Dr. Tammy Egbe holds a Lectureship in Law at the Nottingham Trent University (NTU). He currently leads seminars in contract law and is the Co-Module leader for International Law at NTU. He is also the module leader for international carriage of goods on the LLM at NTU. Prior to joining NTU, Tammy was an associate lecturer at the Leicester De Montfort University and the University of Leicester. He is an active researcher and has contributed articles to leading peer-reviewed journals.
Enhancing Students’ Engagement during Seminar Sessions: Experience at a UK Law School
Abstract:
This paper seeks to examine the role of the seminar tutor in leading seminars in a modern law school and the need to enhance students’ engagement. The seminar approach at the Nottingham Law School adopts the tutorial method in complementing weekly lectures which are usually pre-recorded. Before seminars, students are provided with a reading list and the learning outcomes for the seminar. In addition, the seminar materials usually contain a problem scenario that is designed to provide a curiosity-driven learning approach. Students are expected to attend the seminars prepared to discuss the problem using various techniques like group work, tutor led discussions, role playing, among others. Given the challenges encountered with the introduction of blended learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving a high level of student engagement requires innovative practice. To that end, this paper explores some of the challenges experienced and the innovative practices designed by the authors to ensure that high level of student engagement is sustained and that teaching methods continue to meet with the requirements of the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF).