Chapter One: Who Are Today’s College Students?: The Changing Demographics of Higher Education:
   Implications for the College
Classroom, Retention, and Degree Completion
The Swell of College Enrollments
Age and Ethnic/Racial Diversity
The Changing U.S. Demographic Picture: A Host of Challenges
Socioeconomic Status: Family Income
Regional and State Differences
The Questions, Challenges, and Tasks Facing Higher Education
Young Black Men from Lower-Income Families
The Rise in Part-Time Enrollment and Employment among Full-
   and Part-Time Students
Lack of Preparedness among Many of Today’s College Students
   Changes in Students’ Attitudes
Achieving and Maintaining Academic Excellence
Retention and Degree Completion—the Affective Dimension
Retention and Degree Completion—the Cognitive Dimension
Retention and Degree Completion—the Role of the Institution
Chapter Two: Comparing Generations of Students: Classifying Generations
An Important Caveat about Generalizing
What the Various Generations Have in Common
Generational Comparisons
The Challenges of Teaching Mixed Generations in Our Classes
The Older Generation
The Baby Boomers and the Gaps between Students and Teachers
The Gen Xers
The Millennials/Echo Boomers/Net Generation/Generation M/
Generation Y/Digital Natives
“Helicopter” Parents
Customer Service and Sense of Entitlement
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
Digital Natives: Techno-Savvy, Yet Intellectually Naïve?
First-Generation Students and Lower-Socioeconomic-
Status Students
Chapter Three: Preventing and Dealing with Disruptive Classroom Behavior: The Teacher-Student Expectations Gap and Sources of Anger
Historical Background on Student Behavior
Influences on Student Behavior
The Most Important Aspect of the Incivility Issue—Preventing It in the First Place
The Role of Clear Expectations—Academic and Behavioral
The Importance of Respect
Disruptive Classroom Behaviors and How Best to Manage Them
The Side Conversationalists
The Class “Monopolizers”
The “Stalkers”
Cell Phones in Class
Using Laptops in Class—Not to Take Notes
   but to E-mail/Instant Message and to Play Games
Wearing Headphones in Class to Listen to Music
Passing Notes to Other Students or Playing Games
Reading Newspapers or Magazines or Doing Other Non-related Schoolwork
Doodling in a Notebook, Doing Crossword Puzzles, or Sleeping
Being Consistently Late for Class
Walking in Late to Class and Passing in Front of the Instructor
Walking in and out of Class for No Apparent Good Reason
Disruptive Behavior in Large-Lecture Settings
Showing Disrespect for Classmates or the Teacher by
   Tone of Voice, Body Language, or Behavior That Most
   People Would Consider Insolent, Challenging, Threatening,
   or in Any Way Intimidating
Misusing the Professor’s Telephone or Email Availability
Violating the Rules of Academic Integrity by Cheating on Exams
   and/or Plagiarizing Papers
Chapter Four: Teaching to Promote Active Learning, Student Engagement, and Critical Thinking Skills in Today’s College Classroom: The Interactive Lecture
The Move from Content to Process
Critical Thinking: What Is It and How Do We Foster It?
Meta-cognition
“Deep” Thinking
Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy
The Learner-Centered Classroom
Student Engagement Fosters Student Success
Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
Knowing Our Students
Using the Millennials’ Strengths to Teach them More Effectively

The Final Word

Appendix

Useful Online Resources for Professional Development
Example of a Handout for Promoting Information Searches

References for Teaching Today’s Students