Page 4 - Short Business Case Studies Article

The relationship between student and lecturer has changed markedly. In
the U.K. Universities are open to all but fees are now charged along with
access to student loans thus making universities more commercial
operations than they once were. Students now want value for money
and have an increased expectation that they will get a degree at the end
of their studies. Students are facing increasing demands on their time and
as a consequence seek more appropriate teaching materials and systems.
Undergraduates in particular, more often than not, have part time and
often full- time jobs which manifests in less preparation time for tutorials.
Long case studies of the traditional Harvard type of twenty to thirty pages
may not now engage the concentration span of today’s students whether
they are first year under graduates or participants on an executive
programme.

As the U.K. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education noted “as
developed economies moved towards the provision of ‘mass’ higher

education, they inevitably attracted many more working-class students
who did not necessarily have the family income support that has for
generations sustained many middle-class students through their
university years.” An outcome of which is that more and more students
take jobs to pay for their tuition. (6) One manifestation of these

changes, particularly in the U.K. is the general diminution in course
contact for students as universities are driven by ‘bums-on-seats’ with
volume and student retention being the keys to their financial success.

However, in an era where learners pay for their education and the
potential introduction of fast-track degrees (7, 8) there is crucially, an
increasing need by them to know upfront why they should invest their
money and scarce time, especially if the course is part-time or distance
learning, on modules that may not satisfy their expectations and
demands on quality and an expectation of passing.(9,10) Consequently,
if module duration has shortened then traditional case studies will not
provide the envisaged learning vehicle.