In the 21st century, the student body will continue to grow into two different groups. The first group, the Internet-generation (net-generation), includes the “traditional students” who come directly from high school to college for education. The second group, adult learners, are traditionally 23 years and older and come back to or start college to learn new skills or update their current skills. These two groups, with different needs, styles, abilities, expectations, experiences, and social responsibilities, coexist in the current formal educational system. Knowledge of these two groups can help higher educational institutions to develop effective pedagogical practices and educational programs.

Internet-Generation Learners
 As Don Tapscott (1998) mentioned, the net-generation that in 1999 will be between the age of 10 and 20 was born in the era of computers and the Internet.  In 1998 an estimated 51 million students were in the K-12 educational system in the United States. This number will grow, and by the year 2004, over 55 million will be studying in the K-12 school system. In the new century, this net-generation will storm into higher educational institutions with a different ideology and philosophy, and with different expectations about education, teachers, institutions, and computer and communication technologies.

  Members of the net-generation see computers and network technologies as edutainment tools with the potential for many new discoveries. They see teachers as partners in a team to accomplish the objective of learning. They see the educational institution as a place with needed resources, tools, and knowledge for discovery, research, and innovation. They see the learning process as innovative, creative, unique, and digitally focused. They see learning activities as entertaining, individualized, and as an enjoyable journey. They have positive attitudes toward the future and see it as an extension of today. They are ready to be lifelong learners and skilled knowledge workers in the knowledge society. The following are some of the characteristics of the net-generation:

• They are innovative and demand empowerment in learning processes and activities.
• They are natural researchers in the discovery of learning resources from the global network.
• They are generous and share their knowledge easily with the digital community, teachers, students, and institutions at the global level.
• They are adaptable to changes in computer and communication technologies and their applications in life, education, and work.
• They are excellent partners for teachers and higher educational institutions in the development of technology-based education.
• They pursue opportunities for discovery, creation, innovation, and experimentation.
• They have a passion for the creation of technology-based activities and digital communities.
• They are ambassadors who will bring cultures, countries, and religions closer by digital communication, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge.
• They respect digital communities and society, and develop standards and procedures for digital communication and collaboration.
• They understand what they need to learn; they will help higher educational institutions to understand what and how to teach them.
• They have individual styles, but fit perfectly in digital communities on local and global levels.
• They are the most socialized generation in the digital world and the most isolated generation in the physical world through the Internet.

 Knowledge of these students’ expectations can help higher educational institutions to prepare the needed environment, infrastructure, and programs for attracting and satisfying the net-generation. The following are some of the net-generation’s expectations:

• They expect quality digital infrastructure and adequate access, bandwidth, computer power, and support for interactive multimedia web-based resources and materials.
• They expect the opportunity for asynchronous learning even if they are residential students.
• They expect higher educational institutions to respect their learning styles and provide individual opportunities for growth and development.
• They expect policies and procedures that encourage, motivate, and facilitate learning activities.
• They expect adaptable processes that can help them to personalize learning based on their talents, abilities, and styles.
• They expect integration of technology in every aspect of business operation and instructional delivery.
• They expect technology that enables digital communication and collaboration, and digital multimedia resources for cognition.
• They expect information and knowledge sharing and collaboration in campus communities.
• They expect to be prepared for the current information society and the future knowledge society.
• They expect to be understood and prefer accessible leadership in higher educational institutions without the barriers of a hierarchical system of operations.

Adult Learners
 Traditionally, an adult is a person over 23 years old with responsibilities such as family, job, and various social commitments. An adult learner has a clear objective for educational participation and expects higher educational institutions to provide programs that help in the accomplishment of the desired objective. Most adult learners are passive learners originally educated in the traditional mode, which is based on the campus, classroom, and teacher-centered and teacher-directed programs.
 For the first time in our society, adults outnumber youths, there are more older adults, the population is better educated than ever before, and there is more cultural and ethnic diversity (Merriam and Cafferella, 1991, p. 6). With rapid changes in knowledge bases, needs for new skills, and the tough global economy, educating the work force has become increasingly important to preserve the status of American society. We are seeing more and more adults return to formal education, and lifelong learning is becoming an integrated part of their lives, especially considering the potential of technology to link educational institutions to home and work-sites (Zigerell, 1984).

This generation of learners is creating a mass market for the business of learning, and they demand a customer-oriented relationship with higher educational institutions. Adult learners see the teacher as a partner who facilitates learning processes and activities. They see the institution as a place to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to prosper in their jobs and lives. They see technology as a tool to provide additional possibilities for learning and communication. They see the learning process as innovative and student-centered, and learning activities as problem-centered and outcome-oriented. Some of the main characteristics of this group include the following:

• They have clear objectives for their participation in formal education.
• They have other commitments such as family, work, and community.
• They have rich experiences and prefer to participate in the design of learning processes and activities.
• They prefer self-paced and self-directed learning processes and activities.
• They prefer traditional systems and traditional teacher-student relationships.
• They respect the standards, procedures, and policies of higher educational institutions.
• They demand outcome-oriented education worthy of their time and investment.
• They have individual needs, learning styles, and different objectives for participation.
• They are very socialized in the physical world and very isolated in the digital world.
• They are more problem-centered than subject-centered in learning (Knowles, 1980).
• They grew up in and learned in an environment dominated by passive education (TV-generation).
• They have a hard time adapting to technology and technology-based education.

• They expect education to satisfy their objectives for participation.
• They expect teachers’ support and availability of support groups in technology-based education.
• They expect empowerment and partnerships in the design of the learning processes and activities.
• They expect resources and materials that can assist with learning and development.
• They expect orientation and training opportunities in technology-based and online education.
• They expect adaptive educational programs that can be modified to an individual’s styles, abilities, and environment.
• They expect a teacher-student-centered or student-centered learning environment.
• They expect to be treated as clients in the business of learning.
• They expect to be prepared for the current job market and global economy.