8 Legal Research Methods: Feeling Part of Current Research : The Teaching-Research Link and Professional Communication

Transcription

1 1 (f sectin 8) 8 Legal Research Methds: Feeling Part f Current Research : The Teaching-Research Link and Prfessinal Cmmunicatin Table f Cntents: (NB: The page numbers refer t the numbers indicated n tp f the page.) 8 Legal Research Methds: Feeling Part f Current Research : The Teaching-Research Link and Prfessinal Cmmunicatin Interventin Plan: Intended utcmes and methd f evaluatin The Planned Interventin Planned Evaluatin The issue and hw it relates t the literature n teaching and learning in HE The ratinale Prgress ntes Summary f relevant data and feedback Evaluatin f student learning experience in relatin t intended utcmes Reflectins n the implicatins fr future teaching practice The ing task Subject-specific implicatins fr the mdule Annex 1: Meta Feedback This reprt cntains a reflective accunt n a series f experiences I made in SXL-4009/4409 Legal Research Methds. After utlining the issues I attempted t address, I will relate my ideas t the relevant literature and explain what I implemented, hw the experience evlved and what lessns I draw fr the future. In particular, I will explain hw the experience has influenced chices made fr restructuring the entire mdule fr the cming years. The mst interesting part f the experience (and the reprt) are clearly the brader implicatins and the lessns drawn fr teaching n this mdule in the future. The implicatins g beynd the specific measure as the experience illustrated underlying issues with the mdule design. This principal idea fr this interventin is an adaptatin frm a prject undertaken at the University f Adelaide, Australia. 1 Frm this brader prject (which run ver ten years), I selected the fllwing key aspects: [Students] nt nly have t read and understand ne internatinal jurnal article, but they must als search thrugh the bibligraphy f that article fr a number f relevant papers. (...) One very imprtant key t the research-teaching link is when the students 1 Student grupwrk assignments based n analysis f current Gescience discipline jurnal article analyses at the University f Adelaide, Australia, Handut frm Mick Healey s wrkshp n the Teaching and Research Nexus, Bangr University, 16 May 2012, at p. 15. See als JAMES, P. (2003) D-It-Yurself (DIY) Interactive Multimedia (IMM) - Student grupwrk assignments based n analysis f current (Gescience) discipline jurnal article analyses, available at (last visited 20 June 2013).

2 2 (f sectin 8) have t devise a questin t the authr(s) and t that questin. Receiving a reply (which des nt always happen), is mst exciting t the students and is a critical pint in the realisatin that the authr is a real persn and is carrying ut their research usually at a University. Authrs generally reply psitively t the questins (it at least shws that smene is reading and interested in their wn research), and ccasinally a general dialgue ccurs.' 2 This teaching cycle tk place in the nly pstgraduate mdule at the Law Schl which is cmpulsry t all students at Masters level: the Legal Research Methds mdule. 3 At the end f the semester, 28 students were enrlled in the mdule and a small number f students in criminlgy (Scial Sciences) infrmally audited the mdule (the class size was, unfrtunately, never entirely stable during the semester as many internatinal students arrived nly in weeks 3, 4 r even 5 f the semester and sme left Bangr during the semester). 18 students were internatinal students, ten were hme students. I was the mdule leader fr this mdule which I taught fr the first time. At the end f the year, LLM Students have t write their wn dissertatins and the LLM Legal Research Methds curse aims t empwer them t plan and successfully implement their wn dissertatin research. 8.1 Interventin Plan: Intended utcmes and methd f evaluatin As utlined in the Stage 1 Prtfli, the fllwing details summarise the intended utcmes and evaluatin plans The Planned Interventin Each student selects a jurnal article frm a very recent editin f a reputable academic jurnal (published in English). Students shuld chse an article that relates t their wn research interests. By the fllwing week, students read the article. They will summarise it and take nte f key pints. (I will give them generic reading questins t guide their reading and structure their thinking abut the article and I will relate this t anther lecture n the mdule n reading skills/evaluating surces.) Their main task will be t devise a questin t the authr(s) f the article. By week 2 f the interventin, they shuld have a first draft f the t be sent t the authr(s). I will give a shrt lecture n prfessinal cmmunicatin (i.e. what makes a gd and prfessinal ?). Students imprve their draft s and submit them t me I prvide frmative feedback. We cllect selected examples f s in a flder n Blackbard as templates fr future use when students send ut s. Students then the questins and we will hpefully get a few answers frm authrs. I will then encurage students t share their experiences with the class and t use the infrmatin in their dissertatins. 2 Ibid. 3 The mdule descriptr can be fund at 4 Evelyne Schmid, PGCertHE, Stage 1 Prtfli, 2012, p. 67 (page numbers in this prtfli, new numbers appearing in the centre f the dcument).

