Do Business Schools Have Students or Customers?

The debate continues, gathering strength at the moment at business schools. Here are some opinions from higher education leaders, collected by The New York Times:

A recent article in The Chicago Tribune described a continuing debate in business schools over whether their enrollees should be regarded as “customers” rather than as traditional students. Should the students have more say over what they are taught and even how they are judged? What’s the risk of the student-consumer approach in M.B.A. programs? And does the issue reflect broader issues in higher education?

Can you match the following quotes with the debaters who wrote them? You can choose from Mark C. Taylor, Richard Vedder, David Bejou, Edward Snyder, and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.

Students are investing time and money with a purpose in mind. The school that does not serve that purpose will not survive.

The best students don't view themselves as customers, and they shouldn't be treated as such.

Treatment of students as customers is not about grades or unrealistic expectations; it is about a new paradigm of shared governance.

The "student as customer" philosophy has created an underworked and overindulged group of future national leaders.

To deny that higher education is a product and students are customers is to duck the tough questions we should be asking.

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Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring:

• March 14–16: Baltimore, MD
• March 24–26: Cambridge, MA
• April 5–7, San Diego, CA

Building a Learning University: Creating a Community of Purpose With Educators and Stakeholder Groups

This is an unexpectedly deep Learning Abstract that we found on the website of the League for Innovation in the Community College. Written by Tony Gurr, it begins:

The type of university needed for the new age of higher education will have to engage in a continuous process of self-review and refocusing over its lifetime. This will require systematic and purposeful processes of strategic planning that draw on the active participation of a broad range of stakeholders who, in their work together, align the institution’s policies, processes, and practices to make them more responsive to the changing needs of students.

Before this, however, the university needs to commit to a core purpose centred on student learning and what this means to how it does business. How do we get to this purpose? Surely, developing an innovative mission statement, hiring the best practitioners money can buy, and mimicking best practices should do the job for us.

Sadly, it does not.

The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009—Key Findings

ECAR studies are proprietary, but the executive summaries are often (as is this one) useful on their own. If you are at a subscribing institution (Check, you might be surprised.) then you may be able to download this entire report.

Like the clothes in their suitcases, the technologies students bring to campus change every year. Occasionally, the change can be dramatic. It’s hard to believe, but when the college seniors we surveyed for this year’s study began their education four years ago, netbooks, iPhones, and the Nintendo Wii had yet to hit the market. When they went home for the holidays during their freshman year, some returned with a brand new game called Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2, and some may have been lucky enough to score a $250 4-GB iPod nano or an ultrathin digital camera. Today’s freshmen have mobile phones that hold more songs than that 4-GB nano, and they can use them to take digital photos and videos of the same quality as the $400 camera today’s seniors got for their high school graduation.

The same forces of change apply to what college students are doing with their technology. Their written language has adapted to the technology of text messages and 140-character “tweets,” and Andy Warhol’s famous prediction about everyone eventually having 15 minutes of fame is being proved by the proliferation of social networking and YouTube. In fact, the pervasive uploading of content to blogs, video sites, wikis, and personal Facebook and MySpace pages suggests that “15 megabytes of fame” may be a more appropriate prophecy.

Why Students Are Leaving Your College or University?

It might seem intuitive that most students leave a college or a university (without graduating) due to financial stress. But this company's research fiinds that nearly 3/4 of non-graduating students who leave, leave for "customer service-related reasons (includes pie charts). "We would have expected that financially motivated dropping would have risen significantly. That was not what we found. Though it could be argued that the major shift in “not worth it” is in part a financial decision. However the larger parts of the category do appear to be a combination of 'poor service and treatment' and 'college does not care.' These are combined with a sense of 'I am wasting my time and money.'"

What's the POV of This Year's Freshmen?

An annual pleasure . . . and eye opener: (POV=point of view)

If the entering college class of 2013 had been more alert back in 1991 when most of them were born, they would now be experiencing a severe case of déjà vu. The headlines that year railed about government interventions, bailouts, bad loans, unemployment and greater regulation of the finance industry. The Tonight Show changed hosts for the first time in decades, and the nation asked “was Iraq worth a war?” 

This is the 12th year that Beloit College has assembled these observations that help to identify the experiences that have shaped the lives—and formed the mindset—of students starting their post-secondary education this fall.

The Mindset List is not a chronological listing of things that happened in 1991, the year they were born. It is instead an effort to identify the worldview of 18 year-olds in the fall of 2009. Of course, our students come from many backgrounds and different traditions and these generalizations may not apply to all. The list identifies the experiences and event horizons of students and is not meant to reflect on their preparatory education.

