Research Informed Teaching: An Evaluation of the Use of Author-Lecturers’ Publications and their Publishers’ Web-Based Materials as a Teaching and Learning Resource

The paper described the three-year research informed teaching project being undertaken the presenters, and the issues it concerns. Law lecturers, as in other academic disciplines, research, write and publish, and then use their work as a resource in their teaching and learning programmes. The project is assessing the value of such publications as a teaching and learning resource, informed by the experiences and views of key stakeholders, particularly final year undergraduate and LLM students, author lecturers, and publishers.

A key part of the research scheme is an evaluation of the use of author lecturers’ published work when utilised or adapted for teaching and learning purposes, usually to provide additional web-based resources for students. These 'additional works' include 'virtual lawyer' teaching/learning packages, as well as systems that support lawyerly skills like legal research and drafting. As well as examining the take-up and use of such resources, the project is looking at assessment applications.
Among other things, the team is also interested in the use of on-line resources that can be adapted to enhance tutorial and workshop programmes, assisted by student-lecturer interactions and the provision of summative and formal feedback opportunities. Clearly these packages have the potential to assist skills development, for example when students work in teams, and engage in lawyer-client role play, presentations, and other activities based on case studies. Students’ work, and individuals’ contributions to small group work, using resources like this can be recorded by students using systems like PebblePad3. This can then inform additional support by lecturers while project work is being undertaken, or when providing feedback.

The team is evaluating such approaches in the context of widening use of such products, and a growing emphasis on formative and formal assessment of students’ research and research-related skills. What, though, are the advantages and possible downsides of such packages and approaches? To what extent do they enhance students’ learning experience, and provide added value to programmes?

The project is being assisted by lecturers from other universities who are working with us on this. It is also using the views of lawyers in practice, and employers in the legal profession, to assist the project’s work. The team’s paper will map on to several of this year’s ALT conference themes, particularly 'skills and training'.