Play the Game: Education for Millennials and the Time Machine
1. Play the Game:
Education for Millennials
and the Time Machine
Academy of Management 2015
Teaching and Learning Conference
Dr. Jessica Di Bella
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and
Startup Management
2. 2
Part I: Theory (15 min)
§ Millennials:
A closer look at Generation Y
§ Learning Theory:
New knowledge from neuroscience
§ Educational Trends:
Innovations and potentials for business schools
Part II: Activity (30 min)
§ Education for Millennials:
Brainstorming and ideation in teams
Part III: Presentations & Wrap-up (15 min)
Play the Game – An Interactive Working Session
SCHEDULE
3. 3
recruitinggenerationy.com
§ People born between 1981 and 2000
§ Also referred to as:
- Internet/ Digital Generation
- MTV Generation
- Nintendo Generation
- Echo Boomers
- Nexters
Millennials = Generation Y
INTRO
6. AGENDA
Play the Game
① MILLENIALS:
A Closer Look
② LEARNING:
New Knowledge
③ EDUCATION:
Potentials
④ ACTIVITY:
Ideation
7. 7
Generation
X
*1966-1979
Generation
Z
*2001-today
Generation
Y
*1980-2000
Baby
Boomers
*1946-1965
§ Intellectual
renaissance,
judgmental,
narcissistic
§ Summer of
love,
civil rights
§ Stable families
§ Cautious,
alienated,
searching for
self,
revolutionary
§ Recession,
AIDS,
divorce
§ Family as
conflict source
§ Well-educated,
disciplined, friendly,
competitive, open-
minded, creative,
curious, fun-loving
§ Digital age, terrorism,
natural disasters,
globalization
§ Strong family &
community bonds
§ Connected,
pluralistic, info
seeking, tech-
dependent,
multi-tasking
§ Big data,
ADHD
§ Interlinked
communities
Cone 2006, PEW Research Center 2010
From Baby Boomers to XYZ
MILLENNIALS
8. 8
Biemann 2013, Twenge et al. 2010
§ Generational effects: work-life balance (and
extrinsic motivation)
§ Other factors: general trends (e.g. wealth), age
effects
Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Y
Importance of intrinsic rewards 3.85 3.83 3.76
Altruistic motives 3.30 3.27 3.23
Importance of extrinsic rewards 2.63 2.90 2.81
Orientation towards leisure time 2.36 2.60 2.76
Longitudinal data: n = 16.507 in the US (1976, 1996, 2006)
Is it really a generational effect?
MILLENNIALS
9. AGENDA
Play the Game
① MILLENIALS:
A Closer Look
② LEARNING:
New Knowledge
③ EDUCATION:
Potentials
④ ACTIVITY:
Ideation
10. 10
Caine & Caine 2012
Learning is
physiological
and driven by
experiences
The brain is
social and
prefers
interaction
The brain
processes parts
and wholes
simultaneously
Learning
involves
attention and
perception
Learning
involves
conscious and
unconscious
processes
Learners are
searching for
meanings
Learning is
critical to
patterning
Learning is
individual and
developmental
Body, Mind and Brain
= One Unit
Learning Principles from Neuroscience
LEARNING
11. AGENDA
Play the Game
① MILLENIALS:
A Closer Look
② LEARNING:
New Knowledge
③ EDUCATION:
Potentials
④ ACTIVITY:
Ideation
12. 12
Structured, systematic, reflective,
meaningful, applicable, fun
§ Practical programs
§ Edutainment and gamification
§ Location-independent learning
environments
Experiential, interactive,
emotional, reflective, individual
§ Blended learning & team work
§ Educational “buffet”
§ Micro and macro feedback
§ Teach-the-teacher
Implications for Educational Approaches
EDUCATION
13. 13
Complexity & Resources
Educators
Learners
Self-knowledge & Competences
Lectures
Presentation of
knowledge
Story-telling
Talks
Presentation
and discussion
of practical
experiences
Case
Studies
Application of
theoretical
knowledge in
practical cases
Simulations
Interactive
development of
single tasks or
sub-projects
Real
Projects
Elaboration of
real-life projects
in teams and
implementation
on the market
Formats in Management Education
EDUCATION
14. AGENDA
Play the Game
① MILLENIALS:
A Closer Look
② LEARNING:
New Knowledge
③ EDUCATION:
Potentials
④ ACTIVITY:
Ideation
15. 15
Given the particularities and specific needs of Generation Y,
how could an
appropriate educational approach
of business schools
look like in the future?
Task for Group Work
ACTIVITY
18. 18
Mock-up of a business school
incl.
§ Brand
§ Programs
§ Audience
§ Staff & roles
§ Didactics
§ Time & space (e.g. campus)
§ Media
§ Processes of knowledge transfer
§ …
Outcome
ACTIVITY
20. 20
§ A school of liberal arts
§ Teaching of classics (theology, philosophy, logics)
§ Diverse language courses
§ Exercises in debating and negotiations
§ Teaching of strategy with military roots
§ Studies take several years (no short-term studies)
§ Monthly oral exams
§ Extensive feedback/evaluations, monthly letters from masters
§ 3rd & 4th year of studies: apprenticeship (local and international), along
the trade routes but with localization tendencies
Example: “The First Business School”
OUTRO
21. 21
§ “Rembrandt model”: learning through imitation (e.g. through
accompanying a more experienced mentor like managers or
entrepreneurs), personal connection to role models
§ Socratic methods
§ Philosophical debates in small groups, thereby training of personal
reflection and social responsibility
§ Learning through story-telling
§ Cultural learning, trips abroad, exchange programs
§ Profit-oriented but ethical
§ Small-group learning based on interests
Additional Ideas
OUTRO
22. 22
Dr. Jessica Di Bella
Assistant Professor of
Entrepreneurship and Startup
Management
jessica.dibella@ggs.de
www.ggs.de
Literature:
Biemann, T. & Weckmüller, H. (2013). Generation Y: Viel
Lärm um fast Nichts. PERSONALquarterly, 1/2013, 46-49.
Boston Consulting Group (2012). The Millennial Consumer:
Debunking Stereotypes. In: BCG Perspectives, April 16,
2002. Online: https://www.bcg.com/documents/
file103894.pdf.
Caine, R., Caine, G., McClintic, C and Klimek, K. (2008)
(2nd. Ed.). The 12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action.
Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Cone (2006). The Cone 2006 Millennial Cause Study.
Online: http://www.conecomm.com/2006- millennial-cause-
study.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning. Englewood Cliffs:
Prentice-Hall.
Lester, S. W./Standifer, R. L./Schultz, N. J./Windsor, J. M.
(2012): Actual Versus Perceived Generational Differences
at Work: An Empirical Examination. In: Journal of
Leadership & Organizational Studies 19 (3), 341–354.
PEW Research Center (2010). Millennials: A Portrait of
Generation Next. Online: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/
files/2010/10/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-
change.pdf.
Thank you for your attention.
CONTACT