"Ruby's Music Festival": developing problem-solving skills using online scenarios and creating opportunities to feed forward

Law Teacher

Volumn 47, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 300-318

  Backstrom, Michelle ^a   Cooper, Donna ^a  

^a QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84889058862     PISSN: 03069400     EISSN: 19430353     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/03069400.2013.851335     Document Type: Article

References (93)

1. QUT is located in Brisbane, Australia; see www.qut.edu.au (accessed 8 August 2013). All Australian undergraduate students are required to develop the threshold learning outcomes for their particular discipline, Discipline Standards Australia, http://disciplinestandards.pbworks.com/w/page/52657697/FrontPage (accessed 8 August 2013).
2. "Thinking Skills" is Threshold Learning Outcome 3.
3. S. Kift and Winthrop M. Israel, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project, Bachelor of Laws, Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement December 2010, http://www.cald.asn.au/assets/lists/Resources/KiftetalLTASStandardsStatement2010%20TLOs%20LLB.pdf (accessed 8 August 2013). This learning outcome also includes the ability to (c) engage in critical analysis and make a reasoned choice among alternatives and (d) think creatively in approaching legal issues and generating appropriate responses.
4. V. Allen, "A Critical Reflection on the Methodology of Teaching Law to Non-law Students" [2007]
5. Web JCLI http://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/2007/issue4/allen4.html (accessed 8 August 2013).
6. V. Shute, "Focus on Formative Feedback" (2008) 78(1) Review of Educational Research 153+157.
7. L. Dunn, C. Morgan, M. O'Reilly and S. Parry, The Student Assessment Handbook: New Directions in Traditional and Online Assessment (London, RoutledgeFalmer, 2004) p. 18
8. S. Bloxham and P. Boyd, Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education (Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill Open University Press, 2007) p. 15.
9. Shute, supra n. 5.
10. This course is designed for students wanting careers, particularly business related careers in the entertainment industry, see QUT, Bachelor of Entertainment Industries, http://www.qut.edu.au/ study/courses/bachelor-of-entertainment-industries (accessed 8 August 2013). The course is further described
11. B. Hamley, A. McKee and C. Collis, "Entertainment: An Interdisciplinary Approach to an Object of Study" (2010) 3(2) Journal of Cultural Science 1.
12. The unit was offered in 2011 to existing students but the degree was formally commenced in 2012.
13. The importance of consistency in relation to the method used is considered in K. Richardson
14. J. Butler and E. Holm, "Teaching Law to Non-law Students: The Use of Problem Solving Models in Legal Teaching" (2009) 6(2) Studies in Learning, Evaluation Innovation and Development 29+40.
15. Many students orally expressed anxiety to staff during in-person lessons about studying and undertaking assessment items in a law unit for the first time.
16. For the first activity, we built on the work of the Threshold Concepts and Variations Theory Project to produce an introductory problem-solving activity that was suitable for the online environment. Support for this original work was provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. For further information on the project
17. G. Akerlind, J. McKenzie and M. Lupton, A Threshold Concepts Focus to Curriculum Design: Supporting Student Learning through Application of Variation Theory (Final Report, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, 2011) and the website: www.thresholdvariation.edu.au (accessed 8 August 2013). The problem-solving structure we built on for the first of our online activities is described in Appendix 8 to the Report.
18. Unit Outline, Introduction to Law LWS009 which also sets out the content, teaching and learning approaches and assessment, http://www.qut.edu.au/study/unit-search/unit?unitCode=LWS009&idunit=464 (accessed 8 August 2013).
19. Note that aims are, "statements of general educational intent, seen from the student's point of view.": P. Ramsden, Learning to Teach in Higher Education (2nd ed., London, RoutledgeFalmer, 2003) p. 126.
20. These learning objectives are, "specific and concrete statements of what students are expected to learn". Ramsden, supra n. 14.
21. M. Nehme, "E-Learning and Students' Motivation" (2010) 20 Legal Education Review 223, p. 227
22. J. Parker, "The Online Adult Learner: Profiles and Practices", in T. Kidd (ed.), Online Education and Adult Learning: New Frontiers for Teaching Practices (Information Science Reference, 2010) p. 2.
23. The course is described in Hamley, McKee and Collis, supra n. 8.
24. Unit Outline, Entertainment Law LWS008, http://www.qut.edu.au/study/unit-search/unit?unitCode=LWS008&idunit=46475 (accessed 8August 2013).
