This past March, Wiley spent time with students at Montclair State University in New Jersey as part of a new initiative called Students Speak.  The program was created to provide an open platform for college students to engage with Wiley and express their thoughts about studying, textbooks, and online learning experiences. At Montclair State, over 30 students with majors ranging from film studies to business to political science attended the session. What follows below are four things we learned that you may not know about your students.

1. Students Want to Learn Soft Skills

Today’s employers want well-rounded individuals who are not only capable in their remit, but who can communicate well, be good team players, and problem solve in new, creative ways. The should also have self-confidence, and manage time effectively. Students recognize the importance of such skills, but with heavy course loads, taking external classes to develop their public speaking abilities, for example, is perceived as unrealistic. Instead, students would like to see soft skills integrated within their existing courses. You may already be doing so, but if not, consider how you might bring soft skills into your curriculum.

2. Students Are Generally Intuitive with Tech

While you may know your students can do most anything on their mobile devices, you may not realize they’re also intuitive when it comes to educational technology. Students already exposed to Canvas and familiar with other mobile platforms can easily navigate through new Canvas-based platforms like WileyPLUS. However, students who have used only Blackboard or D2L typically won’t find Canvas features as easily.

3. Students Procrastinate Because They Have So Many Distractions

This certainly may not come as a surprise, but the reason might. The Montclair State students explained that because homework and study tools are now online, it’s easy to open a new tab and switch to social networks or conversations with friends. Resources such as animations and simulations help keep students focused.

4. Students Love Searchability Tools and Curated Content

Students love Google Search, Google Docs, and Quizlet because of the ease of searchability, collaboration, and accessibility to curated, or semi-curated, content. Online platforms and eBooks that feature search, instructional videos linked to homework, and comments that follow questions which explain to students what they’ve answered correctly or incorrectly, are features students want and find helpful.

If you’re interested in Wiley hosting a Students Speak event at your school, please contact Megan Joseph at mjoseph@wiley.com for more information.

What are your students telling you they need to succeed? Let us know in the comments below.