The "Net Gen" Research

EDUCAUSE: Educating the Net Generation  (2005)

• Pre-Net Gen students (over 22) are most happy with online education as it stands.
• Net Gen (16-22 or experienced online users) are different from other students in their relationship to technology and education.
  
  Net Gen'ers:

do not think of hardware and software as technology -- "technology" is
      what's really super new

care more about the instructor's ability to use the
       technology well than the bells and whistles

scan text and are frustrated by long written anything

process images quickly

multitask at a superficial level when they learn
      ("hypertext mind" or "continuous partial attention")

need social interaction with instructor and other
       students to learn

handle multiple sensory inputs simultaneously, but not deeply