25. Lectorials are a blend of lecture and tutorial formats.
26. Unit Outline, Introduction to Law LWS009, supra n. 13.
27. Equity issues do not arise as all internal QUT students have access to computer laboratories on campus.
28. Ramsden, supra n. 14, pp. 184-185.
29. Unit Outline, Introduction to Law LWS009, supra n. 13.
30. The assignment was due in week 14 of the semester. This was one week after classes finished.
31. The activity was completed at this time. However, in future offerings of the unit the activity will be made available from the beginning of the semester.
32. For a discussion of the use of video in teaching see D. Laurillard, Rethinking University Teaching (2nd ed., Abingdon, RoutledgeFalmer, 2002), pp. 103-104.
33. B. Mott, C. Callaway, L. Zettlemoyer, S. Lee and J. Lester, "Towards Narrative-Centered Learning Environments", Proceedings of the AAAI Fall Symposium on Narrative Intelligence, North Falmouth, Massachusetts, 5-7 November 1999, p. 78, http://www.aaai.org/Papers/Symposia/Fall/1999/FS-99-01/FS99-01-013.pdf (accessed 8 August 2013).
34. D. Butler, "Air Gondwana: Teaching Basic Negotiation Skills Using Multimedia" (2008) 1(1&2) JALTA 213-226.
35. Authentic assessment means for example, "creating assessment items that students experience and relevant in their own right".
36. K. Sambell, L. McDowell and C. Montgomery, Assessment for Learning in Higher Education, (Abingdon, Routledge, 2013), "Chapter 1: Designing Authentic Assessment" (eBook).
37. Bloxham and Boyd, supra n. 6, pp. 27-28.
38. Laurillard, supra n. 26, p. 103.
39. Laurillard, supra n. 26, Ibid., p. 114.
40. Nehme, supra n. 16, p. 230
41. P. Alexander and J. Judy, "The Interaction of Domain Specific and Strategic Knowledge in Academic Performance" (1988) 58 Review of Educational Research 375
42. P. Pintrich et al., "Instructional Psychology" (1986) 37 Annual Review of Psychology 611.
43. Nehme supra n.16, p. 230.
44. While the activity was created in PowerPoint, regular navigation was disabled. Instead of proceeding through the PowerPoint show in a linear way (as is usually done) the show is branched and slide material is delivered to students in a more flexible way. For tutorials on using the tool, see The Rapid E-Learning Blog, http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/ (accessed 8 August 2013).
45. J. Hermida, "Teaching Criminal Law in a Visually and Technology Oriented Culture: A Visual Pedagogy Approach" (2006) 16 Legal Education Review 153.
46. L. McNamara, "Lecturing (and Not Lecturing) Using the Web: Developing a Teaching Strategy for Web-based Lectures (Flexible Delivery in a First Year Law Subject, Part I)" (2000) 11(2) Legal Education Review 149.
47. Laurillard, supra n. 26, pp. 103-104.
48. The benefits to students were noted in the 2009 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) which identified "the difficulties balancing university studies with personal commitments and the need to work more hours to support themselves" as key reasons first year students discontinued their studies: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), AUSSE Research Briefing: Getting First Year Students Engaged (2010), http://ausse.acer.edu.au/images/docs/AUSSE_research_Briefing_vol6.pdf (accessed 5 November 2012).
49. K. Nelson, S. Kift and W. Harper, "First Portal in a Storm: A Virtual Space for Transition Students", paper presented at the ASCILITE Conference: Balance, Fidelity, Mobility: Maintaining the Momentum?, QUT, Brisbane, 2005, http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane05/blogs/proceedings/ 58_Nelson.pdf (accessed 8 August 2013).
50. Butler, supra n. 28.
51. John Pyke, Lecturer, QUT and referring to Australian Sir Isaac Isaacs.
52. J. Pyke, Constitutional Law (South Yarra, Victoria, Palgrave MacMillan, 2013) pp. xxxiii-xxxiv.
53. C. Cook, R. Creyke, R. Geddes and D. Hamer, T. Taylor, Laying Down the Law (8th ed., Chatswood, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2012), pp. 391-397
54. P. Keyzner, Legal Problem Solving (2nd ed., Chatswood, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2003). For a discussion of legal problem solving and an overview of the literature on similar approaches
55. M. Liddle, "The Varied Landscape of Legal Problem-Solving" (2004) 38(1) The Law Teacher 55-57.
56. Liddle, supra n. 40, p. 56.
57. The video was produced by QUT's eTV. To produce the scripts for the videos, a review of the relevant case law was conducted and interviews with industry professionals were undertaken to ensure that the videos provided realistic scenarios. Michelle is grateful for the assistance provided by Cheryl Treloar, QUT in relation to research and writing associated with the development of the script.
58. A Dunn et al., supra n. 6, pp. 175-176.
59. Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Threshold Concepts and Variations Theory Project, supra n. 12. While we also chose to base the first scenario around a piece of fictional legislation and to ascertain whether Ruby had contravened that legislation, subsequent activities we have developed give rise to more complex legal questions and do not use variation theory.
60. Ramsden, supra n. 14, pp. 86-87.
61. D. Nicol and D. Macfarlane-Dick, "Formative Assessment and Self-regulated Learning: A Model and Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice" (2006) 31(2) Studies in Higher Education 199-218.
62. A. Bone, "The Impact of Formative Assessment on Student Learning" [2006] 3 Web JCLI http:// webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/2006/issue3/bone3.html (accessed 8 August 2013) which refers to the research of
63. V. Bermingham and J. Hodgson (2005), http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/research/projects/hodgson.html.
64. J. Hattie and H. Timperley, "The Power of Feedback" (2007) 77(1) Review of Educational Research 81, p. 92.
65. Bone, supra n. 47.
66. For further discussion of the effects of immediate and delayed feedback see Hattie and Timperley, supra n. 48, p. 98.
67. These statistics were collated by the QUT unit responsible for the lodgement and return of assessment items called "Assignment Minder".
68. K. Bright, Providing Individual Written Feedback on Formative and Summative Assessments (UK Centre for Legal Education, 2009), http://ukcle.ac.uk
69. A. Adcroft, "Speaking the Same Language? Perceptions of Feedback amongst Academic Staff and Students in a School of Law" (2010) 44(3) The Law Teacher 250+253.
70. The focus groups were held as part of a feedback project led by Professor Melinda Shirley and the Project Officer was Elizabeth Grist. They were conducted in groups of three students with two members of the QUT teaching staff facilitating the discussions.
71. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, supra n. 46, p. 205.
72. Adcroft, supra n. 51, pp. 252-254.
73. D. Nicol and C. Milligan, "Rethinking Technology-Supported Assessment Practices in Relation to the Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice", in C. Bryan and K. Clegg (eds), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (Abingdon, Routledge, 2007) p. 66.
74. D. Nicol and C. Milligan, "Rethinking Technology-Supported Assessment Practices in Relation to the Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice", in C. Bryan and K. Clegg (eds), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (Abingdon, Routledge, 2007) Ibid., p. 65. There were four levels of standards.
75. D. Nicol and C. Milligan, "Rethinking Technology-Supported Assessment Practices in Relation to the Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice", in C. Bryan and K. Clegg (eds), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (Abingdon, Routledge, 2007) Ibid., p. 67.
76. D. Nicol and C. Milligan, "Rethinking Technology-Supported Assessment Practices in Relation to the Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice", in C. Bryan and K. Clegg (eds), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (Abingdon, Routledge, 2007) Ibid., p. 66.
77. Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, supra n. 46, p. 208.
78. Nicol and Milligan, supra n. 54, p. 70.
79. S. Field and L. Jones, "Innovations in Assessment: An Investigation into the Role of Blended Learning as a Support Mechanism for Assessment" (2010) 44(3) The Law Teacher 378, p. 382.
80. Students had also been lectured on problem-solving method in class in week 2 of the semester.
81. Nicol and Milligan, supra n. 54, p. 70 and pp. 72-73.
82. In the second offering the number of enrolments has risen substantially to 154 students.
83. The survey question asked was "Before using this resource, had you ever used a legal problem solving method like ISAAC before?".
84. The survey question asked was "On a scale of 1-7, how useful did you find the Ruby resource?".
85. The survey question asked was "On a scale of 1-7, how easy did you find the Ruby resource to use?".
86. The survey question asked was "Would you be happy to work through more scenarios which are similar in approach to the Ruby and the Travel Smartcard Case? Yes/No".
87. Students were also asked "Which aspects of the resource did you find least helpful? Why?".
88. The survey asked students "Which aspects of the resource did you find most helpful? Why?".
89. Bone, supra n. 47.
90. In the usual end of semester survey of units of study, it was also clear that overall satisfaction with the unit was above the university average.
91. J. Biggs and C. Tang, Teaching for Quality Learning at University (4th ed., Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill, 2011) (eBook).
92. The word count is 500 words.
93. A case report involves students reading the report of a court case and then summarising certain aspects of the case. The case report had previously been due at week 5 of the semester.