At a recent quality assurance conference references were made to the 'student as customer'. Whilst this is not a new description of a student I do sense that its use is on the increase. Whilst this paradigm shift in the way we view students has many ramifications, I, as a Learning Technologist, feel a potential tension in my view of an educational experience and that of the student. There are many challenges that face education but there are also many opportunities. Through e-learning courses students can be placed at the centre of the learning experience, actively engaging in the learning process and not simply passive receivers of information. OK, so I am a constructivist!
In a previous Auricle article e-Learning: technologies for institutional inertia? I discussed some of the challenges in delivering a deep-learning experience. However students consider the more problem-based approach to their education as being difficult. With formal lectures now largely eliminated they feel short-changed because the 'value' of their courses is reduced due to the lack of weight of the lecture notes. So this is a double whammy - difficult and short on value. As a customer a student is likely to choose traditional lecture based courses, although the lecture material may reside in some electronic repository, rather than courses that are more pedagogically sound.
So is there a tension? Well more by the implication that as a customer the student is buying a commodity. Education is not a commodity that can be bought and sold. When students enter higher education they are not in a position to judge what is expected of them in the first year let alone subsequent years. Degrees are not for purchase and should be obtained after a number of years of study and much hard work. In contrast when I purchase a consumer product I do not require a degree and my main concerns are with the design and functionality.
It is important that the educational model always provides a demanding and stimulating environment. This environment should involve the students by empowering them to participate in the educational process. The phrase 'student as customer' will probably stay around awhile but let us continue to develop a higher educational system that encourages students to make choices based solely on academic excellence and not on false consumer principles.
