IN our university, we hold graduations three times a year given our trimestral system. Just a week ago, we had our 162nd commencement exercises. Aside from the university graduation rites being held at the Philippine International Convention Center, we also have smaller college-based recognition ceremonies that are more intimate gatherings since the graduates know each other as classmates or as colleagues and friends in school-based organizations. It is also the time for us, administrators and faculty members, to meet the parents and guardians of our newly minted graduates.

The closing remarks have always been given to the dean of the college to be able to share the last few words of advice to the graduates. I, myself, am not fond of long and winding speeches and graduation ceremonies can be notorious for such. The speech from the outstanding students is always well-received because the graduates know the speaker from their stay at the university. The speech from an exemplary alumnus is also well-taken since the students have a chance to see what they will be like in the future. We always invite an alumnus who has graduated within the past 10 to 15 years so the generation gap will not be that wide. Now, comes the closing speech of the dean who has graduated in the 20th century.

In academe, we have to adjust our teaching pedagogies and learning methodologies to adjust to the 21st-century learner. A learner who is tech-savvy and can multitask. On the other hand, we as 20th-century learners are more passive compared to these 21st-century learners. The analogy of the television and VHS player for the 20th-century learner vis-à-vis the networked computer of the 21st century is glaring. The 20th-century learner is a more passive receiver of information because he or she cannot do anything about what he or she sees on TV or watches from the VHS recorder. The 21st-century learner, on the other hand, sees and seizes information from the Internet easily and shares this via social networks. He or she tweets, posts, blogs, and likes the information from the Internet and immediately has an opinion on everything and anything.

The 21st-century learner is not passive and is always on the go. He or she gets bored easily just by watching and not being able to actively participate. Reading a newspaper is old news because what is found is yesterday’s information. The 21st-century learner clicks and surfs and devours what is happening in the world in real time. Thus, this learner wants more and asks for more information. Now, this learner graduates and goes out into the “real” world.

The 21st-century worker is welcomed by the bosses and supervisors of the 20th century. Higher-ups who are not attuned with what these 21st-century learners are attuned to. How many of us have actually kept pace with the advances of technology? How many of us are reluctant to use this latest gadget because we are a bit too “old” for such gizmos? How many of us do kaizen (continuous improvement) on ourselves to keep up with the 21st-century workers?

Yes, we abound with experience that no other worker can possess but we must also be ready to work with people who grew up in a very different environment. Where information is everywhere and multitasking is a given. We must be prepared to work with people whose technical savvy we can never match. But we must never waver on instilling on these 21st-century learners that the values of hard work, innovation and perseverance are timeless and will always be part of any century.

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Brian C. Gozun, Ph.D., is dean of the College of Business of De La Salle University Manila. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University, its faculty and administrators.

“Mirror Image” is a rotating column featuring writers from the De La Salle University.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DLSU College of Business and De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.