پژوهش کنشی و نسل هزاره: رویکردهای آموزشی برای تشویق تفکر نقادانه Action research and millennials: Improving pedagogical approaches to encourage critical thinking

1. Introduction Mobile technologies, Web 3.0, and the increasing availability of wireless networks are broadening the concept of acceptable learning spaces (Santos et al., 2016). Technology is advancing exponentially, and that means a digital generation has come of age while a generation of Baby Boomers still clings to the lecture theatre (Gross, 2014). The findings reported in this article are drawn from a Doctoral of Health Science thesis (Erlam et al., 2015). Today’s university and college classrooms represent several generations of students being taught by faculty members from a different generation (Earle and Myrick, 2009). A new generation emerges on the planet approximately every 20 years (Gross, 2014; Howe and Strauss, 2000). Millennials, the newest generation to enter the tertiary setting, were born between 1982 and 2002 (Howe and Strauss, 2000; Parker and Myrick, 2009). Their parents are often Baby Boomers (born between 1943 and 1960), or Generation X (born between 1961 and 1981). Millennials are the first generation to conduct social interactions digitally (Gross, 2014). Technology does more than define this generation; it shapes their expectations (Gross, 2014). Millennials in the educational setting are keen that technology be woven seamlessly into educational platforms (Earle and Myrick, 2009). However, the integration of simulation in a scaffolded manner within undergraduate nursing curricula is less certain (Parker and Myrick, 2009). With the majority of nursing educators being Baby Boomers or Generation Xrs, there may be a tendency to allow technology to drive changes rather than sound philosophicallybased pedagogy. Research to assist in changing the educational platforms employed by Baby Boomers and Gen Xrs to best accommodate the needs of Millennials is the topic of this paper