generation gap in medical education

a review on the evolution of educational systems shows that despite the progress made in various fields of knowledge, the structure, educational methods, place of education, concepts, teacher, and learner have changed little (1). while generational differences have strongly reflected in educational experiences and expectations (2) and caused teaching strategies and methods that were effective for the past generations to be ineffective for the future generation (3). therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to generational differences, recognize the new wave of learners, continuously review teaching-learning strategies and design future teaching strategies (4).the generation gap is considered to be the difference in thinking frameworks, beliefs and values ​​between generations (5) and generations are defined as a group of people who reach a certain age almost at the same time and are influenced by important events that happen during their life, such as economic changes, war, political changes, different ideologies, technological innovations and social changes. these important events serve to define the values, attitudes and social preferences of these groups (6).among the generations, those born in the 2000s and later, the generation that is still studying is called generation z. these students were born in an era where technological progress has been very fast and the developed technology has had a tremendous impact on them. (7). this new generation of students have different expectations from life. they have distinct social characteristics and different ways of thinking and learning. they prefer to acquire information quickly by using communication technologies, multitasking and not interested in traditional lectures consisting of passive listening and note-taking. instead, they prefer the active learning process and demand change in educational models that rely on a teacher-centered approach instead of a student-centered approach (8).therefore, university administrators should pay attention to active, cooperative, social and student-centered classroom activities, otherwise, students get easily bored and distracted from the learning process. it should be noted that these students are involved with digital devices, technology and communication ways. they are quite cautious and may not be used to dealing with conflicts like other generations. therefore, special training programs should be organized to develop team working, negotiation and conflict resolution skills (7).currently, medical schools should prepare their curriculum to promote a technology-enriched environment and learner-centered approaches using blended learning, case studies, and group exercises to respond to a new generation of medical students (9). a greater understanding of active learning styles such as the use of feedback and technology-based learning by millennials may enable us to increase the effectiveness of ongoing curriculum and faculty development strategies in medical education (10). considering that z generation students gathered in the same universities with professors belonging to y generation which prepare them for the future, and most of the problems that exist in these educational environments are caused by the generation gap. therefore, in order to advance an educational process, university administrators should examine the strengths and weaknesses of the generations and take possible measures.acknowledgments hereby, the responsible author would like to express his gratitude to all colleagues who collaborated in the writing process of this article.contribution of authors: 1- conceptualization and data collection: all authors2- drafting of the article: all authors3-final approval of the manuscript: all authors