The importance of being … social? Instructor credibility and the Millennials

Using the framework of generational identity, the current study explores how a range of characteristics impact Millennial perceptions of instructor credibility. Millennial Generation student ratings of the impact of competence, character, and sociability on instructor credibility were compared to faculty ratings of the same characteristics. Results reveal that both groups consider competence and character to be similarly relevant to overall instructor credibility, but that Millennial learners value sociability when assessing credibility significantly more than faculty do. Additional analyses explore the impact of instructor sociability on types of student engagement.