3 3 (f sectin 8) I will als explain them hw t cite the infrmatin in their dissertatin in case the authr has respnded t their Planned Evaluatin I will assess the summaries f the academic articles and the draft s. This will give me an idea f hw well the students were able t implement the knwledge taught in the lectures n reading skills/evaluating surces and n prfessinal cmmunicatin. I will cllect the students feedback at the end f the mdule and cllect their views abut the experience and the mdule as a whle. 8.2 The issue and hw it relates t the literature n teaching and learning in HE The issue I decided t fcus n is the teaching-research nexus, cmbined with empwering students in prfessinal cmmunicatin The ratinale Based n a wrkshp I attended during Stage 1, 5 I decided t use the Legal Research Methds mdule t start my experiences with explring the teaching-research nexus. At least at the beginning f pstgraduate studies, students tend t perceive themselves as recipients f knwledge, rather than as independent researchers: Bensn and Blackman cmplain hw students have histrically been treated as passive learners t whm educatin happened, rather than as active participants Being Part f a Cmmunity While sme authrs in the past seem t have assumed that this is a prblem limited t internatinal students, 7 this is clearly an utdated view. While hme students might tend t be mre used t interactive frms f learning within lecture theatres than many f their internatinal peers, this des nt mean that early pstgraduate students autmatically already perceive themselves as being part f a research cmmunity. At undergraduate level, students are asked t prvide critical analysis and put frward their wn cnclusins, but even students wh excel at this skill d nt necessarily have the cnfidence t believe that they are participants in research and can engage with mre senir researchers. 8 Based n Healey s categries f the research-teaching nexus, this teaching interventin cncerns 'research-based' learning, which is student-fcused and emphasizes research prcesses and prblems, rather than simply research cntent. 9 The ratinale is succinctly summarized by Elsen, Vissser-Wunveen et al.: 5 Mick Healey s wrkshp n the Teaching and Research Nexus, Bangr University, 16 May BENSON, A. & BLACKMAN, D Can Research Methds Ever Be Interesting? Active Learning in Higher Educatin, 4, 39-55, p SAMUELOWICZ, K Learning Prblems f Overseas Students: Tw Sides f a Stry. Higher Educatin Research & Develpment, 6, , writing that '[]verseas students are accustmed t be passive recipients f knwledge which is transmitted during the lectures; interactive methds f learning and teaching are seldm used. 8 ELSEN, M., VISSER-WIJNVEEN, G. J., VAN DER RIJST, R. M. & VAN DRIEL, J. H Hw t Strengthen the Cnnectin between Research and Teaching in Undergraduate University Educatin. Higher Educatin Quarterly, 63, 64-85, p Healey, M. (2005), Linking research and teaching: Explring disciplinary spaces and the rle f inquiry-based learning. In Barnett, R (Ed.), Reshaping the University: New Relatinships between Research, Schlarship and Teaching, pp , Lndn, McGraw Hill / Open University Press.

4 4 (f sectin 8) Frm research n students perceptins and experiences, it is knwn that students are usually mre mtivated when they becme familiar with the research dne by academic staff at an early stage in their studies. (...) Als, student learning might imprve because they feel part f a scial grup. 10 Based n the research in Adelaide, this cycle prvides a clse link t the teaching f legal methdlgy and the mst current research f the areas in which students wish t write their dissertatins. The schlars frm the university in Adelaide reprted that the respnse rate frm authrs was quite gd and that students were mst excited t receive a reply. This made the students realise that the authr was a real persn f the research cmmunity and that they can themselves engage with current research. It is a recurrent theme in the literature that student research utput is usually 'stred in the university's resurce cllectin fllwing cmpletin and [theses and dissertatins] are nt used t write fr publicatins'. 11 Even wrse, BBC Wales recently revealed that mst universities in Wales deny public access t student research utput. 12 Sadly, lcking away students research utputs hinders the explratin f the teaching-research nexus and des nt encurage that further research (be it by ther students r by mre experienced academics) will build upn previus results. We cannt expect students t easily make the transfrmatin twards independent researchers if there is a perceptin that student research is merely a frm f assessment, rather than a frm f participatin in a specific scial envirnment the academic research cmmunity. Against this backgrund, steps twards empwering students t engage with academic authrs and their research at least has the ptential t cntribute t the necessary shift in self-perceptins Develping Skills t Evaluate Surces In the same vein, many, if nt mst, students need guidance n hw t read academic jurnal articles. Including at pstgraduate level, students ften have difficulties t select apprpriate academic surces fr their wn research, t identify the main arguments f an authr, the authr s assumptins, the research questin and the authr s main cnclusin. These skills can be equated t a threshld cncept because students cannt critically evaluate relevant surces if they struggle with the identificatin f apprpriate articles and their main arguments. Mrever, as lng as students cntinue t assume that jurnal articles are written by saints, it will be psychlgically difficult fr students t prvide critical analysis f academic literature. On the ther hand, if this perceptin can be influenced and students start t recgnise that articles are written by real human beings wh simply tend t have mre experience than the students, but wh may have their wn 10 ELSEN, M., VISSER-WIJNVEEN, G. J., VAN DER RIJST, R. M. & VAN DRIEL, J. H Hw t Strengthen the Cnnectin between Research and Teaching in Undergraduate University Educatin. Higher Educatin Quarterly, 63, 64-85, p. 69. Referencing JENKINS, A. (2003) et al. Reshaping teaching in higher educatin linking teaching with research. Lndn, Kgan; and Healey, M. (2005), Linking research and teaching: Explring disciplinary spaces and the rle f inquiry-based learning. In Barnett, R (Ed.), Reshaping the University: New Relatinships between Research, Schlarship and Teaching, pp , Lndn, McGraw Hill / Open University Press. 11 CALMA, A Pstgraduate Research Training: Sme Issues. Higher Educatin Quarterly, 65, , p BBC WALES. Lecturer claims pressure t accept substandard wrk frm verseas students [Online]. Available: last visited 19 June 'The nly university in Wales which has all its masters dissertatins n public display is Bangr University.' Sadly, subsequently t the BBC Wales revelatins, this plicy has changed. In the meantime and, at least as far as the Law Schl is cncerned, nly selected dissertatins remain available n public display.