It is also not deliberately designed to make readers feel really old!

Tossing Out the Baby with the Bathwater

Council of Independent Colleges president Richard Ekman explains why he thinks that the current financial crisis could lead to some short-sighted planning decisions by colleges and universities:

"For students, institutional belt-tightening has led to important educational opportunities . . . . Colleges need to be deliberate about whether these changes should be touted as short-term or long-term fixes. . . . In this environment, an even more extreme possibility is that students will not value the serious study of any field when the premise of college-going has been contradicted by recent experience."

Read the full article here:
http://universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1312

Re: Work the Forgotten Resource

Here at SCUP, we utilize up to a dozen University of Michigan work-study students at a time, so we know how valuable they can be to an organization. This article, by Kathy Kurz and Jim Scannell, for University Business magazine, examines the value to students of campus-run work programs that are more than just financial aid. If you're ever asked to plan such a program, this would be a valuable resource for you.

"Work: The Forgotten Resource to Maximize Student Opportunities"

http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1284

"Handled thoughtfully and creatively, these jobs can provide benefits that go far beyond the dollars earned. For example, they offer students a chance to connect with people on campus. Retention research conducted at many schools finds the influence of $1,000 of on-campus employment on retention is much larger than an equivalent amount of grant support.

In addition, work opportunities can be educationally purposeful or career related, giving students chances to build skills and “marketability” that can help them gain full-time employment after graduation."

"Some institutions are sweetening merit scholarship offers by tying them to research opportunities or other paid internships. Opportunities to work with a faculty member on a research project as an undergraduate—and perhaps even jointly publish findings—can be very attractive to students thinking about graduate or professional school after they complete their undergraduate degree."

The article includes a variety of information and suggestions for program elements.

H. Sapiens Digital: From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom

This article in SCUPer James Morrison's innovate, journal of online education, will be of interest to SCUPers. After all, whatever we do to handle the financial issues we have, we'd better do it with the best possible understanding of our students. Viewing the article requires a (free) registration:

As we move further into the 21st century, the digital native/digital immigrant paradigm created by Marc Prensky in 2001 is becoming less relevant. In this article, Prensky suggests that we should focus instead on the development of what he calls "digital wisdom." Arguing that digital technology can make us not just smarter but truly wiser, Prensky describes how tools that give us access to more information and enhance our analytical powers will both reshape what wisdom is and give us the power to be wiser. These tools, whether they come in the form of complex simulations or databases or even from implanted tools that help us process information as it arrives, enhance our thinking power. The digitally enhanced person who will emerge from these developments, homo sapiens digital, differs from today's human in two key aspects: He or she accepts digital enhancement as an integral fact of human existence, and he or she is digitally wise. Digital wisdom is exhibited both in a considered use of digital enhancements to complement innate abilities and in the use of enhancements to facilitate wiser decision making. In an unimaginably complex future, Prensky argues, the unenhanced person, however wise, will not have the tools of wisdom that will be available to even the least wise enhanced human.

Book Review: How College Affects Students

From the January–February–March 2009 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the review by Simone Himbeault Taylor of the book, How College Affects Students. You can read the entire article here [LINK TO COME], in Planning for Higher Education.

Fusion Building: New Trend With Some Old Roots

From the January–February–March 2009 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the review by Simone Himbeault Taylor of the book, How College Affects Students. You can read the entire article here [LINK TO COME], in Planning for Higher Education.

Introduction - Dynamics of Change: Millennial Students Impact on Their Total Collegiate Experience

From the January–February–March 2009 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, The Inheritance of Millenial Students: What They will Inherit from their Campus Experience—What Legacy Will They Leave, v37n1, pp. 5–6 by John A. Ruffo. You can read the entire article here [LINK TO COME], in Planning for Higher Education.

This item is an introduction to the second issue by the guest editor, John Ruffo. There is no abstract for this article. The article "blurb" reads: The previous issue of Planning for Higher Education is the first half, and this issue the second half, of a single themed issue on student life and its impact on the built campus environment.

Note that this issue of Planning is the second of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The first part was published in October 2008. Assembled, the two parts will be available later in 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

Integration and Persistence Among Community College Students

This item is a Research Abstract from The League for Innovation in the Community College. This item is a longer version of the same report:

This study suggests that beginning community college students do become integrated into the college environment, as indicated by the sense of belonging reported by students in the sample. As predicted by Tinto’s integration framework and in congruence with research findings on students attending four-year institutions, the study further suggests that integration is related to community college students’ persistence. Moreover, as argued by many authors, the study supports the notion that community college students rarely experience social integration as a result of participating in activities such as clubs. But that does not mean that social integration itself is not significant.

