Now and Then: How Students and Professors
Have Changed in 20 Years

By Elin Maher and Barbara Trenholm

Shut your eyes and cast your mind back to your classroom 20 years ago. Is the student you see there different from the student who sits in front of you now? We certainly think so! The information age in which our current students have grown up has created a much different classroom audience than that of 20 years ago. In this article, we discuss some of the changes we have seen in our accounting students over the past two decades, and how we have adapted to these changes as educators.  

Time Constraints

One of the most noticeable changes that we have seen in our student body relates to the time students have available for study. The increasing cost of education has resulted in more students holding part-time jobs than in the past. Many students work 20 hours or more per week and this has a dramatic impact on the amount of time they have available to spend on course work.  

In recognition of the decreased time that students have to spend on course work, we have reduced the depth and breadth of our course coverage. In particular, we have reduced the volume of material assigned. This is to ensure that what is assigned is at least attempted and is well understood. We also recognize that a greater percentage of learning happens in, rather than outside, the classroom. Consequently, our classes are tightly structured to cover critical material.  

Have we changed our standards? Maybe. But we think it is more of a shift to focus on what is really important than a decline in standards.  

Literacy and Numeracy Skills

The broadening of the secondary school curriculum has led to a weakening in literacy and numeracy skills. We have found that students often lack basic mathematical skills and do not know how to effectively read and retain course material. In addition, the demographics of our classes are quite different from those of the past. Today’s student body is much more diverse, bringing with it different languages, cultures, and experiences.  

In recognition of these differences, we have been very careful to choose a textbook and supplements that are clearly written and easily understandable, with visual graphics to assist learners pictorially. As well, we have found that we have to be mindful of our diction and the speed at which we speak in order to ensure we are understood by the majority of our students. We also feel that it is important to be sensitive in terms of what we say, and how we say it, to respect the diverse cultures within today’s university community. Finally, we recognize that we can no longer assume that the students understand basic mathematical concepts and that we may have to do some remedial work before commencing with the course work.  

Multitasking and Learning Styles

Today’s students grow up with greater visual and mental stimulation in their everyday lives than did students of the past. They watch television, listen to music, talk, eat, use the computer, and do their course assignments — all at the same time! They prefer to operate in an environment that offers a multitude of channels and choices. These students, in our opinion, have shorter attention spans and higher expectations of a learning experience that engages as many of the senses as possible.  

We also feel that there is a greater recognition that student learning styles should be taken into consideration when developing and delivering courses. Data collected on preferred learning styles have found that the majority of students are kinesthetic learners — that is, they learn best by doing. Surveys have also found that the least preferred learning style for students is aural. This is rather disconcerting given that most faculty spend a significant part of their class time talking. No wonder we consistently question why students do not “hear” us well.  

In recognition of these changes, we spend much less time lecturing. We use more real-life examples and incorporate guest lecturers, case studies, practical work, and site visits into our classes. The in-class experience includes regular use of the Internet, videos, and presentation slides with animation and sound. We have shifted from faculty-centred lectures to a more cluster-centred classroom. We still “lecture” but we also break up our lectures with regular group activities.  

Technology

Today’s students have grown up with the microcomputer as an integral part of their daily lives. They are more comfortable working on a keyboard than on paper, and are happier reading a computer screen than a book. They are also used to being connected wherever they are — by computer, beeper, or cell phone. We have found students to have little or no tolerance for delays. Information-age students expect services to be available to them 24–7.  

In recognition of the technology expectations of our students, we have incorporated the use of computers and the Internet into our courses. In addition to the use of multimedia presentations, we use Web-based course platforms for course delivery, Web-based cases in our classes, and Web-based testing.  

Student–Professor Interaction

Today’s students are more willing to seek assistance — both personal and professional — from their professor than did students in past. In addition, students are much more vocal than in past, especially when they are not happy.  

In recognition of this change, we have had to become well informed about the services available on our campus for diverse needs and troubled students so that we can appropriately direct students when they come to us for advice and assistance. In addition, we have found that we have to make ourselves more available for our students. This doesn’t necessarily mean extended office hours, but real-time availability such as email and home phones.  

Shut your eyes and cast your mind back to your classroom 20 years ago. Is the professor you see there teaching differently from the one who stands in front of the classroom today? Probably — and that is a good thing. As our student body has evolved, so have we. What has changed is not what we say but how we say it.  

Elin Maher and Barbara Trenholm
University of New Brunswick
mahere@unb.ca and trenhomn@unb.ca