This course focuses on understanding Generation Z in the academic environment, including how its members learn, communicate, work, stay motivated, and use technology. It begins with the assumption that today’s universities operate in a very different environment from the one in which earlier generations of academics developed their professional practices.

The aim of the course is to show how academic staff can work effectively with students and young employees without lowering standards, but by changing how teaching, communication, and work are organised. Particular attention will be given to technology, artificial intelligence, project-based work, short work cycles, visual presentation of knowledge, motivation, and building relationships based on understanding and clear rules.

The course combines practical work with reflection. Participants will learn about the main characteristics of Generation Z, common barriers to effective cooperation, and practical methods that can be used in university teaching, seminars, consultations, student projects, and communication with students.

Upon completion of the workshop, participants will receive a certificate of completion by email.

Date: to be arranged with the teacher once the full group has been assembled (minimum of 3 participants), in accordance with participants’ suggestions (2-days online workshop).

Time: 5 hours, including a coffee break.

Location: online.

Group: up to 15 persons.

Teacher: Joanna Siwek, Ph.D.

Price: 200 EUR (plus VAT if applicable) per person.

Methods of payment: wire transfer.

Topics:

1. Introduction
• Course aims and main principles
• Generation Z at university: facts, stereotypes, and tensions
• Changes in academic work: from transferring knowledge to designing learning experiences
2. Our World No Longer Exists: The World Through the Eyes of Generation Z
• Characteristics of Generation Z
• The analogue world and the digital world
• Authority, knowledge, and technology from the perspective of young people
• What these changes mean for universities and academic teaching
3. A “Different Brain”: The Strengths of Generation Z
• A different cognitive environment
• The strengths of Generation Z
• Cognitive and organisational challenges
4. Tomorrow’s Skills Today: How Generation Z Works
• A project-based approach
• Short time frames and dividing work into sections
• Multitasking and switching attention
• Versatility and interdisciplinary thinking
• Adapting to change
• Cooperation and network-based work
• Continuing education and learning on demand
5. Barriers to Working with Generation Z
• Communication barriers
• Barriers related to authority
• Lack of a clear sense of purpose
• Feedback barriers
• Technology barriers
• Emotional and social barriers
6. Methods for Working with Generation Z
• Project-based learning
• Heuristics as tools for organising thought
• Problem-based learning
• Extensive use of visualisation
• Teamwork and peer feedback
• Clear instructions, stages, and assessment criteria
7. Generation Z and Technology
• Technology as an environment for life, work, and learning
• Chages in upbringing and everyday habits
• The effects of technology on attention, memory, and learning
• AI as a cognitive partner
• Community as a source of knowledge
• Community as a space for building identity
• Community as a way of working
8. Motivating Generation Z
• What motivates Generation Z
• What discourages Generation Z
• Purpose, independence, and influence
• The 3K feedback model: specific, brief, and guiding
• Visible progress and working in stages
9. The Social Dimension
• The social awareness of the younger generation
• Relationships with academic institutions
• Psychological safety and academic requirements
• Building authority without distance or paternalism

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, participants will achieve the following outcomes:

1. Knowledge

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the main characteristics of Generation Z in the academic context.
• Explain how technology affects the ways in which young people learn, communicate, and work.
• Identify differences between traditional and current models of student behaviour.
• Identify the strengths of Generation Z and the challenges its members may face.
• Explain the importance of community, visualisation, feedback, and a sense of purpose when working with young people.

2. Skills

Participants will be able to:

• Select teaching methods suited to the ways in which Generation Z learns and works.
• Design classes in shorter and more engaging sections.
• Use project-based, problem-based, and heuristic approaches when working with students.
• Give clear instructions, define clear criteria, and communicate in ways that support motivation.
• Plan the use of technology and AI as tools supporting the learning process.
• Design methods for providing brief, specific, and helpful feedback.
3. Social Competencies

Participants will be able to:

• Develop an open attitude towards generational differences.
• Build relationships with students based on clarity, consistency, and mutual respect.
• Strengthen their authority through communication, expertise, and transparency.
• Avoid stereotypes about Generation Z.
• Create a learning environment that supports cooperation, responsibility, and engagement.

Joanna Siwek, Ph.D.

Dr Joanna Siwek is a researcher in the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Her research focuses on the development of artificial intelligence algorithms, particularly mobile robot swarms equipped with empathic reasoning capabilities. She also investigates applications of fuzzy sets in finance and decision theory.

Dr Siwek is the head of the Computer Science degree programme at the Faculty. Her teaching activities encompass cloud computing, applications of fuzzy sets, the integration of business and economics with computer science, and artificial intelligence in the context of artificial empathy. She collaborates with Poznań University of Technology, Poznań University of Economics and Business, and the Institute of Computer Science and Cognitive Science in Catania, Italy.