In a world of rapidly advancing technology, higher education is faced with multiple challenges — from adapting to new innovations to meeting the evolving needs of the modern student. In order to overcome these obstacles, institutions must foster open discussions on reshaping structures, breaking down barriers and developing creative solutions to serve the new and future generations of students.
To address these challenges, The University of Tennessee’s College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies hosted its monthly webinar series,Navigating Tomorrow, Today in Higher Education. This series explores the latest trends, innovations, and breakthroughs in higher education. Each session brings together thought leaders, industry experts, and academic pioneers to discuss the evolving landscape of emerging technology, research, and collaborative solutions.
The March 12 webinar,The Modern Student: Who They Are, What They Want, and What They Need was moderated by Dr. Bernie Savarese, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success at the University of Tennessee System, and featured a panel of distinguished experts: Dr. Amy Johnson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Jason Mastrogiovanni, Interim Associate Provost for Student success at the University of Florida; and Dr. Melissa Irvin, Associate Vice Provost for the Division of Student Success at the University of Tennessee. The discussion focused on changing student demographics, evolving student needs, what modern students want from higher education, and the future of student success.
Characteristics of the Modern Student
To kick off the discussion, panelists were asked to define the characteristics of the “modern student” and how this evolving demographic is molding the future of higher education.
Johnson highlighted that today’s students exhibit a “transactional focus and nature,” largely driven by the rising cost of college. Johnson cautioned that viewing students as “customers” does them a disservice, arguing that higher education is not a transactional purchase, like buying a car, but an interactive, transformative process. She emphasized that while many students understandably prioritize career preparation, college should also be about developing into educated, informed citizens with knowledge and skills to effectively participate in democracy.
Mastrogiovanni further emphasized that modern students are increasingly focused on their individual career outcomes, noting a shift in perspective from pursuing “the” career to prioritizing “their” careers.
“What I’m seeing now is students who are starting to want to leverage their strengths to be successful in their lifetime of their career regardless of what industry,” Mastrogiovanni said.
He added that higher education plays a key role in helping students shape their personal narratives — not just guiding them toward a degree or salary, but creating an environment where their dreams can take root and grow. He agreed with Johnson’s discomfort in the transactional view of education but noted a shift in his own perspective, finding value in asking students deeper questions to draw out full potential.
“They’re thinking about careers that don’t exist. I’m not saying that we know the answer on how to help them with that, but I do think it is talking with them a little bit about more than just the money,” Mastrogiovanni said.
Irvin offered additional insight into the modern student, noting that Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha are the first true “digital natives.” Today’s students have grown accustomed to instant access to information, which is reflected in their learning habits.
“I think there are lots of habits around self-service when they want information. There was never a time for them when they couldn’t just Google something to get information. The way that they’ve learned and their information seeking behaviors are very different than I think what some of us may have experienced, and what that means and what we need to think about in terms of how they think about connectivity, how they build communities, is different than what we’ve seen in the past,” Irvin said.
She also highlighted how students are aware of their mental health and have the expectations that others are also aware of the importance of their personal mental health.
Another change Irvin noted is the evolving role of parents. Due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said today’s students often maintain closer ties with their families into adulthood.
“After completing a college degree it’s commonplace now most students are going to have some sort of long-term relationship with their parents well into their 20s,” Irvin said. “That might involve being directly connected to them still living together. The role of the parents and families, I think, has sort of shifted more than in our past few decades as well, and really shapes how students feel about their educational experience.”
How Student Needs Have Evolved
After outlining who the modern student is, the panelists turned their attention to how student needs have evolved.
Irvin noted that today’s students expect high levels of interactivity and immediate application. Students have a preference for hands-on, gamified learning over traditional lectures and lengthy reading, which reflects the modern students’ smaller attention span. This shift challenges institutions to rethink general education, classroom formats and support systems to meet students where they are — both inside and outside the classroom.
Mastrogiovanni brought an instructional design perspective to the discussion, emphasizing the importance of universal design and information clarity. Rather than “dumbing” things down, design should be intentional. Presenting the most essential content first in a clear, digestible way is critical. Exhaustive paragraphs and buried key information do not work for learners who are accustomed to an overwhelming digital environment.
He also highlighted the need for academic socialization, noting that while group work has fallen out of favor post-COVID, it’s essential for building collaboration skills students will need in their careers.