5 5 (f sectin 8) agendas, assumptins and whse research may be limited in multiple ways, we can expect that the students will feel mre cnfident t questin the academic literature Making Cmmunicatin Requirements Explicit: Diversity and Prfessinalism In additin, the interventin fcuses n the transferable skill f writing a prfessinal . In tday s wrld, students must be able t send prperly drafted s, but it des nt always seem bvius that students understand hw an academic shuld lk like. This indispensable skill is nt taught explicitly in any ther mdule and I expect that this skills is best taught in a practical way t make it relevant t the student s wn inquiries. Where authrs respnd, the exercise will als lead t a sense f achievement and increase the mtivatin t undertake further research. In particular given the diversity f the student bdy in a seminar that includes LLM students frm all sub-prgrammes within the Law Schl, it seemed crucial t think f ways in which students can be supprted t participate in academic cmmunities. 13 In particular, scial cnventins must be made explicit t supprt this prcess. Having lived and wrked abrad in varius cultural settings, I have experienced myself hw prfessinal cmmunicatin is ften a place in which these cnventins are particularly imprtant, but difficult t grasp fr thse frm a different backgrund. Fr instance, what is the crrect way f using academic titles depending n cntext? What name(s) are used t address a senir academic? What can students d if they are unsure if a name is a first r a last name / if smene is a dctr, a prfessr r smene that can be addressed n a first-name basis, etc.? This issue needed t be addressed quite urgently within the Law Schl. The prblem f (un)prfessinal s has ptential reputatinal risks nt nly fr the students themselves, but fr the department and the university as a whle. It is an issue that has been recgnised within the Law Schl as a rather pressing and ptentially embarrassing prblem after clleagues at anther British university have infrmed us abut an example f an they received frm a Bangr pstgraduate student wh ed questins abut his research and did s in an inapprpriate way. Given that we have all made the experience f receiving inadequate s frm students, I thus decided that the idea implemented in Adelaide was a very prmising idea fr a teaching cycle in the Legal Research Methds curse. The cmbinatin f the explratin f the teaching-research nexus and the issue f prfessinal cmmunicatin thus seemed an apprpriate area f fcus fr a reflective accunt. The issues are clearly crss-cutting and f a transferable nature and the reflectin n the experiences made in this cntext allw me t engage with several areas f activities f the UKPSF, namely t evaluate practice, develp prfessinally and develp design and plan learning activities and/r entire mdules, demnstrate different appraches t and methds f teaching and supprting learning and the chice f a suitable apprach fr the achievement f curriculum aims, selecting apprpriate assessment and feedback strategies as well as develping effective learning envirnments and appraches t student supprt and guidance TENNANT, M., MCMULLEN, C. & KACZYNSKI, D Teaching fr Diversity. In: TENNANT, M., MCMULLEN, C. & KACZYNSKI, D. (eds.) Teaching, learning, and research in higher educatin: a critical apprach. New Yrk: Rutledge, p UKPSF, Areas f Activity A1-4.

