Students Are Not Customers

I love this comment by the president of Providence College (posted on their webpage):

"A teacher cannot put his or her knowledge into the student's mind, but rather can only help the student come to see things for him or herself.  Students have to ask questions, compare diverse claims, weigh the evidence for themselves, and arrive at their own conclusions -- discovering new things for themselves on the basis of what they have learned...

In order to do that, students need to have good teachers entrusted with the responsibility of guiding them toward what they need to know rather than what they want to know.  Universities and their teachers should not treat students as consumers whose demands have to be met for fear of losing market share.  Professors need to teach students to want to know what they need to know -- so that they can come to see the truth for themselves and choose what is worthy of choice."

technorati tags: Students Customers Tips for Teaching Providence College

Comments

[Patsy Fagan]

You are absolutely right! "Students as consumers" has placed the responsibility on the wrong party. This is why I tell all my students that I hold them responsible for all the math they've ever had - then continue to treat them as responsible students. Just like a parent, I'm not as popular when I give them broccoli when all they want is ice cream but that makes me a more responsible educator.

Thanks for speaking up for the unpopular view!

[Timothy Johnson]

I'm not sure I would agree with that philosophy unilaterally, though. At the undergrad level, I'm with you 100%. However, teaching MBA courses (as you do, Delaney), we see students who actually are savvy consumers... who are expecting value from their classroom experience, and who resent being treated like undergrads. Are all of them mature enough to graduate from student to customer? No. However, if they are spending the money to go from bachelor to master in the field of business, the model of customer transaction must begin in the classroom.

[Sam Jackson]

Hi, I like your blog, it's a good resource! Just found you on technorati when I was writing an article on Providence College's move to test-optional; just saying thanks for pointing out this nice quote to me, I used it and trackbacked you!