With the higher education being extremely expensive, at least in capitalistic economies, some students expect to be treated like a CUSTOMER. They expect that education is delivered according to a customer service model — “customer satisfacation”, “customer is always right”, “I have paid your institution, now give me degree” kind of attitude.
Althpugh in my dealings with students, such attitude is only among roughly 3 to 5 percent of the students, still I disagree with those expectations. Do some of your students expect a customer service model?
Although i dislilke the word "customer" beside "students" but i agree with you Dr. Gulzar Shah
Costumer is very cold term. My student is like my own son or daughter.
الحقيقة يكون ذلك في بداية الأمر وعندما ازرع فيه حب المعرفه يعرف ان الامر ليس خدمة عملاء وإنما طلب علم لا يقدر بمال
Yes, in a way, in any case, I try to work with them I have a very friendly relationship!
I love the diversity of perspectives from my RG colleagues.
With utmost respect to the differing views, I cannot and do not treat my students like my children for many reasons. They are all grown ups, some older than I am, as I only teach doctoral courses. They will feel insulted if I treated them like my own children (to whom I am a father, an authority figure, I love them in a way that if they do not do their chores, I sometime do it for them). I believe a successful teacher is a facilitator, as an authoritative and controlling environment cannot be conducive for learning. I want my students to be effective researchers, thoughtful decision makers and independent thinkers.
https://webcpm.com/articles/2014/01/01/the-student-as-customer.aspx?m=1
Mandeep Mahendru , Maham Muzamil , Slavoljub Hilčenko , Remi Okeke
, Mushtaq Ahmad , Wahag Abass , Zin Eddine Dadach , thank you all for expressing their passion for your students. I greatly appreciate your perspectives.
Although i dislilke the word "customer" beside "students" but i agree with you Dr. Gulzar Shah
Rama I. Ali , thank you for your perspective. My argument is that students are not "customers" nor they expect to be treated like a family member. They are reasonable in expecting to be a partner in the process of learning and teaching. They have rights and obligations, and so do professors.
I just saw what Maham Muzamil shared in her post. It seems like this debate is out there.
The student is a customer in many ways. In these days of universities and colleges as well as online programs competing for the student one has to treat the customer with respect and be welcoming so that you don't lose the customer (and suffer from reduced enrollment). Having said that the teacher should maintain professional boundary between the teacher and the student and not cross the line just to "please the customer." This includes following university policies strictly, not having dual relationships, yet be kind and caring and help the student succeed.
I think there is a big difference between being treated as a customer and being treated as a student.
The students are a part of our life and the fruit of our effort in a year at least .. we proud of them as proud of our sons .. share the life with them on one stage.
Dear Sir @GulzaHshah, this is an excellent topic to debate. I found it so interesting. Here is any other attachment, please see.
https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46702/
I liked your description of your relationship with students dear Dr. Gulzar Shah
I agree with Dr. Zin Eddine Dadach. Our students are like our sons and daughters. We make a big family in our educational institution.
Excellent debate you all. I think all perspectives are valid in their own right and context.
The students like like our sons and daughters, they are our future.
Graduate students are like our own children in some ways, but they are neither our customers nor our children. For instance I will pay for my children‘s education; can I say the same For my students? They are not our customers either in that they cannot simply buy their degrees and demand certain grades. I can go on and on with examples of differences but I will hold off.
My students like my brothers and sisters. I try to teach them what i learned.
I agree with Dr. Gulzar Shah, as he said: " Graduate students are like our own children in some ways, but they are neither our customers nor our children".
Yes !!!! They are and we are trying to sell (Concept selling) our understanding and our skills be it tech or soft skills . Isn't that the fundamental idea that we want our "school of thought" to be established and followed at least I do believe it ...
I want my students to follow me in my thinking and ethics ...
Contra-power harassment of nursing academics: Article Contra-power harassment of nursing academics
This article is quite challening and suggestive. I think that students behave like customers as times go on. I also disagree with such an impolite behavior of students toward professors. However, I would also like to share my opinions with you all that there are so many unethical, unreasonable, and arrogant and authoritative professors in academia. (You know, I had never received any written feedback on my doctoral dissertation from my three mentors and dissertation committee no matter how many times I requested them to review it and give me comments.)
We need to dig out why the students behave like that. We also need to correct such an unreasonable behaviors of professors through panelty.
The truth we should remember is that the university exists for the students.
students are the future of country, they are pillars of a country.
Dear Srini Vasan , Maham Muzamil , Claire Su-Yeon Park , Aparna Sathya Murthy , Jule Riarsy , Zainab J. Khudhair thank you so much for your thoughts and insights.
Higher education in 'University' via 'Autonomy' with 'University', 'Faculty' & 'Students'
Penetration of 'Governance' is implicitly protected by 'Constitution of India' as it is 'Concurrent' subject therefore explicit 'Authoritative decision of Governance' is restricted & 'Academic and Administrative Autonomy with University'
1. Academic & Administrative Autonomy of University via Independent 'Rules and Regulations' BOM empower for amendments
2. 'Autonomy' with 'Faculty' via 'Liberty' of research & certain Freedoms with respect to subject selection strictly as per curriculum
3. Autonomy with students via 'Representation in class by students', 'Elected students body in University', 'Feedback system for assessment of Teachers by students' & 'Liberty of Thought & Expressions'
Therefore, 'Customer' & 'Servant' words are absolutely 'Irrational' in 'Terminology' of 'University'
Pankaj Tomar , Muhammad Faheem Jan , Laura Wepler thank you all for sharing your thoughts.