6 6 (f sectin 8) Mrever, I suspected that the Legal Research Methds curse wuld be ne f the mre challenging mdules t teach given that it is a cmpulsry, relatively large but diverse grup and students d nt tend t perceive research methds curses as the mst attractive mdules. As Edwards and Thatcher wrte in an article in the Jurnal f Further and Higher Educatin, [m]any institutins acknwledge that students find curses in research methds difficult and challenging. 15 Against this backgrund, there is a lt f relevant literature available and I culd expect that a reflectin n selected aspects f this mdule wuld be pssible in light f a range f mre experienced teachers experiences. It shuld als be mentined that it was already apparent that there were sme issues related t the mdule design as such. The (temprary) lecturer wh previusly taught the mdule already prvided advice that the mdule design as such wuld in her view require sme changes. Hwever, given that the mdule had recently been re-structured by senir staff in 2011, I was asked nt t mdify it immediately but t try it ut fr anther year. Against this backgrund, I thught it wuld make sense t fcus n this mdule als with a view t evaluate the specific teaching interventin in light f brader changes that the mdule might benefit frm. 8.3 Prgress ntes The fllwing extracts are relevant frm the syllabus: By the 16 Octber 2012: Students had t cmplete the fllwing exercise: Exercise: Identify a jurnal article using traditinal legal research methds, in yur area f research interest. The article must be in English, less than three years ld and published in a high-quality academic jurnal. IMPORTANT: please print r phtcpy the article. Then lk at all the references and nte fr each f them what type f surce the authr is citing. File the article in a prtfli and bring this prtfli and yur ntes t class: we will need this fr mst f ur future classes. In the meantime, I prvided a shrt lecture n prfessinal cmmunicatin 16 and students discussed the characteristics f academic quality fr the identified jurnal articles in varius grup exercises. By the fllwing class, students had t cmplete the fllwing tw exercises: Exercise 1: After ding the reading fr this week, answer the questinnaire psted n Blackbard. Yu will have t re-read the jurnal article yu selected fr seminar 2 and answer questins abut the article. Exercise 2: In a few weeks, yu will send an t the authr f the article yu have selected, asking him r her a (gd!) questin. Think abut a pssible questin yu wuld like t ask the authr and draft an in accrdance with the guidance prvided in the previus week. D nt send the yet! Use a Wrd dcument t draft yur and indicate t whm yu wish t send 15 EDWARDS, D. F. & THATCHER, J A student-centred tutr-led apprach t teaching research methds. Jurnal f Further and Higher Educatin, 28, , p The cntent included the fllwing basic ingredients: what is an apprpriate questin, crrect address and pening, the imprtance f the subject line, explaining why ne is writing, asking the questin in a specific, cncise and friendly way, thanking the addressee fr their time, crrect clsing, which accunt shuld be used.

7 7 (f sectin 8) it and what subject line yu plan t use. this Wrd dcument with yur draft message t e.schmid@bangr.ac.uk prir t the class (until Wednesday 17 Octber, 10am). Tw weeks later: Exercise 1: Yu will receive feedback frm the lecturer n yur draft . After that, please make any necessary changes t the prfread it again, spell-check it carefully send it t the authr f the jurnal article. If yu wuld like the lecturer t have anther lk at the befre sending it, please send the revised draft t e.schmid@bangr.ac.uk. Uplad the text f yur n Blackbard in the assignment drp bx. These were the tasks assigned in the syllabus, tgether with relevant readings and ther exercises. While we were able t keep t the time plan and sme students cmpleted all assigned tasks, the set-up f the teaching cycle was far frm ptimal: The start f semester 1 in 2012 was incredibly hectic. The defence f my PhD in Geneva was scheduled fr the first week f teaching, I had t shift multiple teaching sessins t be able t travel and I started t teach three mdules fr the first time, all f them as the mdule leader and ne f them a cre undergraduate mdule. My father had a life threatening accident the week befre my viva (he is fine nw) and I was struggling t juggle the varius cmmitments. In the end, I cped, but the set-up f the teaching cycle and the resulting student engagement were nt entirely satisfactry. I was unable t cmmunicate strngly enugh hw imprtant the hmewrk fr each class wuld be and many students failed t cmplete the tasks assigned in the syllabus and I had very limited capacity t chase the students r t ensure that they all understd why they were asked t cmplete these exercises. This lack f cmpletin f the tasks negatively impacted n the quality f the in-class discussins and engagement. The prblem was exacerbated by the fact that every week, new students arrived in the mdule until abut week 5 and I had t spend time t integrate them within the class and they had already missed almst half f the teaching n the mdule. (See als sectin 8.6 n the implicatins and changes made fr next year). 8.4 Summary f relevant data and feedback Available data includes: Article questinnaires (exercises in which students had t answer questins related t the article they selected): Six students submitted the exercise. Draft s: Nine students sent me their draft s. I apprved five f them with minr crrectins and I encuraged the ther students t verhaul the and send it t me again. Student feedback in week 5 and at the end f the semester. I decided t ask fr student feedback related t all aspects f the mdule (in-class survey with pen questins). Specific feedback n the task was scant (which is prbably nt surprising given the relatively small number f students wh drafted an ).

