3855 research outputs found
Sort by
The current university focus: an emphasis on providing customer service over engagement?
Get PDFGiven the economic constraints placed on many higher education institutions, some
universities have started to implement customer service orientation strategies in their
marketing activities in order to solidify value exchange perceptions, differentiate
themselves from their competitors and improve retention rates. However, the student as a
‘customer’ model can cause universities to start viewing students as sources of revenue,
treat faculty as providers of a service and students can be cast in the role of consumer
with students taking on many customer behaviours. If students are to get the most out of
their academic experiences, they need to become meaningfully and psychologically
involved in their studies.
Using multiple steps and different statistical techniques, this thesis investigated the
dangers of institutions of higher education viewing students as “customers” and the
importance of getting students more involved in the co-creation of their university
experiences through the use of two phases of research. The findings from Phase One
offered new insight into some key areas that are emerging as meaningful such as: college
transfer students’ problems with transitioning to university, the impact of helicopter
parenting practices, students not finding their classes intellectually stimulating and issues
created by not severing ties to prior support systems, among others. While the ensuing
conceptual Student Engagement Work Design Model (SEWDM) and the empirical
findings discovered as a result of the Phase Two testing provides a roadmap of how the
engagement elements of autonomy, feedback, skill variety, task identity and customer
services can be utilized by universities when attempting to predict institutional
commitment and personal growth needs.These findings are important as information about which factors help to predict postsecondary
student institutional commitment and personal growth needs can assist with
the development of targeted student recruitment strategies and the development of
support systems. Being able to assess these outcomes could help to reduce funding
outlays to lower impact areas so synergies can be encouraged and resources can be
concentrated on critical factors
