(2009). The student as co‐producer: learning from public administration about the student–university relationship. Studies in Higher Education: Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 171-183.
Andreas Kuswara's insight:
co-production: "In this metaphor, the student, lecturers and others who support the learning process are viewed as being engaged in a cooperative enterprise focused on the production, dissemination and application of knowledge, and on the development of learners." – This approach is an alternative to, IMHO complementing rather than substituting the currently dominating view of, students as customer.
(Note before I continue) to acknowledge that some (most) of the following paragraphs are direct quote from the article, and I think the author word them perfectly.
Kuhn (1996) said that Metaphors are powerful and it structure perceptions and actions; therefore using the appropriate one is crucial.
While there are undoubted benefits in the organisational adaptations that have resulted from the growth in consumer power, ‘overcorrection in the direction of only one organizational constituency may compromise other critical aspects of the organization, such as goals, philosophy, resources and personnel’
Positive changes of “‘student as consumer”:encouraging universities to respond to changing social/cultural environments;encouraging universities to maintain financial stability;encouraging universities to recognise the reality that, for many students, study represents an investment from which the desired pay-off is a well-paid job;contributing to the university’s long-standing role in developing the student’s confidence and enabling them to find an authoritative voice. (3–5)
However on the down side:by encouraging the student to assume the role of consumer of what is provided by the university, and by encouraging universities to adopt their market role of providing what students demand, the student’s role in the production of learning is de-emphasised and thus learning itself may be diminished.Shift academic’s roles from teaching to managerial control role by lessen their autonomy and authority.
These ‘relationship’ issues are important, because the university is a system which is driven, and held in check, by the balance between three groups of actors, each with different goals, bases of authority, length of time associated with the institution, and loyalties or identities: students, academics and administrators.