Research Presentation 10 June 2014

1. Research Presentation
10 June 2014
Rob Lowney

2. Background
• Law School structure
• Course Managers & Course Administrators
• Associate Faculty of practising solicitors
• PPC1 Course (Sept-Mar)
• PPC2 Course (Apr-June)

3. PPC1 Curriculum
Academic Modules (sample) Skills Modules (sample)
• Business Law
• Land Law
• Property Law
• Probate and Tax
• Criminal Law
• Civil Law
• Legal Practice Irish
• Legal Writing and Drafting
• Legal Research
• Client Interviewing
• Civil Advocacy
• Criminal Advocacy
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
– ADR (pilot)

4. Flipping the Law School Classroom
• “Can flipped learning enhance practical legal
skills development?”
▫ Design a new skills module that is fully flipped
▫ Flip one element of an existing skills module

5. Action Research (1)
• Seeks to develop and implement change
• Directly impacts practice
• Findings inform organisational change
• Researchers are involved – collaborative basis
• The journey is important, not the destination
(Newby, 2010; Norton, 2001)

6. Action Research (2)
Issue Plan
Action
Observe
Review and
Reflect
(Newby, 2010)

7. Action Research (3)
(Kemmis)

8. Issue
(Newby, 2010)
Issue
Can we improve
our delivery of
legal skills
development?
Can flipped
learning achieve
this?

9. Plan
(Newby, 2010)
Issue
Literature review
Liaise with course teams
Create flipped resources
Design face-to-face elements
Design evaluation
Plan

10. Action
(Newby, 2010)
Roll out the
entirely flipped
new ADR module
(Sep-Dec & Apr-
Jun)
Roll out Criminal
Advocacy course
with its one
flipped element
(Jan-Feb)
Action

11. Observe
(Newby, 2010)
Issue
Action researcher journal
(Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988)
Post-workshop tutor feedback
(qualitative)
Interviews with lecturers
End-of-module student
evaluation (quantitative &
qualitative)
End-of module student
interviews/focus groups
Observe

12. Review and Reflect
(Newby, 2010)
Issue
Analyse data
Findings inform next
iteration of course
Review
and
Reflect

13. Go raibh maith agaibh!
References
• Kemmis, S. & McTaggat, R. (1988). The Action Research Planner.
(3rd ed.). Victoria: Deaken University Press.
• Newby, P. (2010). Research Methods for Education. Essex: Pearson
Education Limited.
• Norton, L. Researching Your Teaching: The Case for Action
Research. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 1(1), 21-27.