Maintaining a balance whilst building momentum: Designing for millennial learners and everyone else

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings of a research project investigating two CD based Transmodal learning environments delivered by the Faculty of Business at the University of Southern Queensland. It demonstrates that higher levels of student engagement are possible when utilizing multiple representations to cater for a range of millennial and transnational learning styles, whilst also maintaining a balanced environment for more traditional learners. This is initially facilitated by the integration of a range of multimodal learning and teaching strategies, supported by online engagement and further informed by an awareness of an individual’s modal preference. It is true that ‘one size does not fit all’, but that does not preclude us from designing learning environments and experiences that cater for a wide range of learners and particularly for those who learn in non-traditional ways.