An Evaluation of the Use of On-Line Systems in the Development of Students’ Research & Research-Related Skills Project Team Keith Puttick Judith Tillson Christine Harrison Alison Pope

Our Project Focus The focus, over three years, is on students’ use of on-line systems in response to new demands in the legal services market Skills We have a particular interest in this, and the development and assessment of research and research-related skills like reflection. A major focus, too, is on assessment.

Introduction Are among the on-line systems we are looking at PLC On-Line, Jordans Family, Pearson Lexis Library, Westlaw, Sweet and Maxwell

The Future

Some key challenges for Law lecturers and students… How should law teachers, learning facilitators, and information specialists assist our students to acquire the necessary skills – research, reflection, etc – and be ‘work ready’? Response? In Tomorrow’s Lawyers OUP, 2013, Part 2 Richard Susskind paints a picture of legal services busily undergoing transformation as a result of new technology. Technology Impacts

Technology Developments Impact on the Legal Work Environment? Lawyerly skills and tasks: now supported by increasingly sophisticated on-line systems facilitating high-quality legal research, drafting, and document production Legal Tasks Lawyers, trainees, and students in a fast-changing legal services market, must prepare for this, and be ready to adapt and work differently Adaptation

Moving towards Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 Web 4.0 The Internet of things

RIT PROJECT Our Aims & Objectives To ascertain what effect a more structured approach to the use of online tools (OLTs) may have on the quality of students’ learning experience, development of research skills, and achievement. Aim To help inform future interventions, and the design of tasks, delivery and assessment in modules & awards At the end of Year 2 an action plan for continuing the evaluation, improving interventions, informing extensions to L4, 5 Objectives

RESEARCH YEAR 2: Modules Initially, just L6 electives Modules Employment/Equalities; Commercial Law & Consumer Protection; Social Welfare Law & Practice. Supported by Blackboard, ‘journal’ records Commercial Commercial Law – Law of Sale and Consumer Protection Semester 1: Problem based assignment Semester 2: Research based assignment Employment Law Employment & Equalities: Assessed workshops (mark informed by preparation and ‘contribution’); assessed, research-based assignment Social Welfare Law: assessed workshops and research-based assignment

Employment/Equality & SWL Methods Reflection A focus on research and reflection skills, and improved opportunities to deploy them assisted by formal requirement to complete individual online journal entries using blackboard tool Tutorials Seme ster 1: entrie s by stude nts helpe d to infor m tutors of levels of engag ement with pre and post- works hop tasks, assist ed by an assess ment regim e rewar ding prepa ration /contr ibutio n (20%) Assessment Semester 2: no workshop mark for ‘Equalities’: instead a focus just on monitoring preparation for a summative exam, offering the facility of comparing performances between the semesters

Commercial Law – Law of Sale and Consumer Protection Journal

The Contract of Employment Journal

What does a SOL look like?

Employment/Equality & SWL Findings to Date Sem 1 Mixed results. Greater usage of on-line systems, assisted by excellent introductory session led by Lexis Nexis tutor. Some evidence of improved workshop contribution, eg by use of ‘current awareness’ and other search facilities, links, etc Sem 2 Still awaiting results in Semester 2, but early indications from tutorials and workshops indicate much better usage of on-line systems, and better deployment of researched sources. In general, respond better when tasks are assessed!=. Results Still evaluating formal assessments, and the final overall position is awaited (after Equalities/Semester 2 results).

Conclusions Still early days Work in Progress Before the project team will

Conclusions Review Review final results in pilot modules Revisit Revisit design and assessment issues, including formative assessments based on journal entries: an area where there’s scope for more work Inform Informed by an action plan, meet School managers and consult partners and Law professional bodies re. extensions to Levels 4, 5 Meetings with L4 skills team, and module leaders in selected L4 and L5 modules to agree arrangements for

Thanks for your kind attention!

References Claxton G,2005 ‘building Learning Power’ TLO Limited, Bristol Dirksen D, 2012 ‘Design for How People Learn’, New Riders, Berkeley learning/

References JISC 2012 Developing Digital Literacies pages-as-environments-for-self.html -future-of-work-your-day-in future-of-work-your-day-in