Do you think education should be considered a business? Why or why not?
I struggled with the concept of education being considered a business. I was taught my entire life that academics was the untouchable and something far different than business. However, as I read through the true definition of a customer and in our readings of what a business is, I have changed my views and believe that education is a business with customers. The customer may stay with the higher education institution or may choose to leave for an alternative institution.
I have concerns about classifying education as a business, as I feel that many businesses have too much monetary pressures; however, with today's economic climate many institutions have these pressures regardless of whether they are classified as a business. An example of the pressure to retain students can be identified by the Department of Educations use of the National Center for Education Statistics to provide potential learners with the retention rates of higher education institutions, thus placing pressure on the institution to find creative new ways to keep learners from the beginning of the degree until completion.
Do you consider yourself a customer of UMUC? How would you describe your relationship to UMUC in the language of business and why?
I consider myself a learner at UMUC. However, in all reality I do think that I am a customer of UMUC. Similar, to a customer purchasing language software from Rosetta Stone, I am paying UMUC for a product or service that they specialize in (an online learning environment and degree program). In turn for the money that I have spent on the product, I will receive access to the learning environment. I have a demand for non-traditional higher education that can be taught via the web and UMUC supplies the web based learning environment.