The results indicate that integration, including social integration, is developed through participation in information networks. These networks are initiated in classroom-based activities. Classroom discussions, for example, help students feel academically connected to the college while also promoting relationships that extend to social activities outside the classroom. The networks allow students to navigate the campus environment, access knowledge about the college, create a sense of social belonging, and, ultimately, feel that there are people who care about their academic welfare.

Because much of this integration begins in the classroom, the results of this small, exploratory study suggest that practitioners should find ways to structure students’ academic activities so that they promote the development of information networks. In particular, it is worth considering whether a Student Success course should be required of all beginning students. In addition, student-centered pedagogies might also be encouraged. Finally, professors should be supported in their efforts to work individually with students in order to further develop their potential as information sources in students’ networks.

Listening to Community College Students About Learning (PDF)

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been working on a number of reports on how to strengthen pre-collegiate education in community colleges, and this compelling work represents part of their most recent findings on the subject. Authored by Andrea Conklin Bueschel, this 24-page report (PDF) draws on interviews with students, community college leaders, teachers, and others to look into what is most effective in terms of working with these students to achieve their educational goals. The report draws on research performed at a variety of community colleges in California, and anyone with an interest in the continued success of students in these institutions will find this report very helpful. The report is rounded out by a detailed bibliography. [KMG] Copyright 2008, The Internet Scout Report

The Inheritance of Millenial Students: What They will Inherit from their Campus Experience — What Legacy Will They Leave

Students need to see examples from society’s leaders of actions to address urgent sustainability challenges in order to motivate them to take actions of their own.

Read the full article here. Then use this blog's capability to comment or share additional, related resources. Thanks.

Millennial students can be inspired to create a legacy for future generations by the recognizable actions of campus planners to create more sustainable campuses through smart growth planning, green buildings, transportation planning, and energy- and water-efficiency retrofits. This article describes policies, programs, and projects at The University of British Columbia; presents student concerns about the future and their reactions to campus initiatives in sustainability, and discusses recent research regarding student responses to green buildings on campuses in Canada.

From the October–November–December 2008 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, The Inheritance of Millenial Students: What They will Inherit from their Campus Experience — What Legacy Will They Leave, v37n1, pp. PAGES, by AUTHORS. You can read the entire article here.

Note that this issue of Planning is the first of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The second part will be published in January 2009. Assembled, the two parts will be available in late January 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

The Inheritance of Millenial Students: What They will Inherit from their Campus Experience — What Legacy Will They Leave

Students need to see examples from society’s leaders of actions to address urgent sustainability challenges in order to motivate them to take actions of their own.

Read the full article here. Then use this blog's capability to comment or share additional, related resources. Thanks.

Millennial students can be inspired to create a legacy for future generations by the recognizable actions of campus planners to create more sustainable campuses through smart growth planning, green buildings, transportation planning, and energy- and water-efficiency retrofits. This article describes policies, programs, and projects at The University of British Columbia; presents student concerns about the future and their reactions to campus initiatives in sustainability, and discusses recent research regarding student responses to green buildings on campuses in Canada.

From the October–November–December 2008 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, The Inheritance of Millenial Students: What They will Inherit from their Campus Experience — What Legacy Will They Leave, v37n1, pp. 49–58, by Freda Pagani. You can read the entire article here.

Note that this issue of Planning is the first of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The second part will be published in January 2009. Assembled, the two parts will be available in late January 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

Colleges and Universities Want to be Your Friend: Communicating via Online Social Networking

Like it or not, communicating via online social networking sites is what millions of young people do each day.

Read the full article here. Then use this blog's capability to comment or share additional, related resources. Thanks.

This article presents a compilation of data regarding the role of online social networks within campus communities, specifically for nonacademic purposes. Both qualitative and quantitative data methodologies are used to provide a unique perspective on a constantly evolving topic. Interviews of students and administrators allow for candid discussion, while primary and secondary data offer an understanding of current use and trends within the realm of online social networking. Theories of self-esteem and interpersonal communication are integrated throughout the article.

From the October–November–December 2008 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, Colleges and Universities Want to be Your Friend: Communicating via Online Social Networking, v37n1, pp. 35–48, by Tamara L. Wandel. You can read the entire article here.

Note that this issue of Planning is the first of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The second part will be published in January 2009. Assembled, the two parts will be available in late January 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

Let’s Hear from Students

Since this issue is all about students, we thought you might like to hear from some.

