Center for Faculty Development and Innovation

Continuous Improvement Conference Morning Session:

Engaging Modern Learners

Sponsored by Faculty Development and Instructional Design and Learning Technologies

Dr. Christy Price

What factors influence student motivation and desire to learn? Obviously, there are some influences beyond the professor’s control, but research in educational psychology suggests one thing we can do to increase student engagement is to create learning environments that are in some ways linked to, and supportive of, the current student culture. During this participatory session, we will briefly review the literature regarding the culture of the Millennial student and apply the findings of the presenter’s research regarding modern learners (both Millennials age 18-24 and non-traditional learners age 25 and older). We will specifically discuss the characteristics of ideal learning environments for modern learners, their preferences regarding assessments, their perceptions regarding the characteristics of the ideal professor, and their ideal institutional practices. Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in activities that will require them to reflect on their own teaching methods and/or institutional practices. Open-ended questionnaires, check-lists, and video clips of faculty and students will be utilized in order to facilitate discussion regarding practical steps we can take to meet the needs of modern learners.

Learning Outcomes for Workshop Participants

Participants will:

1. recognize the characteristics of modern learners and consider how these characteristics impact teaching & learning.

2. identify the characteristics of ideal learning environments for modern learners.

3. analyze how well the learning environments they create at their own institutions meet the needs of modern learners.

4. describe modern learner preferences regarding assignments and assessments.

5. examine the assignments and assessments they utilize based on modern learner preferences.

6. discuss modern learners’ perceptions regarding the ideal professor.

7. assess how well they meet modern learners’ criteria for the ideal professor.

8. reflect on how they might transform their teaching methods as they apply the findings of the research on modern learners. 

About the presenter:

A professor in both the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Health Professions, and the founding Director of the Center for Academic Excellence at Dalton State College, Christy Price has been teaching at the collegiate level for 25 years. She is a nationally recognized authority on innovative teaching techniques to engage millennial learners and was chosen by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as the Outstanding U.S. Professor for 2012 in the Baccalaureate Colleges category. Dr. Price also won the 2010 Carnegie Foundation Outstanding Professor Award for the state of Georgia. She was honored by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition as an Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate for 2009. Dr. Price won the University System of Georgia Teaching Excellence Award in the Two & Four-Year College sector for 2008/2009 and the Excellence in Teaching Award at Dalton State in 2007. Dr. Price’s awards are, in part, a result of her use of innovative strategies in assisting students to achieve learning outcomes. Her dynamic and interactive style make Dr. Price a favorite as a professor and presenter. She regularly presents as a keynote speaker and has led faculty development workshops and retreats at over seventy institutions across the United States and abroad. As a recipient of an institutional foundation grant award, Dr. Price has studied teaching techniques that influence student motivation. Her most recent research focuses on engaging Millennial learners and preventing incivility in the classroom. She has served in various administrative roles leading campus-wide initiatives on the First Year Experience, Student Success, Retention & Completion, and Learning-Centered Course Redesign. Christy has completed post-doctoral work in educational psychology from Georgia State University. She holds a doctorate in community health from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and a bachelor’s degree in social services from Northern Illinois University.