Through the Lens of Generational Theory

In this chapter, we explore who inhabits higher education and what implications this has for personalised education, especially utilising electronically mediated environments. We do this by placing a sociocultural lens over the people who inhabit tertiary education using generational theory as a way to consider a broad-brush approach to what this means for digital times. We are interested to understand what assumptions have been made about learners in higher education and to explore whether the speed of change in technology has outstripped the profession’s chance to catch up. We have chosen to use Australia as our site to drill down to gain an understanding of this phenomenon. We are mindful that generational theory treats large population cohorts alike, and it is not our intention to essentialise those who inhabit higher education spaces. Rather, we do this by the way of example of what does occur and why it is in our interests to advance the personalisation agenda which intentionally shifts from the depersonalisation that inevitably occurs when cohorts are treated with sameness.