Re: Students and Tests - Kyle and business models

[PHRP@FHSUVM.FHSU.EDU (Roger A. Pruitt)]

Steve Luzader said:
> I firmly believe that students shouln't be regarded as "customers".

I quite agree and believe that the view that students are customers leads to
attempts to please the students and ultimately mediocrity in education. I
believe that you are of like mind with your descriptive "McDonald's
attitude" towards education.

> I've been describing what I call the "McDonald's attitude" towards
> education for many years now because it seems to fit the behavior
> patterns of more and more students.  It seems that students believe
> that their educational experience should be like a visit to McDonald's:
> They pay their money, consume their courses like hamburgers, and feel
> satisfied when they are done, and they shouldn't have to work any
> harder than they would while consuming their McDonald's hamburgers.
> And alas, I'm finding now that some college faculty seem to share
> this notion.  I know faculty here at Frostburg (including physics
> faculty) who even refer to the students as "customers"!  

This is unfortunate.

> And as budgets become tighter and schools become more competitive for
students, >I don't think this situation is going to get any better.

Perhaps we can refocus and rethink about who really is the customer. Is it
the student or is it society? Who really pays the bill for the education?
Here, 3/4 is paid by the state and 1/4 is paid by the student. Of the
students, fully 80% here are on some kind of financial assistance according
to our administration. This pretty well shoots down the idea that the
student is customer.

> Steve Luzader
> Frostburg State University

Roger Pruitt