Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Employing Industrial Partnerships to Increase Preparation of Students through Undergraduate Research

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

August 2016

Abstract

Students today have been inundated with multimedia influence since before they started primary school. Accordingly, colleges and universities have made flashy images and videos to attract students to their programs. Much like the way that a website gets more visits by highlighting the singularly most interesting aspect of the page, some of this recruitment material demonstrates what is a highlight in a program rather than what is the mode. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is a great way to show students what they can do and what they can achieve if they apply themselves. However, students may become disenfranchised and/or frustrated when their experiences do not match that “highlight reel.” At the opposite end of the spectrum, if a student feels these experiences are too frequent, they can easily be lost to other “easier” programs, begin to skip classes, or perhaps worse, drop out of school altogether. Not all moments in a student’s collegiate experience can be picturesque. In fact, keeping the attention of millennials is a constant challenge that many faculty and programs face. Students who have been raised among constant stimulations tend to have higher demands for that attention. Furthermore, they have a greater ability to search for other options, and quickly.

https://works.bepress.com/isaac_slaven/10/

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