November 5th, 2007
College Teaching: The New Service Industry?
What is the role of the college professor in online education?
If you’ve spent any time studying the industry, you’ve probably heard some version of education professor Alison King’s conceptualization–that profs have gone from being the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on the side.” TravelinEdMan’s post about the online teacher as concierge is not the first rumination on the subject, although it takes the discussion a bit further than most professors are probably comfortable with. 
But with the commoditization of higher education, the question is only going to become more pressing. The traditional college professor is a figure of absolute and unquestioned authority, but students–particularly online students who work for a living and see their career training as a product they’re paying for–have increasingly begun to view their professors as people providing a service. (This phenomenon isn’t limited to online education by any stretch of the imagination; there have been plenty of blog posts and articles in recent years about parents and students at traditional schools demanding better treatment–or better grades–from their instructors.) We can all agree that no student should get an A just because he or she wants it, but there is certainly a movement toward the student as consumer and the professor as service provider.
So which is it? Should professors structure their coursework, teaching style, office hours, etc., around their students’ needs? Will that help students learn? Or is it more important to help students adapt to the requirements of others (say, future employers)? Your answer most likely depends on the nature of your own involvement with higher ed. Tell me what you think.
I agree. My traditional students demanded better grades just because the attend class. It is a trend but is not justified. The question of sage vs. service provider – I agree we teachers are service providers and should cater to student’s learning needs as much as practical (I won’t accept call at home for example).
Comment by Ossama Wakeel — March 8, 2008 @ 5:42 am
[...] in the online education era. Teachers tend to be viewed more as consultants or advisors who provide a service; and not so much as authority figures who inculcate malleable minds. Einstein probably would have [...]
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