8 8 (f sectin 8) Tw main issues emerged in the student feedback: the nature f the exercises and mst imprtantly, many students cmmented n the mdule as a whle, in particular as far as the timing f the mdule and the assessment methds are cncerned. Belw are a few recurrent statements: The nature f the exercises learning hw t crrectly t authrs and lecturers was amng the best aspects f the mdule active participatin f students in class is the best aspect Sme exercises were excessive, thugh I can see the aim. It may be mre useful t spread the class ut ver tw semesters The best aspect was the practical sessins and assignments because it made it mre easy t understand the dissertatin requirements and preparatin fr future wrks This mdule has been a very helpful and assisted my career and persnal life t wrk as a researcher and methds which I think it was imprinted excellently reduce the wrkshp time The best aspects f this mdule are the practical exercises in class, the hme exercises which enabled us t gradually build strng and prductive skills t undertake research the lecturer was well understanding and adapted her classes fr the difficulties f sme students n rm fr imprvement except the task. There was n reply. I was pleased that I pted t take the mdule (I had the ptin t pt-ut as it wasn t cmpulsry fr me). It wuld be a gd idea fr a similar mdule t be run at undergraduate level. the mix between PwerPint and ral explanatins by the lecturer and the practical exercises were the best aspect The practical exercises in class and at hme, such as the [library ]scavenger hunt and the ther exercises were the best aspect. T imprve, I wuld wish even mre f such exercises and essays t demnstrate what we have learned (e.g. shrt essays as assignments) Timing f the exercises and the mdule as a whle Finding a research subject s sn can be challenging In my pinin, I feel that the mdule culd be imprved by changing the assessment methd perhaps n the prtfli? Als, I think the mdule wuld be mre beneficial if run either in the secnd semester r ver t semester. Basically, t early t decide prperly n a dissertatin title. This mdule culd be dne thrugh a year, especially thrugh the dissertatin perid. It is early t think abut the dissertatin because we might be interested in ding a tpic that is nly taught in the later semester I feel that it was cunterprductive t run the mdule ver nly ne semester. The prcess f ding a presentatin and prpsal fr the dissertatin s early n I feel rushed be and harm my research. Running the mdule ver tw semesters wuld be mre easy.

9 9 (f sectin 8) The timing f the mdule culd be imprved the skills being taught and exercises required wuld be far mre helpful and cntextualised if the mdule was spread thrugh t the 2 nd semester when the issues being discussed and the skills taught are required. Unfrtunately, n student upladed their draft s n Blackbard despite repeated encuragements. I believe there shuld have been critical mass f participatin and it might have wrked, but n ne wanted t be the first student t uplad their . Even mre unfrtunately, frm the handful f students wh sent their t the authrs, nne f them seems t have received a respnse, r at least nt befre the end f the mdule. This is clearly the mst regrettable aspect f the experience. 8.5 Evaluatin f student learning experience in relatin t intended utcmes Several remarks must be made abut the relevant data and feedback: First, the number f students wh submitted the exercises is clearly insufficient despite my decisin (and encuragement) t allw submissin after the deadline. Secnd, the quality f the article questinnaires was generally quite gd while the quality f the draft s was mixed. This was quite challenging as I had t decide whether I shuld encurage the student t send the with minr crrectins r whether I shuld encurage the student t recnsider the . Sme f the s were clearly inapprpriate despite the lecture in the previus week. Tw internatinal students selected the same article appearing n tp f the archive list f a prestigius jurnal which I mentined in class, but which had abslutely nthing t d with their research interests and they bth wanted t ask the same authr if he culd please summarise the article fr them... I decided that I wuld apprve any s that were sufficiently prfessinal s that mre students culd try ut the idea. Hence, many f the s I apprved were apprpriate in style, but the questins asked t the authrs were generally t brad and students might have asked mre specific questins later n when they had already dne mre research fr their dissertatin. Third, it is striking hw many students cmmented n the timing f the exercises (and the mdule as a whle). This is nt entirely surprising as the lecturer wh previusly taught this mdule shared similar feedback and suggested that wider changes shuld be made t the mdule design. There was resistance frm the persn wh riginally (re)validated the mdule tw years ag and I was asked t teach it this year as it was. In terms f implicatins fr future teaching practice, I thus decided that the timing f the mdule, its assessment methds and the crrespnding exercises were what needed fcused attentin (see sectin 8.6). Furth, we cmpletely failed t reprduce the authrs respnse rate the students had in Adelaide. James des nt reprt a specific figure n the exact number f authrs wh respnded t students queries, but he reprts that '[a]uthrs generally reply psitively t the questins (it at least shws that smene is reading and interested in their wn research), and ccasinally a general dialgue ccurs'. 17 The same has unfrtunately nt been the case fr the few students in Bangr wh sent 17 JAMES, P. (2003) D-It-Yurself (DIY) Interactive Multimedia (IMM) - Student grupwrk assignments based n analysis f current (Gescience) discipline jurnal article analyses, available at (last visited 20 June 2013). See als JAMES PR, PETERSON R & Clark I, Students questin the wrld: learning with multiple media. In, CHRISTIE et al,(eds), Making New

