The consumption values of and empowerment of student as customer in higher education: Taking a rational look inside Pandora’s Box

Introduction – The debate on the student as customer/consumer has its roots in the 1950s American literature on higher education (Barr, 1968, Corson, 1960, Damon, 1966, Johnson, 1953, Wilson, 1968). Since the 1990s, it has become a prominent debate because of its association to the commodification of education and academic knowledge (see e.g. Naidoo & Jamieson, 2005). In the 21 century, the concept of ‘student as costumer’ has been gaining strength in Europe. In the UK, consumer power will likely impact the survival of universities and their departments. The Browne Report (2010) argues that ‘students are best placed to make the judgment about what they want to get from participating in higher education’ (ibid., p. 25) and that ‘their choice will shape the landscape of higher education’ (ibid., p. 4) as they ‘will direct where that money goes through their choice of course and institution’ (ibid., p. 27). The White Paper (BIS, 2011, p.^pp. 2) claims to be putting student experience at the heart of higher education. It intends to empower students by ensuring that universities be more responsive and accountable to students and provide better information on their courses, and by creating greater diversity of provision of higher education and modes of learning.