Stressed-out, Self-isolated, and Hyper-connected: Teaching Today’s Learners

Abstract

Today’s learners bear a stress load of which their predecessors may never have dreamed. College students in the United States have financial and economic pressure. They have the perception that academic success is the only path to career success. Additionally, today's college students have become adults in an age where electronic connection is expected. An initial study found that college students reported academics as a significant pressure and that connecting face-to-face with and belonging to a group of peers is essential. Educators need to find a different way to teach today’s learners that considers the students' academic success needs.