Teaching and Learning Seminar Series – ‘Designing a Connected Experience: Blended Learning on a First-Year Law Module’ by Dr. Emma Roberts (Online)

Teaching and Learning Seminar Series – ‘Designing a Connected Experience: Blended Learning on a First-Year Law Module’ by Dr. Emma Roberts (Online)

Abstract:
Teaching during the pandemic prompted a sea change in teaching practice the world over. The initial pivot to online learning generated much academic discussion over the model of future learning and, with the new academic year in sight, educators spent the summer redesigning the curriculum and constructing learning activities that would optimise the learning potential of students new to Higher Education in these unprecedented times. The study experience of first year students entering Higher Education in 2020 will inevitably be very different to previous cohorts but, a connected experience – one that reaches out to students at their remote study locations with empathy – can generate comparable attainment, retention and satisfaction. To this end, students must experience a sense of belonging within their learning community and given opportunities to contribute towards community-driven goals. This session will examine the techniques implemented on an undergraduate first-year Law module to create a connected experience over its six-week term of intense delivery. Prior to the study of substantive areas of law, students were immersed into the study of the machinery of justice for a six-week period, completing their first assessment during the module’s last week of delivery and the second assessment component was submitted two weeks later. At the core of the module’s redesign lay the importance of scaffolding the students’ ability to learn and develop strong legal study skills, as well as, building an active learning environment by embedding onto the curriculum elements of digital resilience and wellbeing. The delivery method entailed a blend of online asynchronous and synchronous lectures and webinars, as well as, face-to-face small-group seminars.  Dr Emma Roberts from the University of Chester, UK, presented at the CUHK’s Directions in Legal Education Conference in June 2020, sharing insight as to the design considerations leading to this module’s remodelling. This seminar looks back at its implementation and shares professional reflections, student evaluation and data analytics with a view to shaping points of good practice.

Dr Roberts has published a blog post on CUHK Law’s Learning Matters blog about her presentation topic. The link is here.

About the Speaker:
Dr Emma Roberts is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chester, UK. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and leads on matters relating to Learning and Teaching across the University’s Law department. She acts as Deputy-Chair for the University’s Postgraduate Committee, serving also on the Research Ethics Advisory Board, Research Integrity Sub-Group and leads on the Faculty of Social Science’s Digital Citizenship project. Dr. Roberts is a keen researcher in private international law having completed a critical examination of the rules relating to cross-border torts for her PhD. She is currently completing a Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for which her thesis considers moderation and standardisation praxis. She holds membership with key legal learned organisations, the Association of Law Teachers, the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) and the Socio-legal Studies Association, and currently serves on the SLS Libraries Committee.

Date

02 Dec 2020
Expired!

Time

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location

Online
Online

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