Johnson echoed these themes and noted two additional challenges. First, today’s students often expect instant feedback, shaped by the immediacy of their digital lives. This expectation can be at odds with academic timelines.
Second, she’s noticed a deep fear of failure among students, reflected in their growing dependence on rubrics, models and even AI tools to start assignments. Students are hesitant to take creative risks and own their work.
How Universities Are Evolving To Meet Student Needs
As student needs evolve, it is critical that universities evolve simultaneously. The panelists discussed how universities and campuses are evolving.
Mastrogiovanni emphasized the importance of actively listening to students to identify and define problems, even if they don’t have the solutions themselves. Listening can foster meaningful change. Irvin advocated for the “well-being model,” highlighting how her division, at The University of Tennessee, incorporates the PERMA model (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) to enhance academic support services. This model integrates well-being with academic success, fostering confidence and resilience in students.
“There is overlap in a student’s academic success with our ability and willingness to invest in and support their well-being,” Irvin said.
Johnson agreed with the other panelists, adding that one strategy that seems to work broadly is adopting a “holistic and pervasive approach” to Student Success. Johnson noted the importance of acknowledging that institutions were not originally designed with this mindset and as discussion continues on university operations, there are various models to consider.
Johnson has seen highly restructured and highly collaborative models that retain the traditional areas. Both approaches can be effective, but the key is fostering collaboration across these traditional areas to create a more integrated and student-centered experience.
Irvin emphasized her passion for “credit mobility,” adding that higher education has struggled to meaningfully recognize and integrate students’ prior learning — whether through work-based experience, independent study or other nontraditional paths — into academic credit.
Irvin added the importance of adapting to Generation Alpha, and their values of self-directed learning — through research and personal exploration — just as much as traditional classroom experiences.
Mastrogiovanni noted that smaller institutions do a good job in terms of structure and cultivating an integrated learning environment. Larger universities do not tend to have the “space” needed to create interdisciplinary spaces. He pointed to the decline of informal faculty spaces — like lounges or pubs — as a missed opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration.
When it comes to micro-credentials and similar innovations, he urged institutions to focus on not just offering them, but also on how they’re recognized. He added that while higher education has not yet found a universal model for transferable or standardized micro-credentials, there is still progress to be made in helping students tell their learning stories.
Johnson echoed Mastrogiovanni sentiments, emphasizing that the structural aspects of higher education — such as tuition models, accreditation processes, and budget allocations — often disincentivize innovation and flexibility.
To address these emerging challenges these systems must be disrupted. While traditional R1 institutions offer many opportunities to students, other, more flexible institutions may be better fit to support alternative pathways and micro-credentials. The key is that a diverse landscape of institutional types ensures students have access to high-quality education that fits their individual needs and goals and allows room for experimenting and failing.
Mastrogiovanni stressed the importance of reframing failure as a “formative assessment” — a process that helps students better understand themselves and the content at hand. Institutions should reward the learning journey rather than the outcomes. Educators should focus on early interventions, continuous feedback and cultivating a space that welcomes risk-taking.
“We’re here to teach, not to say who’s good and who’s bad right, like who’s got it and who doesn’t,” Mastrogiovanni said.
As the discussion began to conclude, Johnson elaborated on the importance of reducing stigma around challenges such as mental health and the need for perfectionism, which directly ties into fostering a supportive learning environment.
“It is the sign of maturity when you are a person that raises your hand and says, ‘I need to phone a friend, I need help, I want some support, I’m not quite sure,’ and then our job is to reinforce and really send positive formative feedback,” Johnson said.
Experiential Learning
The discussion closed on the topic of how industries providing students with internships, co-ops and industry partnerships remains a vital part of helping students apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world.
Colleges and industry leaders should embrace creative and flexible approaches, such as micro-internships or project-based courses, so that more students can participate. Dr. Savarese pointed out that this is the very model the University of Tennessee is embracing with the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, calling it a “bold idea” in the higher education landscape.
The panel closed with a call to action for higher education professionals to be bold, creative and responsive to the evolving needs of modern students. The takeaway: institutions that lean into creativity, partnerships and student-centered approaches will best support the modern learner.
To learn more about the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, visit cecs.utk.edu. To register for upcoming webinars or watch previous webinars on demand, visit the CECS webinar page.
By Madeline McNeely