The Quiet Revolution Invades the College Classroom (Academe Blog)

Guest blogger Bill Bergman is Instructor of Marketing at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business.

Students in the college classroom are growing much quieter these days. Technology is robbing them of self-assured verbal skills displayed by previous generations. They also live in dread of giving the wrong answer in class that could tarnish their digital image or hurt their chances for a dream internship. Every time students actually contribute to the classroom conversation, it usually starts with a hesitantly raised hand and an uncomfortable qualifier like, “You know, I’d just like to say…”