The customer isn ’ t always right : Limitations of ‘ customer service ’ approaches to education or why Higher Ed is not Burger King

The increasingly popular trend of conceptualising education in terms of “customer service” is, in some ways, attractive. It encourages educators to think in terms of meeting students’ needs and to develop innovative ways to deliver their “product.” In other ways, however, it fails to convey the essential collaborative, participatory, reciprocal relationship that is central to effective teaching and learning. With respect to academic integrity, the customer service model also obscures students’ roles and responsibilities. In this paper, we identify some of the ways this model provides an inappropriate metaphor for understanding the project of teaching and learning (i.e., education) and argue that, when embraced uncritically, the model has the potential both to undermine education and at the same time derail efforts to develop and sustain a culture of integrity. After identifying this model’s shortcomings, we suggest ways to develop and promote a more robust model in which faculty and students work together toward a shared purpose while recognising and embracing their interlocking responsibilities. Customer service as a conceptual model for education There are many reasons why customer service has become increasingly popular as a way to conceptualise higher education. Indeed, some features that recommend it are compelling: We should strive to be responsive to student needs in much the same way that businesses try to anticipate and meet the demands of the market. We must compete for the best students in a way that is similar to businesses competing for customers. Accordingly, we have indeed come to recognise the benefits of advertising, marketing ourselves, and inspiring “brand loyalty”. Additionally, whether we like it or not, because of decreasing public funding, higher education is increasingly subject to market forces. In fact, for public universities at least, the ability to carry out the mission often calls for entrepreneurial activity aimed at making universities self-sustaining financially. So too, we know that we must respond swiftly and intelligently to trends in International Journal for Educational Integrity