This document summarizes discussions from a workshop about incorporating legal research skills into substantive law courses. Key points discussed include: - Teaching research skills through collaboration between librarians and academics, addressing skills at the point of need within courses rather than as separate units. - Obstacles to integrating skills like student skepticism, timetabling, and resistance from academics. - Potential teaching strategies like flipped classroom, research blogs, annotated bibliographies, and moots. - The need to integrate research skills into every unit and assess them to emphasize their importance.

1. Workshop Two
Feedback
7th April 2014

2. GROUP 1

3. How to incorporate teaching &
assessment into substantive courses?
 Librarians & academics working together
 Legal skill not a separate skill/unit, but part of academic
life
 Appropriate timing of skills teaching (point of need)
 Take a program view, not a course view

4. Obstacles to incorporating research into
core courses
 Student scepticism, poor attendance
 Timetabling issues, appropriate teaching spaces
 Academic entrenchment – resistance to change/risk
avoidance
 “the System” – risk avoidance due to fear of failure
(student and academic world)

5. Teaching Strategies
 Flipped classroom – risky, possibly under estimated
 Research record/blog – time consuming, but can beneficial
 Annotated bib – forces to evaluate the sources – why is it
included or excluded? Forces student to start the research
and reference correctly
 Advice clinics (real or simulated) – authentic research, real
affects, but very resource intense
 Cartwheel – good for visual learners
 Mooting – forces research, argument development,
presentation skills, confidence

6. One Step
 1 Integrate research skills into every unit
 2 (if we may) – assess research and be prepared to
fail/mark severely.

8. Working in partnership…
 Collaboration with academics
 Scaffolding research skill sessions
 Student recognition of transferable skills
 Reinforcement of skills
We like the research log and will take it back to our
institutions

10. Addressing research skills deficit
 Legal research skills module / embedding skills into
substantive modules at year 1
 Set context to provide relevance of research skills to
students
 Summative assessment
 Compulsory

11. Years 2 & 3
 Legal research skills embedded into modules
 Reinforcing the skills
 Placing skills in a practical context
 E.g., work-based learning, legal advice clinics,
mooting, pro bono projects, volunteering, extra
curricular activities

13. One step university law schools can
take…
 Embedded throughout the entire course in all
substantive courses devised and delivered in
partnership between academic and Library staff