When the student becomes a customer, ....

A story in the Washington Post (see here) highlights some recent data on the number of hours that students study each week while in college.

The story reports the following comparison:  "Over the past half-century, the amount of time college students actually study — read, write and otherwise prepare for class — has dwindled from 24 hours a week to about 15, survey data show."  The report is likely to elicit a big yawn from most people and that's too bad.  I've been a college professor now for about 15 years and my experience is very consistent with the results of the study.  And, yes, there are lots of reasons (several mentioned in the study).  The one at the top of my list is the insistence that students be viewed as "customers."  When students become customers, these customers tend to see themselves less and less as students (that is, as people who have voluntarily submitted to a chosen course of study that demands engagement and significant time).