Virtual learning environments in legal education

UKCLE funded project

Project team: Sefton Bloxham (Lancaster University and Edge Hill), Patricia McKellar (UKCLE), Paul Maharg (Glasgow Graduate School of Law), Monica Nelis (University of Strathclyde)
Project contact: Patricia McKellar (e-mail: patricia.mckellar@warwick.ac.uk)
Project summary: a series of case studies on the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in legal education
Completion date: October 2006
Funding: £25,000 by the JISC Distributed e-Learning Programme, £2,000 from BILETA

Virtual learning environment (VLEs) are some of the fastest growing areas of legal education, but very little is known of their design, their users, content, the drivers for use and the blockers to innovative development. This is partly because aspects of their development and use are often hidden behind institutional and departmental intranets, and also because the line between a virtual learning environment (VLE) and a managed learning environment (MLE) has become blurred.

This project developed case studies into good practice in the use of VLEs in legal education. The case studies are grouped under three headings:

1. Bespoke applications – VLEs at Glasgow Graduate School of Law, the University of Herfordshire and Lancaster University. These VLEs have the most innovative aspects but require greater resources, plus the dedicated time of one member of staff.
2. Proprietary systems – VLEs at the College of Law, Middlesex University and the University of Sunderland. These systems, such as Blackboard and WebCT (now merged), are mostly used as a management rather than a learning tool.
3. Open source applications – VLE at Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, which has the potential to become a major player in the arena.

As the project developed it became clear that in view of the wide variation within the VLEs it was not practicable to produce definitive guidelines to demonstrate good practice. However, the team drew ‘themes’ from the case studies and considered the good practice elements of these themes in each case study, including blended and collaborative learning, staff development, assessment and the management of learning.

A summary report on the project, presented at BILETA 2006, appeared in JILT 2007(1).

Last Modified: 6 July 2010