10 10 (f sectin 8) their s. James acknwledges that 'this [authrs respnding] des nt always happen', but it is truly unlucky that nt ne f the Bangr LLM students reprted that he r she received a respnse. I prvide cmments n the implicatins f these findings fr future teaching practice, bth in general and fr this specific mdule in particular. 8.6 Reflectins n the implicatins fr future teaching practice Given the feedback prvided by students, the advice received by the previus lecturer f the mdule and the pprtunity t fine-tune the mdule design nw that I had been teaching it fr a semester, I decided t take the time t plan brader changes nt nly t the specific ing task, but t the mdule in general. Frm the analysis abve, it is clear that I shuld have dne this cycle rather differently. The chance t engage with the brader design f the mdule will give me the pprtunity t d s in the future The ing task I believe that the mst imprtant implicatins f the experience relate t the mdule as a whle, rather than the specific ing interventin. Even if the interventin did nt fully g accrding t the plan and students did nt satisfactrily engage, I dn t believe that this is an inherent prblem with the idea as such, but rather a prblem related t the cntext in which the interventin tk place. In ther wrds, I think I need t change the learning envirnment in which the interventin takes place, rather than abandn the idea and the fcus f the interventin. This impressin is mstly based n my gut feeling, but there are gd indicatins in student feedback which seem t cnfirm this cnclusin: The vast majrity did nt chse t cmment n the ing task as such, but n the timing and distributin f the exercises as well as the mdule as a whle. Mrever, I have encuntered varius ther ideas thrughut the PGCertHE which seem t cnfirm that the assessment methds and their timing might nt have been entirely cnducive t supprt deep learning and t enhance student engagement. Students als didn t have sufficient cntrl ver their wn learning success and the widely diverse nature f the student bdy wuld require a lnger time perid t enhance the perceptin f the mdule s usefulness fr students. While it is a real pity that we culdn t reprduce the success in terms f respnse rate t the students s, I believe that this was mstly due t, first, the small number f students wh effectively sent their s and, secnd, the fact that they had t generate a questin at an early stage f their research prcess, resulting in smewhat verly brad questins that might have taken the authrs quite sme time t answer. It seems wrth t try this again but t give mre cntrl t the students as t the mment in which they ask a questin t the authr s that they can d s when they have a mre genuine questin. The next sectin, therefre, explains the implicatins I suggest t draw fr the mdule Subject-specific implicatins fr the mdule Fllwing the analysis f student feedback and my wn reflectins, I cntacted the LLM Sub- Cmmittee f the Law Schl (a sub-cmmittee f the Law Schl s pstgraduate cmmittee). This cmmittee versees teaching and learning issues fr the LLM prgrammes f the Law Schl. Cnnectins. Prceedings f the 1996 Australasian Sciety fr Cmputers in Learning in Tertiary Educatin, Adelaide, December 1996,

11 11 (f sectin 8) Mrever, ne f their members is the staff wh riginally validated the mdule. The cmmittee discussed my suggestins in detail and there was an nging cnversatin by between members f the cmmittee and myself. The Cmmittee apprved the directin f my suggestins and gave me the green light t liaise with the Academic Manager f the Cllege f Business, Law, Educatin and Scial Sciences t implement the changes fr the next academic year. This change prcess tk place ver the curse f several mnths and invlved substantial exchanges with clleagues f the LLM Cmmittee and the Academic Manager wh had t ensure that the mdule wuld still be cmpatible with timetabling and prgramme validatin dcuments. In the end, we fund what I believe is a gd slutin in line with my suggestins: Nne f the suggestins is grundbreaking r surprising. But they are aligned with a wide range f relevant literature, in particular an article frm Edwards and Thatcher wh identified very similar issues in research methds curses taught at the University f Aberystwyth and St Mary's Cllege. The authrs describe an interventin in which they changed, inter alia, the assessments f a research methds mdule. They als emphasise the need fr a student-fcused apprach. 18 The tw authrs describe an initial situatin which mirrrs the ne in Bangr: a traditinal apprach t the delivery f research methds and assessments by the submissin f a research prpsal and an examinatin that fcused n research design and data analysis. 19 In particular, Edwards and Thatcher psitively evaluated the use f relatively small, weekly prtins f assessed tasks (rather than end-f-semester assessments nly). 20 Anther very helpful surce has been an article by Bensn and Blackman wh asked whether research methds can ever be interesting. They answer in the affirmative and suggest that this is best achieved if a research methds curse is activity-based. In particular, they als emphasise hw a strategic change in assessment methds (cmbined with a change in the actual teaching sessins) increased the students engagement with learning if the assessments and the teaching were bth activity-based and spread ver a cnsiderable time perid. 21 This is als supprted by my wn experiences summarised in sectin 6 f this prtfli (Reflectin Stage 1) and the reprt n Chris Ribchester s reprt as well as much f the literature n assessment and feedback: If, quite plausibly, many students are assessment-driven, strategic-learners, we better make use f this thrughut the curse f a mdule in rder t supprt learning and align the in-class sessins with the assessments The mst imprtant changes t the mdule The Research Methds mdule will nw run ver the curse f tw semesters. Six 2 hur sessins will take place in semester 1 and five in the first half f semester 2 apprximately every frtnight. The intensive wrkshp (previusly a 7 hur wrkshp with student presentatins) will n lnger take place. 18 EDWARDS, D. F. & THATCHER, J A student-centred tutr-led apprach t teaching research methds. Jurnal f Further and Higher Educatin, 28, Ibid., p Ibid, p BENSON, A. & BLACKMAN, D Can Research Methds Ever Be Interesting? Active Learning in Higher Educatin, 4, 39-55, p See, fr instance, CARLESS, D. (2006). Hw assessment supprts learning learning-riented assessment in actin. Hng Kng, Hng Kng University Press, p. 2 ( Assessment impacts n what cntent students fcus n, their appraches t learning, and their patterns f study. )