Gulzar Shah
I think never. Students have no other term. They are simply students and we are teacher.
The major issue addressed in the question is global. The attitude of the students in public and private students vary a lot. In principle, students are not customers.
Education is service, so a students are clients. However, education is very specific service, and student have be treated as a specific client.
Aleksandar Dejanović , I agree with your point. Students pay for the education but the professors are honest facilitators of the process of learning. We ought to care for our students but it is not fair to treat our students in a traditional sense of customer. They still need to get their credentials on merit.
For me students deserve a lot more than nice treatment and having a say as a customer does. My primary goal as a teacher is to prepare students to become successful public health professionals. To this end, I focus on ascertaining that students enrolled in my courses successfully attain all the competencies targeted in my syllabi. My teaching is characterized by the use of principles of adult learning. I believe adult students learn well through experiential learning, or learning through iterative series of learning cycles. I also subscribe to additional principles of adult learning, which include place-based learning, role-taking, and constant evaluation of learning needs and incorporating feedback into the instructional design. My teaching tends to incorporate elements of critical reflections and learnings from public health practice. students deserve more than just emotional support and nice treatment.
Thank you for wonderful contribution to this discussion. Zin Eddine Dadach , Wahag Abass , Mushtaq Ahmad
It is not for me customer service, it is the service of society as a whole, it is capacity building and skills development, it is a contribution to building a nation
Yes some students, when they feel dissaisfied the way educational environment deals them, wanted to be treated as customer, and it is not totally wrong, if they are paying for higher education and their family, self and life is suffering due to financial, physical constraints; then, what is left behind! except asking for services in return of their money. If everything in this world is dealt economically, politics, health, war, then why not education!
Gulzar Shah
I think this type of questions make teachers de-moralised. Teaching and learning nowhere, nothing is a business.
Md Zafar Alam Bhuiyan , while I greatly appreciate your insights, you have missed the main point of the discussion, which is: we cannot condone the point of view of some students who feel entitled to good grades because they think teachers are being paid because of their fees so they are the customers. How is it demoralizing? Please elaborate.
Gulzar Shah
Yes, you are alright . Still it give s me pain .Sir, I replied before:
....... Teaching and learning nowhere, nothing is a business.
Md Zafar Alam Bhuiyan , thanks. We are both making the sameness point. The spirit of the debate is to highlight the fact that T&L are not business and we as teachers do not agree.
That is a part of my intro to this discussion:
”Although in my dealings with students, such attitude is only among roughly 3 to 5 percent of the students, still I disagree with those expectations. Do some of your students expect a customer service model?”
thanks and warm regards.
Gulzar Shah
Yes, working in the private university I get the smell, like that . But I said its pain to me . Its hearing not ethical to me. And you know everything is not for research and debating. Its my personal opinion.
Thanks sir.
Yes.
We have to change our old concepts.
PATIENTS are the customers of DOCTORS and HOSPITALS.
STUDENTS are the customers of TEACHERS and the TEACHING INSTITUTIONS.
Thanks.
I greatly appreciated the responses from my colleagues. Some colleagues did not take time to read my explanation in the body of the question. So they misconstrued the intent of my question. I will encourage all colleagues to read the complete question. The intent will then be clear that I am not arguing in favor of considering the students a customer; in fact it is quite contrary to that.
Salwa Bouabdallah Thank you dear, for participating in this discussion.
Whether a student can be treated on a customer service model keeps coming up very frequently with my own colleagues at my university. As I said, there come 2 to 3 students each cohort who believe they pay money and therefore they should be satisfied (even if it means giving them higher grades than they had earned).
In terms of education it is always difficult to face this student-client relationship. We must, regardless of "labels", act responsibly and professionally in order to form the student in the best possible way. Mutual respect must prevail in this educational relationship.
Our students behave like students only not as customer. We tried our best to teach them whatever we know and the students try to learn their best.
In my opinion, no. In education, responsibility, professionalism and mutual respect should be the first
No . This term is difficult to deal with students (they came to learn) because the students after completing the study will be our colleagues and friends.
The kind of mindset of students as client or customer is hinged on the fact that the major funding of such institution comes from the proceeds from the students. This is very common in private universities in mist developing economies. Students are given undue preferences and in most cases spoon fed because of the slogan of "customer is king" syndrome.
It is a common idea in private higher institutions of learning where students are given undue preferences by the school and their lecturers
The interraction between educator and student is very complicated. I am not in the field of economics and business to precise what customer is and whether student can be treated like one.
At the end of the day, when teaching we are being taught by students as well. So.... in that case who is the customer?
At private universities, students often behave as clients, at public universities rarely.
In my own opinion, it is correct in content but the word may not be official and appropriate.
I agree with you Nihada Ahmetovic at private schools and universities, students behave as client.
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