Students from two law schools meet in a virtual courtroom using VR technology to practice their oral advocacy skills. In the VR setting, one student takes the role of lawyer while another is the judge. Additional students provide real-time peer feedback through an app about the lawyer's presentation based on competencies. The goal is to provide a more contextualized and realistic environment for skills training compared to traditional classrooms, reducing stress for students ahead of their final exams. Initial reactions from students and teachers were very positive about the innovative approach and its potential to better prepare students.

1. Law students meet in the virtual courtroom.
#PleitVRij

2. Why VR for skills training in legal education?
• Studens only practice their oral presentation skills in
a plain classroom setting
• Lack of contextualized environment
• Students feel unprepared and unneccesarily stressed
for their final examination (presenting a plea)
• Students prefer more training and more feedback
• Students lack improvisation skills (and prepare
scripts)

3. Concept of the VR setting
• Virtual courtroom where students of 2 institutions meet live to train their
pleading skills
• 12 students per team (6 VU, 6 RUG)
• 1 in role of lawyer (VU & RUG)
• 1 in role of judge (RUG)
• Real time peer-feedback through our PleitVRij app
• App is based on essential competences (didactical frame/rubric)
• In collaboration with other Universities, the Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary and
The Netherlands Bar Association
• Video recording of presentation (plea) of the lawyer
• Students dowload their video and their peers’ feedback via an url

4. Processing the VR sessions
Location 2 (Amsterdam &
Groningen): Lawyer
- Students enter keywords
- Student wears VR gear
- Student starts with his/her
plea/presentation
- Student receives login code for
peer feedback
Location 3 and 4: peers (feedback)
Amsterdam & Groningen
- Students give feedback through app
(laptop or phone)
- 5 stars rating (rubric ) plus
annotation twitter style 140
characters
- Tip and top
- They see the student wearing VR gear
Location 1 (Groningen): The judge
- Student sits in front of green
screen
- Student sees pleading student
(wearing the VR gear) on screen
- Session starts
- Student receives login code for
peer feedback

5. Student in Groningen in front of
green screen
Student with VR-Gear in
Amsterdam
Point of view Lawyer in Courtroom _
(Student with VR-Gear) plus personal
annotations– keywords for pleading
Students meet each other in
Virtual Courtroom
Live stream Student in
Groningen

6. Location 2: Lawyer

7. View of student with VR Gear: Virtual Courtroom

8. Peer-Feedback (Amsterdam & Groningen)

9. Technical details
Lawyer
(Amsterdam/Groningen)
Keywords lawyer
Judge (Groningen)
Teachers app
Storage
Media server
Display Amsterdam
Display Groningen
Feedback app
Management
server

10. First reactions
• Students
• Teachers &
development team
Realistic
Very cool to experience
Weird, but cool
I liked it and is was instructive
Very scary
Better than expected
(Very) good exercise
Interesting and innovational
Good preparation
Futuristic

11. Follow up
• Upscaling
• Increased number of participating students at RUG & VU
• 2020: Universiteit Utrecht joins in
• Collaboration with the Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary
• Dissemination activities
• Minisymposium in January 2020
• Education days RUG & VU
• Pre-conference VR-Days Europe, 12th of November