Students as customers
I agree with the thought of students as customers regardless of how we reword it or paraphrase it takes away from their responsibility of their own learning. I have found that with my students they depend on me doing more giving than them researching and taking ownership.
Hi Glenn,
I concur! This generation of students must learn that anything worth having is worth work for, and that nothing is going to be given to them.
Patricia Scales
we live in a instintanious world. Everything is at our fingertips. It appears that at times with the younger generation that if there has to be a continued effort to learn something, that it's just not worth it.
Hi John,
I concur! We certainly want to keep an excellent rapport with those companies that hire our graduates and provide externship opportunities for our students. We have to prepare our students in the classroom so that when they go to a particular company they shine in all areas.
Patricia Scales
The Industry that hires our students is our customer as well as the student. Therefore we have to Instruct the students in a way that encourages them to embrace the vaules of the industry and expected behaviours.
I totally agree on your comment. I have noticed that adult students take their education more serious and are more responsible with their assigments.
Yes agree education is an investment but feel the "younger" generation displays an attitude of "entitlement" since they pay a lot of money for their education. Providing customer service goes both ways. We can provide guidance, instruction, tutoring, assignments but if the student elects not to comply, where is the student customer service in return?
The students I have to train are entry-level auto technicians. They come to class with a dream and passion as if I was the chef at a five star diner ready to serve a spectacular dinner.
My goal is to facilitate them successfuly to obtain that dream and maintain that passion. Students today are so willing to quit at the smallest pitfall or ready to blame everything and come up with reasons why they should quit. I deliver Mentoring and challenges firmly, fairly but yet have that mutual respect and compassion that is earned while training as instructor to student has given me my edge to success in students becoming very sucessful upon graduating from their certified training and becoming successful technicians. They are my customers.
Hi Cheryl,
I agree that adult learners are more competitive because they understand that in order to be successful in the real world you have to be regarded as one of the best.
Patricia Scales
My goal is to create an atmosphere where students are citizens, not tourists. I try to relate each learning objective to their ultimate goal - the reason they enrolled. Forming in-class study groups has been successful in that they tend to study outside of class in the same groups. I think that adult learners are more competitive, and their perception of value comes from their daily successes in class, leading to a better final grade.
Hi Arthur,
I certainly understand your perspective! Some students want the easy way out and they do not want to work for anything. They want everything to be given to them. Continue doing what you are doing to make your students rise to the challenge.
Patricia Scales
On many occasions I have had students become aggrevated with me on account that I would not give them the answers they are looking for right away(some like to give up easily).There initial reasoning is that they think I am setting them up for failure or do not care. In these instances I have to sit down with them on a one by one basis and ask them how can I help them become more successful? Should I give them the answer or guide them towards looking somewhere else to find the answer? I explain to them on the first day that these courses are not easy and there will be many challenges. If they actually tried to research with no success then I will help them narrow down there search.
Hi Susan,
We should help our students, but students must realize that we are only there to help,not do their work for them.
Patricia Scales
I agree students rely more on instructors in giving them more becuase they paid for it.I do also feel it is our responsiblity to hlep make changes to help them understand it is there responsiblity as well.
Hi Jacqueline,
Students need to know that their education is an investment, and they must work hard in order to make the investment profitable.
Patricia Scales
Students as "customers" is not a new philosophy, I tell my students that yes you have paid for your education, now it is time for you to earn that education. This is done by taking responsibility for your future. It is up to the instructor to help the student learn how to be self-directed.
Also, if we, as instructors, give in to the philosophy that students are customers, we give up some of our authority in the classroom by implication that students dictate policy of the institution. We also run the risk of making our institution a money making enterprise instead of a place for learning and skill training. If we can adopt a mentality of trying to help students meet the academic, social, and other educational requirements of college, instead of lowering the institutional standard to appease students, we have done them a better service than just giving them the didactic and practical skills needed to compete in the job market, we have given them the skills to be truly successful in life.
Hi Katrina,
I agree! Our students depend on us too much to get their education. Most of them DO NOT read, and they want us to give them what they need out of each chapter. It is simple, you are in college, READ!!
Patricia Scales