Read the full article here. Then use this blog's capability to comment or share additional, related resources. Thanks.

This special two-part series on student life would not be complete without a student perspective. What do real, live, individual students from the Net generation think, experience, dream, and plan? Are they as “wired in” as Mark Milliron describes in his article? Is communication strongly linked to technology as outlined by Tamara Wandel? How do student characteristics affect teaching and student learning (John Tagg), student services (Simone Himbeault Taylor), and a student’s overall college experience (Freda Pagani)?

From the October–November–December 2008 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, Let's Hear From Students, v37n1, pp. 32–34, by Claire L. Turcotte. You can read the entire article here.

Note that this issue of Planning is the first of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The second part will be published in January 2009. Assembled, the two parts will be available in late January 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

'Millennial' or 'Net Generation' Students and Their Impact on the Development of Student-Centered Facilities

This is the first of two themed issues of SCUP's journal that examine both the evolving student and the changing learning and living experience. This first issue focuses on key questions surrounding today's students: What do we know about them? What can we observe in their lifestyle and learning tendencies that would have an impact on learning experience design perspective? In the second issue, we will investigate how higher education institutions are responding to these changes. . . . To accomplish this purpose, we strive first to create a broad understanding of this context of change. We then explore the changes in programs, physical facilities, and environment that have and are being planned in response to these trends.

Read the full article here. Then use this blog's capability to comment or share additional, related resources. Thanks.

From the October–November–December 2008 issue of Planning for Higher Education, this "SCUP Links Blog" post provides an opportunity for you to share comments or additional resources/links about the focus of the article, 'Millennial' or 'Net Generation' Students and Their Impact on the Development of Student-Centered Facilities, v37n1, pp. 5-6, by John A. Ruffo. You can read the entire article here. It is an introduction, by Guest Editor John Ruffo, to the overall concept of this two-part, themed issue of Planning.

Note that this issue of Planning is the first of a two-part themed volume with the overall title, Student Life. The second part will be published in January 2009. Assembled, the two parts will be available in late January 2009 for purchase as a single PDF document for your quick and easy reference.

Web 2+, Students, and Learning

This is one of the items in the AUGUST 2008 edition of Trends in Higher Education (PDF), a bi-annual publication of SCUP; the category is "Technology":

Observation

There is no question that a large percentage of students engage in what can be loosely called online social networking activities. Initial results of an EDUCAUSE survey found that 89 percent of students have a presence on Facebook (Bytes From Lev, June 10, 2008,
• A study of university admissions departments conducted by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found that 33 percent said they blogged for recruitment purposes and 29 percent had a presence in Facebook or MySpace (The San Diego Union Tribune, August 19, 2008).
• Sending emails is the least popular form of daily social communication, only 14 percent of 12-17 year-olds use emails, compared with 28 percent who send instant messages, 27 percent who use text messaging, and 21 percent who send messages via social networking sites (Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 19, 2007, “Teens and Social Media”).
• Half of the students in the EDUCAUSE survey used their preferred social networking site for communicating about course-related activities (Bytes From Lev, June 10, 2008).

Our Thoughts

Higher education needs to find ways to leverage learning within the boundaries of students’ engagement with social networking. Students are willing to use course management systems to keep up on grades and assignments, but they do their collaborative learning on Facebook (Campus Technology, May 28, 2008, ; Bytes From Lev, June 10, 2008).
• Multiplayer online games appear to have the capacity to encourage scientific thinking. A study of discussion posts on World of Warcraft found that 86 percent of them focused on sharing knowledge to solve problems and 58 percent used systematic and evaluative processes (eSchool News, August 19, 2008).
• A study of 16- to 18-year-old students who used social networking sites (77 percent) revealed that the respondents view technical skills as the top lesson they learn from using such sites. Following technical skills, students cited learning creativity, becoming open to diverse views, and communication skills as what they were taking away from their interactions (University of Minnesota News, June 24, 2008).
• The opportunity to help students understand the skills they are learning and practicing on social networking sites may be as important as using them directly for coursework or discussion (University of Minnesota News, June 24, 2008).

A Clear Case of 'Laxative Enforcement Policies'

Times Higher Education (UK) recently revived its annual "exam howlers" competition, where educators are asked to share student literary gems which sparkle with humor. In addition to the one in our title, some other funny ones include "Control of infectious diseases is very important in case an academic breaks out." We wonder if we couldn't hold a "Board of Trustees Meetings Howlers Competition"?