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The Voice of the Student as a ‘Consumer’

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Engaging Student Voices in Higher Education

Abstract

Bunce discusses the impact of students being defined as ‘consumers’ of their higher education. The chapter first considers when and why students came to be defined as consumers in England and Wales, UK, and then reflects upon the advantages and disadvantages associated with treating students as consumers of their education. This discussion includes the perspectives of both students and academic staff, and reviews empirical evidence about the effects of students themselves identifying as consumers on their approaches to learning and academic performance. The chapter concludes with a summary of the challenges for universities when listening to the student as consumer voice and emphasises the importance of striking a balance between making students feel heard, while resisting the notion that ‘the customer is always right’.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

    Louise Bunce

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  1. Louise Bunce
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Simon Lygo-Baker

  2. Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Ian M. Kinchin

  3. Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Naomi E. Winstone

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Bunce, L. (2019). The Voice of the Student as a ‘Consumer’. In: Lygo-Baker, S., Kinchin, I., Winstone, N. (eds) Engaging Student Voices in Higher Education . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20824-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20824-0_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20823-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20824-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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