Issues of Teaching and Learning, 5(5)

Is this what the 'consumer' wants?

Several factors are driving the shift toward learner outcome-based education, including the fact that more and more jobs demand specific technical skills, and students and employers expect higher education to ensure that students master them. However, another factor is the increasingly competitive environment for both consumers and providers of higher education. Both the increasing demand for postsecondary education and the feasibility of technology-based delivery are making the higher education market attractive to new private-sector providers. Likewise, existing institutions are now looking to offer programs outside of their traditional geographically-defined service areas. As a result, the consumer of higher education (both individuals and corporate clients) can now choose from multiple providers. In this environment, being able to make some judgment about the quality of competing program offerings becomes critical. Traditional site-based measures of quality, like accreditation, are having a very difficult time coping with new network-based program models. Learning outcomes, as measured by student competencies, is the quality measure that makes the most sense to consumers.

Mathews, D. (1998). Transforming Higher Education: Implications for State Higher Education Finance Policy. Educom Review, 33 (5),48-57. Available at <http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/erm9854.html>