“The real concern of these notes is that the word "customer" may tend to dull our understanding of what we're really up to in higher education.” Discuss arguments for and against this statement and illustrate using your experience at a university you have attended.
University is a place where individuals go to, to obtain a degree, which will enable them to pursue careers in wide academic fields. The experience of university varies for every individual, as many indulge in the variety of non-academic activities on offer, for example, societies, clubs and other social events. “Students as ‘co-producers’ of education,” an article written by T.G. Kotze and P.F. du Plessis, explores the various motions of the university students as customers and their journey through the service catered for their needs, in and around the university. The article broadens the attention to the involvement of students in teaching at tertiary institutions as well. It also discusses the ability and motivation of the individual, the “customer,” to engage in higher education, without any social aspects around. With this, this article discusses the importance of customer participation when undertaking study, rather than having students sit and listen to lecturers. Another article which looks at these issues, however in a way where the ‘customer’ is being exploited and undervalued, is “A Post-modern explanation of Student Consumerism in Higher Education,” by Michael Delucci and William. L. Smith. Postmodernism can be viewed as a perspective or as a new historical era (Bloland 1995).
University, as many people misperceive, is a place where various activities take place, including the socialization of the customers, amongst each other, and with their service providers. More than often, the majority of time spent at higher education institutions is spent socializing. By these articles using the