Students as consumers: User responses to money-back guarantees in higher education on Reddit

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Abstract: There has been an evidenced growth of student consumerism in the industry of higher education. This consumer-oriented perspective leads to increased levels of student entitlement, directly impacting students’ expectations for the learning environment. The present study employs thematic analysis procedures to explore students’ reactions to an offer by Udacity, an online provider of massive open online courses (MOOCs), to provide money-back guarantees to students who fail to obtain a job after graduation. Implications for growing levels of student entitlement, as well as strategies to combat them, are discussed.