Educational strategies

Change your teaching style. Make blogs, iPods, and video games part of your pedagogy. . . . A new generation of students has arrived-and sorry, but they might not want to hear your lecture for an hour.1

Do you know who Digital Natives are? Are you a Digital Immigrant? Probably so. Do you know what the Digital Divide is? The Internet has changed the focus and learning styles of a generation we call Millennials or Generation Y. Classroom education has changed as the needs, interests, and learning styles adjust to the Digital Natives.2 Recognizing differences in learning styles is usually the first step in designing effective educational programs, whether for students, professionals, the public, or patients. But how often have we considered generational learning styles as we develop our patient and family education?

Digital Natives is a term applied to students who have spent their lives learning with computers, listening to music on iPods, playing video games, and networking or socializing on cell phones or with instant messaging.2 Some refer to this generation as Millennials or Generation Y. Born after 1982, they have grown up with computers and their knowledge of digital equipment seems almost innate. Their education has included access to instant information via the Internet resulting in very different learning styles and interests. This difference in education will soon cause many of us to make adjustments in our teaching styles because Digital Natives are not limited to students. Hospitalized patients, transplant recipients, clinic patients, and our younger healthcare providers: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers can be Digitial Natives.

Those of us born before 1982 are considered Digital Immigrants because we have become fascinated by and adopted aspects of the new technology.2 Some of us have transitioned to the digital era for professional survival. Most of the literature about Generation Y learning styles is directed at students in classrooms.3-5 However, an understanding of these changes in learning styles needs to be applied to hospital and clinic settings for patient education to be effective. We may find that our current educational tools may limit how our younger patients access information to learn.

Generational Learning Styles

The several generations from the 20th Century have varied learning styles.6 Those born before 1944 are referred to as the Silent Generation. This group learns from books and respectful listening in a classroom setting. Baby boomers are those born between 1945 and 1960 and continue to learn through books, although television and movies have influenced their learning styles. Generation X refers to individuals born between 1961 and 1981. Their learning style began to include more demonstrations and interactive learning. Books were still part of learning with this group but styles were beginning to change. Now, Digital Natives, or Generation Y, challenge us to relook at our styles of teaching, for their styles of learning are quite different. If we continue to provide slide presentations and books to supplement and complement the presentations, we may be missing our target goals.

When educating patients, the public, or professional colleagues we should continue to evaluate learning styles but we should also be prepared to design and vary our educational programs with consideration to the generation. Setting up a video for patients to watch has never seemed an effective or personal way of providing education. And Millennials would be "like, totally bored." Give them an interactive video game on transplantation and you will find an enthusiastic response. Make the interactive video game available on the handheld computer and you may have a patient who understands the risks and benefits of transplantation, the role of immunosuppression, and the need to call you when a fever sets in.

The Digital Generation

It has been noted that children today take technology for granted. By the age of 7, most children have used a cell phone, mastered TV-on-demand and played computer games.3 By 13, they are surfing the Internet for educational purposes as well as not such educational endeavors. The library is becoming a meeting place rather than an educational resource. The fast paced learning style of Generation Y has caused some analysts to express concern over attention deficits in this population. However, those who have studied this group find them to be smart but impatient with an expectation of immediate results.1 Many come to a transplant center for their initial visit with a plethora of information they have downloaded from the Internet. This generation has mastered the art of multitasking through life with an arsenal of electronic devices.1 Our challenge is to provide them with accurate information in a format that will grab their attention.

Bridging the Digital Divide

The Digital Divide is a term that refers to disparities in access to information technology.4 Economics certainly are a consideration in access to tools for continuing patient education. Some socioeconomic groups do not have computers or digital tools. For this group, the written word, slides, and reinforcement of education with each clinic visit or phone call will continue to be the best method for providing education. The term Digital Divide also may be applied to the gap between learning styles of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants as well as being applied to our adult transplant clinic waiting areas and the pédiatrie or adolescent transplant programs. The Digital Divide may be found in the way Digital Immigrants educate Digital Natives. The term is actually quite versatile.

It could be that our waiting rooms in hospitals and clinics may become media labs in the very near future to meet educational needs of the digitally savvy. The September 2006 issue of Progress in Transplantation will focus on transitioning adolescents to the adult transplant team. In surveying several authors and colleagues about how their educational approaches are changing with the digital generation appearing in transplant settings, one coordinator noted their adult waiting rooms needed updating to support the needs of this group. It seems our pediatric colleagues have already assessed the learning needs of Generation Y and have placed computerized programs and tools in their waiting areas. As the adolescents transition into the adult transplant programs, they are bored when finding no computers or digital education in the waiting areas. Other colleagues reported using more variations in their educational programs. Print materials are transformed into CD-ROM while educational information is now Web-based for easy access and reinforcement.

The limiting factors for most hospitals seem to be cost and time involved in developing or transforming waiting rooms and educational materials. Transplant coordinators are committed to patient education of transplant candidates, recipients, and their families. With most of us being Digital Immigrants we must ensure that we are competent in developing educational resources for our Digital Natives and digitally savvy patient population. Working with your IT department may prove to be an effective approach to increasing the availability of Web-based information that can be downloaded to digital tools. The ability to develop patient education programs is a gift that most transplant coordinators possess innately. Although we are labeled as mere Digital Immigrants, I know we can master the digital world; it is just not innate for us.