Developing research-based learning and teaching approaches through the innovative use of technology

UKCLE project

Project leader: Steven Warburton, King’s College London (e-mail: steven.warburton@kcl.ac.uk)
Project advisors: Kevin Germaine, St Mary’s University College (critical friend) and Patricia McKellar (UKCLE)
Project summary: developing research-based learning and teaching approaches using technology on a Legal Methods module
Start date: October 2009
Funding: supported by the Higher Education Academy’s Discipline-focused Learning Technology Enhancement Academy Programme

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Project latest: we have attended several events on the Change Academy, and in January 2010 attended a three day event which played a key role in developing ideas for designing and implementing the project. We took part in a number of activities including making ‘rich pictures’ and going to a ‘liquid cafe’!

For more information download the project poster, online legal method for inquiry-based learning at the bottom of the page.

Project summary

The law school at King’s is shifting its learning, teaching and assessment strategies towards a research-led approach with the aim of developing and nurturing inquiry and research-based skills in students. This 12 month project, centred around the areas of legal methods and legal study skills, plays a key role in this shift.

The study of legal methods is a fundamental entry point for new law students, grounding them in the basic elements of the legal system and introducing them to key skills such as legal research, critical thinking and problem solving. At King’s pressure on face to face teaching time coupled with the high volume of students has led to the subject slipping from the formal teaching calendar and instead being taught in a piecemeal and variable fashion within individual modules. This has created a lack of coherence, uniformity and efficiency with a negative impact on students.

This project aims to move the Legal Methods module into an accessible online environment creating a centralised point of reference that students can follow at their own pace, plus materials that can be drawn on for use within teaching. The module will be supported by three lectures plus discussion based activity.

Key features:

• support for a research-based and inquiry-led approach to learning including project-based activity, problem-based learning, advanced information literacy skills, critical thinking and evaluation, problem solving and creative thinking
• use of the personalised learning environment concept to support individual research activity such as gathering, organising and storing research resources, keeping a reflective online journal and creating shared collaborative workspaces
• integration of open educational resources plus the facility for students to add their own resources
• introduction of electronic assessment and feedback practices that drive the development of particular research-based approaches to study
• exploration of local and community-based learning opportunities, perhaps including involvement in research activity within local and external groups

A number of innovative ‘social’ approaches to learning and teaching delivery and assessment will be used, such as social bookmarking and tagging (Delicious, Bibsonomy, CiteULike), Google Apps (Google Wave, Google Docs and Google Scholar) and learning journals (WordPress blogs), plus widgets to allow students to connect to resources using their own personal toolset (such as via Facebook).

The new module will be rolled out to all first year students at the start of the 2010-11 academic year and will be available throughout their studies – it may be referenced during teaching on any module. It will also be made available to LLM students who do not come from a legal background. In addition, we would like to offer it as a taster for students interested in studying law as well as to the wider community to engage those interested in legal methods and as part of a programme of widening participation. The project will also create a focal point for continuing discussions across the law school on further developing the culture of inquiry across its teaching activities.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010