This case study outlines e-learning initiatives introduced at the College of Law on the vocational Legal Practice Course (LPC) - the compulsory stage of training for would-be solicitors.
Description
The initiatives are delivered to full and part time students and to those on block learning programmes.
There are computer assisted exercises together with discussions groups. The case study describes the aims and mechanics of the initiatives as well as reflections on both tutor and student attitudes. The key aims were to make workshops more effective add variety to student learning and to improve students' preparation for sessions.
This is a good example of the use of e-learning which has been built on by the College which now offers only 'virtual lectures' to its students.
Case study
The College's current initiatives on e-learning within its LPC consist of computer-assisted learning exercises and discussion groups both supported by the Blackboard learning management system and delivered in full time part time and block learning modes of delivery.
The computer-assisted learning exercises support student study outside the classroom sessions while the discussion groups enable students to collaborate on assignments. Both aim to establish a platform from which workshops can work more successfully to add variety and flexibility to student study and to improve the quality and consistency of their preparation for classroom sessions with a view to improving their classroom experience.
The College introduced these initiatives via pilots and evaluations (by qualitative and quantitative research) over a number of years designing materials that test and develop basic knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Computer-assisted learning
The College's current approach student preparation for workshops includes a half hour of work with computer-assisted learning exercises (up to 15 questions)
the questions aim to test and/or develop: - students' knowledge and understanding of the areas of law or practice covered in the workshop
- students' ability to apply these to facts at a basic level
the exercises are promoted as an essential part of the curriculum
questions use a variety of types (true/false multiple choice questions multiple answer ordering matching fill in the blank 'essay'/free text)
the Blackboard 'gradebook' reports to the student on: - right or wrong answers with feedback thereon
- his/her score on the exercise
- the class average score
the Blackboard 'gradebook' reports to the tutor on: - the identity of non-sitters
- the class average score
- the scores of individuals
- the class's performance on each question
the same exercises are available for students to re-use for consolidation or revision
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What we have learnt so far
Student attitudes:
when given the choice students value face-to-face tuition more highly than computer-assisted learning (such as a recorded tutor)
students place a high value on receiving feedback on their performance as a course develops
students are reluctant to devote study time to activities that do not obviously offer benefits to them in relation to success in exams
Tutor attitudes:
tutors are reluctant to trust a group of students to do preparatory work on which a classroom session is dependent and will tend to 'go over' the ground in the classroom session
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Discussion groups
What we are doing?
discussion groups generally prepare students for selected workshops
protocols and expectations are set from the outset for example the roles of students and moderators
the moderator posts the topic for asynchronous discussion for one week before the workshop (on full time courses; for one month on block learning courses)
the moderator's role is essentially to steer or correct as necessary - students are encouraged to view and use the discussion group as a study group
contributions to the discussion are displayed in 'threaded' format to assist participants in tracking the sequence of contributions to the discussion
Students show some reluctance to participate for which the following reasons may be given:
lack of anonymity
tendency to defer things until the last minute
an unfamiliar medium
perception that discussion groups are extra-curricular
Tutors have reported a noticeable difference in the level of work produced in the classroom following a successful discussion group.
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Success factors:
tutor/moderator's attitude and/or rapport with the group
distributing hard copy instructions as well as 'posting' the same to start the discussion group
discussion that feeds directly into a workshop exercise
discussion that bears an obvious relation to assessment
discussion that invites participants to raise one new point each - spreads the contributions and encourages early contributions by picking the easier or more obvious points
discussion that develops in stages that are introduced progressively by the moderator
identifying anticipated learning outcomes from the discussion group
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Risk factors:
imprecision in setting the topic for discussion
relying on participants to respond to contributions from colleagues rather than setting a topic that offers scope for a multiplicity of original contributions
setting a discursive topic
coincidence of DG with pressure of other work
imposing an excessive workload on the moderator (better to appoint individual students to take an enhanced role on the basis of instructions supplied to him/her?)
