4. Traditional ‘Law’ Delivery
Professional Subject
Required Modules – 7 subjects (225 credits)
250+ students per required module
100+ for optional modules
Traditional Delivery & Assessment
24 Lectures + 5 Small Group Teaching Tutorials/Seminars (12
per group)
Traditional Assessment Methods
Issues
High volume of repeat teaching
Lack of student engagement (preparation, participation)
Feedback Issue
5. No Single Model Adopted
‘Teach Smarter’ is a change in
ethos not a single blue-print for
module design or delivery
6. ‘Teach Smarter’ Initiative
Rethinking Delivery
Structured and more engaging learning:
• E-support and e-tasks
• Emphasis on collaborative work (e.g. group work)
• Emphasis on student engagement
• Structured learning – pre- and post- delivery
engagement
• Improved feedback
Staff Workload Benefits:
• More research time through less repeat teaching
• More engaging delivery
8. Example 1: Equity (Required)
30 credit module (‘long, fat’)
48 lectures + 10 tutorials for 250+ students
• Repeat Teaching
Groups of 12 students = 21 tutorial groups
Delivery Hours: 105 per Semester = 210 hours
Directed reading and lecture slides available on VITAL
Tutorial Preparation:
• Students Conduct Individual Preparation and Participate In
Interaction With The Tutor
Feedback: Informal, and Formal on Assessments
Assessment: 25% coursework (Sem 1); 75% unseen
examination
9. Example 1: Equity (Required)
48 lectures + 6 seminars for 250 + students
• Repeat Teaching
Groups of 30 students = 9 Seminar Groups
Delivery Hours: 54 per Semester (2 hr Seminars) – 108 hours
Directed reading, pre- and post- group work (in, podcasts and other e-
learning support materials on VITAL
• Students Prepare Directed Reading
• Split Into Sub-Groups of no more than 6 students
• Prepare unseen questions in group
• Write up a question as a group after completion of Seminar
Additional Feedback:
• Group Essay Feedback + Guideline Answer per Question
• MCQ Self Test Feedback
Assessment: 25% coursework (Sem 1); 75% unseen examination
11. Example 2: Commercial Law
(Optional)
Different Approach:
• Comparative Delivery Savings over of 1/3rd
Module Delivery:
• No lectures
• 10 Hours Seminars replace 5 hours Tutorials
Retains emphasis on group work
• Extensive support materials, including Seminar
Podcasts and MCQs per topic and follow-up
exercises
• Feedback: Podcasts (on seminar performance);
Group Work Feedback, Marked Formative Essay,
Assessed Plans
13. Internal Processes
Student Surveys 2009-10
Equity & Trusts
• Positive reception to new model
• Improved engagement
• Too much content
• Group work problems
Commercial Law
• Positive reception to new model
• Seminar materials praised
• Positive response to feedback
• Group work problems
• Lectures popular
14. Evidence – Equity & Trusts
Over 93% of respondents felt that VITAL was well used,
particularly in providing sources for seminar study and in
supplementing lecture provision
“Very useful and found them a lot more helpful than tutorials that
occurred for other modules. Learnt a lot more in seminars from
discussions with others in the seminar and also in sub group work”
“the seminars do work very well - I have found them rewarding, and
they have helped to clarify areas I was still hazy on following
lectures and reading”
“the level of feedback given far surpasses that in any other module,
and is helpful”
15. Evidence – Equity & Trusts
Some criticism:
“There are too much to cover in one seminar with a high speed
train rushing through the session. Why cover 3 chapters when
one is more than enough”
“If group work is preferred, punishments should be given to those
who were not involved. Penalty seems too lenient, many got
away by saying they are down with swine flu but I saw my group
mate attended the lecture!”
16. Evidence – Commercial Law
90% felt seminars made a contribution to their
learning beyond that of private study
93% felt that the seminar materials were either
good or very good
86% were either very or fairly satisfied with the
feedback they received.
17. Evidence – Commercial Law
Some criticism:
“However, the seminars were pretty good. If possible, I would just
add lectures to the current seminars, then it would be simply great
module to study”
“The feed back to the only formative assessment essay was
extremely poor and I was highly disappointed after putting work into
it not getting a detailed personal feedback”
“I strongly believe having lectures will help students connect with the
module much better”
“If there were no lectures, my tuition fee's should have been
reduced.”
19. Preliminary Observations
First Year Feedback
Enablers
• Importance of directed reading
• Opportunity for engagement
• Structured learning
Disablers
• Tutorial atmosphere
• The free-loader problem
• Unrealistic reading lists
20. Preliminary Observations
Second Year Feedback
More fractious than Year One
Concerns over feedback and communication
Problems with collaborative work
Support for structured learning and new forms
of feedback, e.g. podcasts
22. Potential
Real Savings In Delivery
Gains not in the first year but in subsequent years
Should definitely be a pay-off in freeing up research time,
important for early academics
Better Student engagement
More directed and effective
Increased transferable skills
Staff benefits from learning ethos
Better learning atmosphere – collaborative learning
Better knowledge of students and student performance
23. Pitfalls
Entrenched attitudes
Front loading
Too easy to underestimate workload involved in preparing
materials and rethinking delivery
Role of individual tutor
Feedback, Quality, Approachability
Group Work and Communication
Know What They Have To Do
Better Guidance
24. Conclusions
Too early to be sure
Potentials seems to outweigh pitfalls
Students not harmed
Final assessment results are on a par or better than in previous
year
Student Experience Will Improve As
Progresses
Provisional View: Qualified Success