Universities can learn from businesses — but selectively
Universities are in financial trouble — and that is probably a ridiculous understatement. In many cases, they both cost too much to attend and are grossly in debt. This is true of most places of learning and especially true of most public institutions. It is even the case with many private schools. Those who support education are very familiar with this problem.
But the university issue recently was highlighted as Quebec students took to the streets and successfully fought back an attempt to raise tuition. The increased payment schedule was minor, but the strike was major, and some believe it brought down Quebec’s Liberal government. Funding for universities here has taken a major hit and there is no reprieve in sight. Solutions are misplaced or ambiguous as everyone ducks responsibility for funding education. There is a long history, both general and particular. Education is not an entitlement but a responsibility, and few are being responsible.
Some have suggested that we should adopt a business model that would streamline our approach to the classroom and to budgetary conundrums. A business model suggests that if you offer a course but it receives a low registration, you cancel that class. Stop producing a product that does not sell. Fire the teacher whose “sales” output is consistently low, and you clean up the budget of nonproducing departments. A business model.
But we are not a business. Our product is not a pair of jeans! Our product, if you will pardon the expression, is an education!
First, we must find a way to measure that. In fact, I would say we are not necessarily clear on what our product is or what our end goals ought to be. How do we define an educated graduate? Should he or she know how to read, or to write an expository essay? Should educated graduates be able to get a job in their stated fields? Do we help them get jobs? What are our goals and do they vary according to the sector of the university entered into? Should there be some standards for all university graduates?
But wait, maybe we can learn something from a more sophisticated approach to business studies and use a business model.
A business is concerned ultimately with its retail position, with its profit margin. Will people buy what I am selling? So if my product is an education, diversity is good and perhaps some small classes are necessary for some forms of learning. Seminars are quite productive and we know productivity is a good word for businesses. Even in universities, teachers are rated on their productivity. But the system needs to be overhauled so that quantity is considered alongside quality. Large classrooms work only in some forms of education. Memorizing and repeat-after-me styles of learning are forged in those environments. But the process of critical thinking and debate require a different element. Small is sometimes very good for the product. Mixing things up in the university, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, is desirable. We need not be so predictable in our methods and structures. If creative learning is to be initiated, we must establish it.
Furthermore, no business model is built on the concept of the researcher/innovator being the seller/marketer. Yet the university model clearly expects the professor to do the research and be the teacher. In fact, the prof is expected to also do service; that means s/he is also expected to do the administrative work of a manager. The result of this confusion of roles is that the rewards go to the research part of the job. This is the recognition and mainstay of the job. It is the “publish or perish” phenomenon. But it is, of course, a terrible error from our perspective of the product of an education. For our concern should be the education of the students, however defined. And many researchers are terrible teachers — they are not good sales personnel. Yet many departments hire candidates without ever seeing them in a classroom, without any concern for their pedagogic skills. Would you hire someone in your store if they had no experience and you never watched them with a customer?
Whose business model are we following? Is the business model of a university all messed up?
We can learn from business, but let’s learn carefully, selectively and correctly.