do. Students in their 20s and 30s respond well to experiential learning that incorporates scenario-based instruction to help them practice skills.
Feedback
Millennials, with their love of technology and in particular social networks, are accustomed to getting input quickly (think: likes, retweets, etc.). Because they are so concerned with achieving their goals, they actively seek comments that will assist them in doing so.
The most effective way to keep learners motivated to improve their skills is to provide regular, timely feedback. Be sure to give both positive reinforcement and tips on how to improve while teaching the millennial generation and working with millennial learners.
Conclusion
Use these best practices to adapt the study habits of millennials and create an engaging eLearning course for millennials. Make the most of their “tech native” senses and keep their attention so that they can achieve their learning objectives and benefit from them in the actual world.. Take into account the different cultural and educational backgrounds of millennial learners as well. As a result, you should aim for a broad audience while building your eLearning course. Learn about the people you’ll be working with and what technology they prefer to use.
At DAN Institute, we make the process of choosing the right online course for millennials easier. DAN Institute directories display the best online courses for marketers, web designers and students. These include a wide range of applications used in daily life or at work! You can start to learn the latest digital skills with the help of professionals online from anywhere in the world.
The reality is that today’s learners are often on the bleeding edge of technology yet, in many cases, are ignorant of what they are learning in school. Is there any implication for eLearning creators here? This new generation of learners must be engaged, which means learning about them and tailoring our courses to their needs.
