Communication Instruction in the Generation Z Classroom

Reviews / Votes

This prolific edited volume interrogates pedagogy from an intergenerational perspective. Through an overarching framework of intersectionality, the authors present timely, concrete, and applied strategies for negotiating a supportive and creative learning environment for Generation Z. Grounded in both theoretical and practical implications, the volume offers faculty an impressive selection of tactics that will not only enhance learning, but also bolster motivation, facilitate open communication, and bridge intergenerational differences between faculty and today's Generation Z student population. -- Eletra Gilchrist-Petty, The University of Alabama in Huntsville With increasing frequency, I hear university educators critiqued in their pedagogy for making assumptions that 1) what was true of instructional research with Gen X samples is true of Gen Z learners, and 2) what is true about instructional practices that work well in the face-to-face classroom translates into the online classroom. This collection fills the knowledge gaps that create those assumptions, exploring characteristics unique to Gen Z learners and their lives immersed in technology. This is a very informative read for all educators! -- Stephanie Kelly, North Carolina A&T State University This book is an important compilation of scholarship on teaching Gen Z students. It fills a gap in the literature by addressing skills and practices that are needed to successfully teach and engage the Gen Z generation through the lens of the field of Communication. Robinson masterfully pulls together relevant research from experts in the field on topics relevant to college teaching. Topics include need-supportive teaching, intergenerational listening expectations, outdoor adventure education, and using video games to teach Gen Z students, to name just a few. -- Julie Reinhart, University in Chicago Robinson and colleagues explore themes of engagement, connection, listening, online learning, relevance, playing, and informed adaptation in the higher education instructional space our highly racially diverse, highly educated, digital native Gen Z students inhabit. Based on research and their personal experience, chapter authors delve into the communication competencies needed by instructors and students alike in a world slouching tentatively and inequitably towards its post-COVID reality. -- Martin Reardon, East Carolina University