How to Engage Gen Z Learners
Recorded On: 08/30/2025
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Course Description:
Although academic programs have been asking the question of how to address student stress and mental health concerns for the past several years, the current generation of healthcare students has academic programs reeling for better ways to support overall student success. Our post-COVID students are dealing with the aftermath of interrupted education plans, economic pressures of student debt and the rigor of transitioning into graduate level academic programs – bringing a high level of stress and anxiety into their educational journey. In addition, the challenges of a group of students who dealt with education interruptions and changes in content delivery methods during the pandemic, educators are also dealing with a different generation of student – Generation Z. Understanding the characteristics of these students and learning strategies to guide them to success is vital in both didactic and clinical education programs. The goal and purpose of this course is to equip participants with ideas and information to enhance their understanding to be able to effectively communicate and teach the current generation of healthcare students.
Learning Objectives:
1. The participant will identify characteristics of the generation Z learner to appropriately develop learning activities in the didactic and/or clinical setting.
2. The participant will formulate communication strategies for the generation Z student to effectively provide feedback and problem resolution.
3. The participant will examine five critical focus areas in education for the generation Z student.
4. The participant will identify practical education strategies to promote student engagement for the generation Z student.
Course Agenda
• 10 minutes: introduction of topic, background of generational characteristic development; characteristics of generations
• 10 minutes: comparison of generation Y and generation Z, including the impact of the COVID pandemic
• 15 minutes: characteristics of generation Z will be shared through interactive lecture to identify educational challenges; practical and real-life examples will be shared through hided imagery and pictures of described learning experiences
• 20 minutes: lectures describing 5 critical focus areas in education to engage the generation Z student; strategies to address each focus area will be developed
• 10 minutes: conclusion of session and take-home points for implementation of the material; resources for further study of the topic will be shared
Angel Holland
PT, DPT, Ed.D
Dr. Angel Holland is a native of Clarksville, AR and completed her undergraduate Biology
degree from Oklahoma Christian University, followed by her Masters in Physical Therapy from
Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She later completed her Clinical Doctorate in
Physical Therapy from Arcadia University and her Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong
Learning from the University of Arkansas. She has been a physical therapist for 27 years,
where she has spent the majority of her clinical career in the field of home health and served as
the Director of Therapy for a home health agency in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Holland has also
served as a documentation auditor since 2009. She is an ABPTS Board Certified Clinical
Specialist in Geriatrics. Dr. Holland also completed the APTA Fellowship in Higher Education
Leadership in 2025.
In 2014, Dr. Holland was hired by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as the
Director of Clinical Education, where she developed the curriculum for the clinical education
program for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She was promoted to the Associate
Program Director in 2018, focusing on student wellness and progression and overseeing the
program curriculum and assessment, leading CAPTE self-study reporting for the department.
She was promoted to Department Chair and Program Director in 2023. From 2017-2023, she
served in a campus leadership role as the Associate Director of Inter-professional Education.
In this role, she developed the Inter-professional education (IPE) curriculum for all healthcare
students enrolled on the Northwest Campus for UAMS and led faculty facilitators for campus
IPE events.
Dr. Holland’s areas of research focus include generational learning styles for healthcare
students, student success strategies, and faculty development. Dr. Holland has served as the
Vice-Chair for the ACAPT Student Success Task Force and recently completed a consulting
role for the APTA Academy of Education’s Excellence in Education Certificate program. She
has authored and developed four online CEU courses for the APTA Learning Center and has
had the privilege of sharing her knowledge as a national speaker at various medical and
education conferences, continuing education events, and faculty development workshops.
Course Instructions
- Click on the Contents tab to watch the course recording.
- Click the Take Quiz button to complete the assessment. Learners will have 3 attempts to pass and must answer at least 70% of questions correctly.
- Click Fill Out Survey under the Evaluation listing to provide valuable course feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
- Click the View/Print Your Certificate button under the Certificate listing. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the APTA Learning Center and clicking the CEU Certificate/Transcript link on the left-hand side of the page.
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