Professor Abdul Paliwala - an appreciation

At the 2012 BILETA conference it became known that Professor Abdul Paliwala was retiring from his post at Warwick University. No one announced it - it went round the conference. At the dinner a few words were said by Sefton and myself, but several of us thought that the retirement of a figure such as Abdul should be marked by something more permanent and thus the idea for a special edition of BILETA legal education papers that was also dedicated to Abdul was conceived. It's difficult not to think of images of technology and learning when one mentions the name Abdul Paliwala. For those of us fortunate to be living in these times and working in the field of digital learning he has been inspirational. In this brief appreciation of his life and work we would like to draw attention to what could be said to be the main themes of his oeuvre - a body of work that is detailed in his Curriculum Vitae and in a Bibliography following this appreciation

Blended learning: A new approach to legal teaching in South African law schools

This article investigates the development of a sustainable strategy for the integration of online education technology and traditional teaching and learning methodologies in South African law faculties, in a so-called ‘blended learning’ approach to legal teaching. In developing a strategy, a number of issues were considered, including: accommodating an increasing and diverse student population; achieving SAQA exit-level outcomes; national and international trends in blended learning; and ensuring an appropriate level of computer skills for both lecturers and students. Vital to the development of a sustainable strategy is a comprehensive management plan which details clear objectives for the process of implementation.The achievement of the management plan objectives should be driven by a project management team, which will be responsible for conducting training and support in blended learning; developing online learning module materials; producing research into technological advancements in this field; co-operating with the law library; establishing a committed blended learning community; and finally establishing a system of blended learning module review.The overall objective of the strategy then, is to establish a sustainable model for the medium and long-term implementation of blended learning, ensuring that this mode of learning becomes accepted as an integral part of the system of legal education in the institution

Program Accountability in Teacher Education: A Study of the Perceptions of University and State Government Leaders in the State of Washington

This dissertation explored the perceptions of accountability in teacher education programs in the State of Washington across three different stakeholder groups: university deans and/or program directors, legislators, and executive staff members (Governor). This qualitative study involved three (3) rounds of interviews. First, individual open-ended interviews were conducted with 30 individuals (10 Washington state legislators, 5 executive staff members, and 15 university deans/program directors). Second, individual follow-up interviews were conducted with 5 participants from the first round of interviews. Third, a focus group comprised of the same 5 participants from the follow-up interviews were asked for even deeper specifications and insights from the individual interviews. This provided a method of triangulation for validating data obtained from the individual interviews with different stakeholders. It is hoped that this dissertation provided previously unavailable data and new insights about stakeholders\u27 perceptions of accountability in teacher education programs. It provided data of value to both current and future leaders in teacher education programs as well as state government as they attempt to enact accountability policies and programs. It provided valuable information about the perspectives of those individuals directly responsible for developing and implementing the programs within and outside teacher education institutions. This study also provided other stakeholder groups, such as accrediting agencies and educational governing boards, the opportunity to examine the perceptions of Washington state university and government leaders. Hopefully, this dissertation opened the door to recommendations leading to policy improvement and program enhancement. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLINK ETD Center, www.etd.ohiolink.edu

Program Accountability in Teacher Education: A Study of the Perceptions of University and State Government Leaders in the State of Washington

This dissertation explored the perceptions of accountability in teacher education programs in the State of Washington across three different stakeholder groups: university deans and/or program directors, legislators, and executive staff members (Governor). This qualitative study involved three (3) rounds of interviews. First, individual open-ended interviews were conducted with 30 individuals (10 Washington state legislators, 5 executive staff members, and 15 university deans/program directors). Second, individual follow-up interviews were conducted with 5 participants from the first round of interviews. Third, a focus group comprised of the same 5 participants from the follow-up interviews were asked for even deeper specifications and insights from the individual interviews. This provided a method of triangulation for validating data obtained from the individual interviews with different stakeholders. It is hoped that this dissertation provided previously unavailable data and new insights about stakeholders\u27 perceptions of accountability in teacher education programs. It provided data of value to both current and future leaders in teacher education programs as well as state government as they attempt to enact accountability policies and programs. It provided valuable information about the perspectives of those individuals directly responsible for developing and implementing the programs within and outside teacher education institutions. This study also provided other stakeholder groups, such as accrediting agencies and educational governing boards, the opportunity to examine the perceptions of Washington state university and government leaders. Hopefully, this dissertation opened the door to recommendations leading to policy improvement and program enhancement. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLINK ETD Center, www.etd.ohiolink.edu

Computer based learning and changing legal pedagogic orders of discourse in UK higher education : a comparative critical discourse analysis of the TLTP materials for law

This thesis critically examines the discourse of government funded computer based learning (CBL) materials which have been introduced on undergraduate courses at UK universities with particular reference to CBL materials from the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP). My study is based on a sample of pedagogic legal discourse from two undergraduate courses for law, one at Warwick University and one at the London School of Economics, and it presents a comparative analysis of the discourse of the TLTP materials for law and the established pedagogic legal genres which are used on these courses. The critical perspective on the analysis of the discourse seeks explanations of discursive change, represented by the introduction of the CBL materials, in the context of institutional and broader social change. The introduction of CBL materials in the 1990s has come at a time of extensive institutional change in UK higher education with large increases in student numbers at a time of static funding. This study explores the justifications for the introduction of such materials, academic, pedagogic and administrative and evaluates these in the light of the analysis of the discourse. The study shows that the academic justifications and the claims of the producers' of the CBL materials for a constructivist pedagogy are exaggerated, and that it is the economic and administrative imperatives of the funding bodies which predominate. The thesis goes on to argue that the CBL materials in this study both reflect and realise the marketisation of higher education and a commodification of pedagogic discourse itself