Abstract:
This paper reflects on the implementation of an intense front-loaded delivery model on an undergraduate Law degree programme’s foundational module in 2019-20, which introduced the English Legal System whilst embedding legal study skills – particularly, information literacy – onto the curriculum. The pedagogical objective of this curriculum redesign was to provide students with base knowledge of the mechanics of the machinery of justice before studying substantive areas of English law, allowing the substantive elements to be contextually understood. This intervention was designed to bridge the gap between entry-level study experiences and First Year study, seeking to even the playing-field across the whole cohort, irrespective of prior academic qualifications or familiarity with the legal system.
The combined lectures, workshops and seminar activities engendered opportunities for students to engage in a shared learning experience which strengthened their sense of belonging to the Law School and to their cohort, thus instilling a sense of learning community. The challenge posed by the current Higher Education climate will be to digitally achieve these same ends with students who, whatever their prior studies, are likely to have experienced a hiatus in their learning since the global lockdown. This paper considers the evaluation exercise which measured the success of this delivery model and draws upon pedagogical responses to the current crisis to inform the module’s future enhancement. The module’s latest iteration adopts online delivery and seeks to embed digital skills onto the curriculum, introducing advanced digital literacy likely to be a fundamental prerequisite of future graduate employment.
Speaker:
Dr Emma Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Law, Law School, University of Chester, United Kingdom
Dr Roberts is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chester, UK. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and leads on matters relating to Learning and Teaching across the University’s Law department. She serves on the University’s Postgraduate Committee, Research Ethics Advisory Board, Research Integrity Sub-Group and the Faculty of Social Science’s Digital Skills Working Group. Dr. Roberts is a keen researcher in private international law and is currently developing a Research Forum in Globalisation and International Law. She holds membership with key legal learned organisations, the Association of Law Teachers, the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) and the Socio-legal Studies Association, and currently serves on the SLS Libraries Committee.