12 12 (f sectin 8) Cmment: Changing the mdule t run ver tw semesters was slightly difficult t implement fr credit balancing and timetabling issues. We decided that the mdule will technically still be cnsidered a semester 1 mdule, but that the marks wuld nly have t be finalised in spring (rather than at the usual semester 1 deadline). I did nt feel that the learning utcmes wuld require changes at this stage. 23 Hwever, I have changed the assessment methds: Previusly students were assessed by a ten minute ral presentatin in a (very lng and tiresme) wrkshp in December (50%) 24 and a research prpsal (50%) submitted a week after the presentatin. The new assessment methds will be: a prtfli (50%) submitted at the end f semester 1 and a research prpsal (50%) submitted in mid-march. Justificatin fr the timing f the assessments: It is imprtant t cnsider that the Research Methds mdule is nt just imprtant fr the students dissertatin, but als fr their nrmal semester 1 assignments. While the students said in the feedback that they thught that they wanted mre time befre having t engage with their dissertatin prjects, there is merit in ensuring that they begin t think abut research prcesses early n in the curse f their ne-year prgramme. Hwever, it makes mre sense if they d s ver a lnger time span and nt just in relatin t the dissertatin as such, but rather the skills they will need t realise a gd research utput. Justificatin fr the assessment methds by prtfli in semester 1: Much f the literature n assessment criticises that there is a lack f imaginatin and variety in assessment practices acrss higher educatin. 25 There is much written abut the benefits f assessing learning by a prtfli rather than a ne-ff end f term assessment. 26 A prtfli views assessment as smething sustainable and lng-term riented. A prtfli als facilitates t mve the assessment frm the exclusive dmain teachers int the hands f learners, 27 and prvides much mre pprtunities t hand ver cntrl t the students, and thus t design the assessment methd fr usefulness and success in accrdance with Brett Jnes MUSIC mdel. 28 Given that I will be n maternity leave next year, I dn t want t prescribe t the relevant lecturer what exactly the cmpnents f the prtfli shuld be fr next year as this will als depend n student numbers and individual preferences f the lecturer. Hwever, I wuld make a few recmmendatins: 23 Cntrary t the situatin described by Bensn and Blackmann. See BENSON, A. & BLACKMAN, D Can Research Methds Ever Be Interesting? Active Learning in Higher Educatin, 4, 39-55, p This wrkshp lasted fr mre than six hurs despite the fact that students were divided int tw grups (which required vide-taping f half f the presentatins and the crdinatin with several duble-markers). 25 Results f a QAA review in 2003: BOUD, D., & FALCHIKOV, N. (2006). Aligning Assessment with Lng-Term Learning. Special Issue: Learning-Oriented Assessment: Principles and Practice. Assessment & Evaluatin in Higher Educatin. 31, Cited in GILLETT, A. & HAMMOND, A Mapping the maze f assessment: An investigatin int practice. Active Learning in Higher Educatin, 10, , p See Ibid, p. 125: In additin t describing assessment tasks that take place ver an extended perid f time, this grup f features has in cmmn that each demands extended r cntinuus invlvement frm the learner and s fcuses n develpment. As such, these are practices that fster deep learning. 27 TENNANT, M., MCMULLEN, C., & KACZYNSKI, D. (2010). Teaching, learning, and research in higher educatin: a critical apprach. New Yrk, Rutledge, p JONES, B. D. (2009). Mtivating Students t Engage in Learning: The MUSIC Mdel f Academic Mtivatin. Internatinal Jurnal f Teaching and Learning in Higher Educatin. 21,

