Louis wrote:
> Before we go off on a tear, tearing our clothes and bemoaning that the
> academic world is coming to an end, let's first get to the basics and
> define our terms. Without judgement, how do we fill in the blank: "the
> student is a customer means___________________.
To me it means that s/he, not the business community, his/her family, or
the local Elks Club for that matter, is--and should be--the primary focus of
my teaching.
Successful businesses attempt to satisfy customers not by providing
cut-rate or inferior quality products (tantamount to a "job focused"
education) but by providing a solidly constructed product that gives the
customer real value for his/her money. In education, that translates to
providing a sound, valuable, and worthwhile educational experience.
I _invariably_ tell my classes that I am a consumer advocate--and that they
are consumers. If I am not meeting their needs, and providing value for
their tuition money I want to know about it. They can buy the text book
alone (at an outrageous price, of course)--it is up to _me_ to add enough
additional value to their educational experience to justify the tuition they
pay on top of that purchase.
The academic world isn't coming to an end because of a view that the
_student_ is our customer. _Far_ more dangerous is the growing concept that
our customer is the student's future _employer_ or the business community as
a whole. That, not consumerism, places the needs of the student second and
those of business first.
Rick
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Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
"... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds
will be the love you leave behind when you're gone."
Fred Small, J.D., "Everything Possible"
