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How millennial culture is driving change in higher education

Though MOOCs and web-based learning tools are on the rise, many students still do need something tangible to be successful

online-education-millennials [1]As a recent college graduate and Millennial, I’ve been a first-hand witness to the changes that are occurring in higher education.

Sparked by the generation’s need for constant collaboration – and convenience – the changes occurring today are unprecedented, but perhaps not all that surprising.

The publishers, universities, faculty, and administration that have made up the last half-century of education are trying to adapt to this new generation of snapchatting, instagramming, show-me-this-instant students.

When asked to define today’s college student, I believe they can be described by three cultural and personality traits as follows:

1. Instantaneous Gratification

Today’s students have a mentality that if it doesn’t exist on Google, it doesn’t exist in life. Millennials are in search of learning tools beyond their books. They’re looking for more interaction and greater engagement than traditional textbooks have provided in the past.

(Next page: Why students want to feel relevant and connected)

2. A Desire to Feel Connected 

The emergence and prevalence of social media has created a desire for today’s students to always feel connected to one another. Students have an average of seven devices. They are constantly connected through their smartphones, tablets, and iPads.

Students want to feel a connection with others around them that are having similar experiences. In my opinion, online video is going to be even more popular as students look for ways to stay connected without actually being in the same room.

3.  Relevancy

Students today expect that you know everything and anything about them. And there’s a certain unwritten code that comes from giving up their privacy. They expect you to serve up a highly relevant experienced. This demand has created a shift toward “personalized learning,” a notion that students can learn at their own pace and in a style that works best for them.

With this new mentality, there’s a clear need for change in higher education. The college dropout rate remains steady at 48 percent, and without a change in the way classes have traditionally been taught and the way things have always been done, it will only continue. And the web is going to play a big role in this change.

As shown in Mary Meeker’s annual report [2] on internet trends, the web offers many options for students to learn on their own terms – and at a low cost.

A key example of this movement that’s already taking place is the evolution of online education over the last few years. Not only has this trend removes the walls (both literally and figuratively) for students to gain access to education – it’s also providing students a more affordable means of learning.

At Flashnotes.com [3], I have also built my business model to cater to Millennials’ changing needs by creating a web-based, peer-learning platform that enables college students to share study materials in order to succeed. At Flashnotes.com, we provide a platform where students can sell and buy affordable, course-specific study materials — study guides, notes, flashcards, video tutorials, and live video help.

As an entrepreneur in the higher ed tech space myself, I think it will ultimately be a hybrid approach between online and offline learning that emerges. Though MOOCs and web-based learning tools are on the rise, many students still do need something tangible to be successful, even though they’ve grown up in this fast-paced world of technology.

Mike Matousek is the founder and CEO Flashnotes.com [3], the student-to-student study materials marketplace. He founded the company while a senior at Kent State University in 2010 and later graduated with a degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship.