The impact of information and communication technologies on university students: A tentative assessment

Abstract

Spanish

Practices of knowledge-acquisition, communication and interaction with others have changed substantially with the advent of new, growing, and widespread information and communication technologies. Especially among the younger generations, students' dispositions toward learning are shifting toward a need for greater visual and sound stimuli, faster speed in access to information and reward, shorter attention spans, engagement in multiple tasks while communicating, and greater individual agency in learning. These practices are increasingly prevalent among university students, raising challenges to conventional ways of teaching, particularly excessive reliance on lecturing. Based on the review of existing scholarly and popular literature, this article explores the main characteristics of a new generation of university students in the context of U.S. society, relates these traits and habits to knowledge-acquisition in university settings, and draws several implications for teaching.

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