Web interfaces to enhance CAL materials: Case studies from law and statistics

One impact of the ‘information age’ is that a variety of new learning resources have become available to both students and tutors. Using these resources effectively and with a sound pedagogical basis presents a whole array of issues for teaching professionals. In this paper the authors describe the development and implementation of a Web interface to existing computer‐based learning materials in an attempt to enhance the student learning experience. Although the innovations occurred in two very different disciplines ‐statistics and law ‐ there are common lessons to be learned about the process of learning and the use of technology

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

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

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

Editorial: legal education and Information & Communications Technology (ICT)

WITH THE recent failure of large-scale ICT projects in higher education it looks as if we've finally woken up from the technology dream. In spite of this, though, ICT seems to be an increasingly important medium for teaching and learning the law. New forms of course design are being used widely to exploit it. The range of technologies we can use is rich and fast changing, with portable PCs, wireless technology, and increasing use of mobile hardware and communication networks over the internet. Web applications themselves are increasingly blurring the distinctions between hypermedia, multimedia and the internet. The convergence of online and face-to-face teaching methods via learning management systems such as WebCT or Blackboard, for example, is creating new learning situations for our students, with fresh challenges and opportunities for both students and staff. At a deep level technology is also influencing module design, the ways law teachers think about teaching, and the way students learn. It is all the more important, therefore, to analyse and explore the key pedagogical and policy issues involved when ICT is used for legal learning, to learn from international use of ICT in legal education, and to consider the practical challenges facing teachers and learners globally, and their possible solutions

Law Libraries in Information Age: The Role of Academic Law Librarians

The Information age commonly known as computer age is characterized by rapid technological advancement and information explosion. This technological advancement is the vogue that is now pervading the study, teaching and research into law. A lot of social media tools now exist but the sourcing and usage of these tools by users of law libraries pose serious challenges to law librarians in academic setting. These form the focus of this paper. Recommendations were made on issues thereof. Keywords: Information Technology, Law Librarian, Legal Educatio

Critical Perspectives on the Scholarship of Assessment and Learning in Law

"The Assessment in Legal Education book series offers perspectives on assessment in legal education across a range of Common Law jurisdictions. Each volume in the series provides: Information on assessment practices and cultures within a jurisdiction. A sample of innovative assessment practices and designs in a jurisdiction. Insights into how assessment can be used effectively across different areas of law, different stages of legal education and the implications for regulation of legal education assessment. Appreciation of the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research bases that are emerging in the field of legal education assessment generally. Analyses and suggestions of how assessment innovations may be transferred from one jurisdiction to another. The series will be useful for those seeking a summary of the assessment issues facing academics, students, regulators, lawyers and others in the jurisdictions under analysis. The exemplars of assessment contained in each volume may also be valuable in assisting cross-jurisdictional fertilisation of ideas and practices. This first volume focuses on assessment in law schools in England. It begins with an introduction to some recent trends in the culture and practice of legal education assessment. The first chapter focuses on the general regulatory context of assessment and learning in that jurisdiction, while the remainder of the book offers useful exemplars and expert critical discussion of assessment theories and practices. The series is based in the PEARL Centre (Profession, Education and Regulation in Law), in The Australian National University’s College of Law.