13 13 (f sectin 8) First, as Light and Cx rightfully warn, care must be taken that the pprtunity t change the duratin f the mdule shuld nt generally be seen as times t intrduce mre cntent but rather as pprtunities fr cnslidatin, applicatin and higher levels f understanding. 29 This must be reflected in the prtfli tasks: they shuld clsely be aligned t the essential mdule substance, rather than adding mre cntent. Secnd, the identificatin f relevant academic jurnal articles and the reading questins shuld be included as ne f the (early) tasks. Third, the ing task shuld be maintained, but the students shuld have cntrl t decide when in the semester they cmplete it. Furth, ther pre-existing exercises used fr the mdule culd be used as assessed tasks. Fifth, at least ne cmpnent f the prtfli shuld be an ral assessment, such as a pdcast. 30 Sixth, the new lecturer culd rely n the practical guidance prvided by Race in The Lecturer s Tlkit n the design f prtfli assessments Meta-Feedback and Outlk Fllwing the advice and insights frm Gwen van der Velden in the 'Student Vice' Wrkshp n enhancing learning, 32 I als decided t prvide the exiting students with meta-feedback t give them an idea f what happens with the feedback they prvided and what changes I have decided t make t the mdule. The text f this Blackbard annuncement is cntained in Annex 1. The next step is nw t ensure that the entering students will receive sme explanatins n the histry f the mdule design and why it is structured the way it is and hw past students have influenced these decisins. Given that I will be n maternity leave when the next academic year starts, the handver memrandum fr the relevant lecturer (nt yet knwn) cntains an explanatry nte. Mrever, I als recmmend that the new changes shuld bviusly be evaluated next year t assess their effectiveness and t decide if they shuld be maintained r mdified fr cming years. 29 LIGHT, G., & COX, R. (2003). Learning and teaching in higher educatin: the reflective prfessinal. Lndn, Sage Publicatins, p On my psitive experiences with student-prduced pdcasts, see sectin 6 f this prtfli (Reflectin n Stage 1). 31 RACE, P. (2007). The lecturer's tlkit: a practical guide t assessment, learning and teaching. Lndn, Rutledge, p Gwen van der Velden, The Student Vice: Enhancing Learning, nt just Student Satisfactin, Wrkshp at Bangr University, 11 February Fr the wrkshp reprt, see sectin 11 C f this Prtfli.

14 14 (f sectin 8) 8.7 Annex 1: Meta Feedback Psted n Blackbard: Update n Legal Research Methds mdule: Yur feedback and sme tips n what cmes next in yur dissertatin writing prcess Dear LLM students, This annuncement cntains an update n the utcme f the feedback yu have prvided n the LLM Legal Research Methds mdule and sme tips abut further resurces t help yu write yur dissertatins (and yur ther assignments). As I explained in class, the Law Schl is very grateful if students prvide us with cnstructive feedback n hw t imprve a mdule r any aspect f teaching. This was especially the case fr the Legal Research Methds mdule given that I had t first cllect evidence f student feedback s that I culd make suggestins t the LLM Cmmittee. After all, the Legal Research Methds mdule is an imprtant ne and it affects the vast majrity f students in the LLM prgrammes. Sme f the main pints frm the feedback were: Students thught the timing f writing the prpsal was t early and they felt it was difficult t craft the dissertatin prpsal by December That the wrkshp with the presentatins was t lng and t difficult t rganise given the number f students Many students generally said that it wuld be better if the mdule was taught ver a lnger perid f time What happens nw with yur feedback? I have used yur feedback t make a range f suggestins t the LLM Cmmittee and the Cmmittee then discussed these ideas. The changes are nt yet final and the changes will nly affect future students, but I thught t update yu n prgress. Prbably, the mdule will still be taught in semester 1, but we fund a creative slutin t change the timing f the assessments. In ther wrds, the mdule is likely t be changed in a way that mst f the classes will still be in semester 1 but the submissin deadline fr the prpsal will be in semester 2 and there will be wrkshps in the secnd semester as well. This way, future students can still use the mdule t help them with their semester 1 assignments, but there will sme mre activities in the secnd semester as well. We are als planning t change the assessment regime s that future students will have t submit prtflis instead f presenting at the big wrkshp. Finally, I want t give yu sme tips n what cmes next with yur dissertatin research: Yu are already wrking with a supervisr nw r yu will sn be after Dr Zhen Jing gets back t yu with the cnfirmatin f yur tpics and the supervisr allcatins. Yur supervisr will be able t give yu further feedback n yur prpsal and yu shuld make

15 15 (f sectin 8) gd use f this input frm a very early stage nwards. Dn t wait until summer t meet with yur supervisr. Mrever, Mairwen Owen frm the library will cntinue t prvide yu with a lt f resurces and she is planning further wrkshps abut referencing. Als dn t miss the prgramme f the Academic Develpment Unit (ADU). As I explained in class, the ADU als prvides yu with many useful wrkshps that are pen t yu. Here is again the link t their website with the list f pprtunities: Of curse, I als still have ffice hurs in the secnd semester and yu shuld feel free t sign-up n my dr if yu wuld like t g thrugh the feedback n yur prpsal. Mrever, the Blackbard space frm ur mdule will remain pen and yu can cntinue t make use f the resurces I psted there ver the curse f the last semester (e.g. hw t find examples f LLM dissertatins, hw t use OSCOLA, hw t avid unfair practice, bks n legal writing, etc.). Thanks again fr yur feedback and gd luck fr yur research, Evelyne