The definition of a customer in an educational setting is the one who must be dealt with or the one who is a direct beneficiary of a service. Students are "special" customers, we must understand their need and offer all kind of help and assistance in both the academic and the nonacademic areas. Thank you.
Diab H Diab
Hi Attila,
I can be done. I do it every day. Share your knowledge and professionalism, you will reach your students.
Patricia Scales
However, different students have different expectations as to what they should be getting.
I have noticed a considerable difference in expectations between students from the Baby Boomer Generation and students from the GenX/GenY Generations.
In a conventional post-secondary setting, it is usually homogeneous...but in the vocational setting it can be quite mixed with many different expectations.
How can we expect to service all the diverse needs from all the diverse background in the same classroom at the same time?
Is it reasonable to expect that we can?
Hi Victor,
Students are very special people, and we should treat them as such.
Patricia Scales
sometimes information given to students can be looked at as a productat the same time students are students.
Hi Robert,
I concur! Students are vital to the institution, and we need to ensure they are getting what they expect.
Patricia Scales
Students are customers in terms of achieving both the institutional learning objectives and the goals and expectations of the students. If those goals are unrealistic as a student/customer, the institution has the responsibility to advise and counsel the student in the appropriate direction. I believe this organizational philosophy will positively affect retention.
Hi Julie,
I agree! We need to give our students everything we have professionally.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kimberly,
Students should be regarded as quality customers and taken good care of.
Patricia Scales
We do need to understand the needs of our students. Each student brings unique experiences to the classroom and we need to be aware of those experiences. We should focus our classroom activities so that the students earn the best education available to them.
That is correct. When students are thought of as customers they feel that they are in some way not earning an education and the educational process may be diluted and their education becomes secondary, with customer services being primary.
We need to understand the needs of our student and provide the appropriate services for them.
Such as directing them to financisl aid or student services if they are economic or personal issues.
A customer can be thought of as one who is a direct beneficiary of a service or simply one who must be dealt with. Students on the other hand are very different from business customers. So although we use the students-as-customers approach, studnets should not be thought of as typical customers.
