Caroline Cottman 2008

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The Virtual Law The Virtual Law Placement Placement - -

from concept to trial from concept to trial

Tina CockburnTina CockburnMelinda ShirleyMelinda Shirley

Caroline CottmanCaroline Cottman

ATN Assessment Conference 2008ATN Assessment Conference 2008

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VLP - AimVLP - Aim The VLP unit aims to:The VLP unit aims to:

provide a provide a real world learning experiencereal world learning experience through application and supervised placement through application and supervised placement in a legal workplace environment. in a legal workplace environment.

enable enable greater knowledge and greater knowledge and understanding of the dynamic understanding of the dynamic relationship between academic relationship between academic knowledge and its practical applicationknowledge and its practical application to to legal issues that arise in a workplace.legal issues that arise in a workplace.

give the give the opportunity to identify and opportunity to identify and practice graduate capabilities relevant to practice graduate capabilities relevant to the workplace environment.the workplace environment.

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OverviewOverview

What?What? - The resources used in this project and - The resources used in this project and the collaborative learning toolsthe collaborative learning tools

How?How? - The visual organiser, instructions, - The visual organiser, instructions, assessment tasks – application, workplace assessment tasks – application, workplace project , discussion forum and eportfolioproject , discussion forum and eportfolio

What happened?What happened? - How were the assessment - How were the assessment tasks received by students? How effective were tasks received by students? How effective were criteria as basis for marking?criteria as basis for marking?

What next?What next? – Challenges and review – Challenges and review

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What?What?

Unit resources Unit resources LMS – Unit Blackboard site LMS – Unit Blackboard site Sharepoint – to replicate the legal Sharepoint – to replicate the legal

firm environment firm environment Collaborative tools – discussion forums Collaborative tools – discussion forums Student emails, skype, MSNStudent emails, skype, MSN Career modules – interviews, using Career modules – interviews, using

eportfolio, eportfolio,

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Unit Visual organiserUnit Visual organiser

Aims to Aims to organise resources organise resources Focus student effort – in 4 phases Focus student effort – in 4 phases Provide Unit schedule – pacing guide Provide Unit schedule – pacing guide Cluster resources for workplace supervisorsCluster resources for workplace supervisors Each workplace – virtual replication of Each workplace – virtual replication of

authentic workplaceauthentic workplace Stream assessment tasks/discussion around Stream assessment tasks/discussion around

themes themes

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TIMELINE AND SCHEDULE OF WORKTIMELINE AND SCHEDULE OF WORK::

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How?How?

Assessment of work practice Assessment of work practice components components Application / Interim report Application / Interim report Workplace projectWorkplace project

Reflective assessment and theoryReflective assessment and theory Online discussion & summaryOnline discussion & summary Eportfolio entriesEportfolio entries

Marking undertaken by academic staff Marking undertaken by academic staff and workplace supervisor and workplace supervisor

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Assessment PlanAssessment Plan

Workplacement based Workplacement based

Application 10%Application 10%

Project outline & interim Project outline & interim report 15% - Team mark report 15% - Team mark - workplace supervisor- workplace supervisor

Completed project 40% - Completed project 40% - Team 10%/ Individual Team 10%/ Individual

marks 30% - workplace marks 30% - workplace supervisorsupervisor

Reflective and Reflective and collaborativecollaborative

Online discussion forum Online discussion forum entries & Executive entries & Executive summary – including summary – including leading discussion 15% - leading discussion 15% - Individual mark - academicIndividual mark - academic

Three Student eportfolio Three Student eportfolio entries 20% Individual entries 20% Individual mark - academicmark - academic

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Assessing discussion postsAssessing discussion posts

Posts – How many? Posts – How many? Depth of ideas – analysis of topics, Depth of ideas – analysis of topics, Ability to make connections, see Ability to make connections, see

complexities complexities Weave the ideas of others, integrationWeave the ideas of others, integration Leaders role – giving focus, Leaders role – giving focus, Communication ability shown in post –Communication ability shown in post – CRA provided, FAQs, guidelines and CRA provided, FAQs, guidelines and

remindersreminders

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Academic reflections: online Academic reflections: online discussion forumdiscussion forum

Executive summary of two discussion Executive summary of two discussion threads plus a self audit documentthreads plus a self audit document

939 posts939 posts from a cohort of 20 students. from a cohort of 20 students. General approach to assessment will be General approach to assessment will be

adopted again - the self audit document adopted again - the self audit document avoids the need to count entries avoids the need to count entries

Not necessary to assess all contributions – Not necessary to assess all contributions – students select two discussion threads to be students select two discussion threads to be assessed. assessed.

To recognise the workload involved, and to To recognise the workload involved, and to make this more transparent to students, it is make this more transparent to students, it is proposed to increase the weighting of the proposed to increase the weighting of the online discussion forum entries to 20% (from online discussion forum entries to 20% (from 15%).15%).

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Academic reflections: online Academic reflections: online discussion forum (cont…)discussion forum (cont…) Utility of CRA:Utility of CRA: marks for number of contributions (to marks for number of contributions (to

encourage participation) AND quality of contributionsencourage participation) AND quality of contributions Number of contributions (marked out of 5)Number of contributions (marked out of 5) Quality of contributions (marked out of 10)Quality of contributions (marked out of 10)

Marker reflections:Marker reflections: Allocation of marks worked well - Allocation of marks worked well - will allocate specific marks to criteria (4, 3 and 3 will allocate specific marks to criteria (4, 3 and 3 marks for A, B and C respectively)marks for A, B and C respectively)

Allocation for number of contributions ensures Allocation for number of contributions ensures participation – leader roster enabled all students to participation – leader roster enabled all students to meet the minimum requirements & assisted time meet the minimum requirements & assisted time management. Will provide exemplars for next offer. management. Will provide exemplars for next offer.

Minor amendments to CRA necessary only – able to Minor amendments to CRA necessary only – able to discern between student submissions using the discern between student submissions using the criteria and CRA.criteria and CRA.

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Themes of student Themes of student commentscomments

Building essence of team Building essence of team Drawing on each other and Drawing on each other and

acknowledging differences acknowledging differences Significance of teamwork and Significance of teamwork and

initiativeinitiative Time management Time management Need to know expectationsNeed to know expectations

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Student comments – Student comments – discussion discussion

Opportunity to learn new Opportunity to learn new contemporary skills;contemporary skills;

Enjoyed online postings, Enjoyed online postings, nominated and individual nominated and individual topics – great way to topics – great way to interact with others & interact with others & understand the level of understand the level of education and experience education and experience they have;they have;

Depth of discussion forum Depth of discussion forum posts and variety of topics posts and variety of topics – able to post anything of – able to post anything of interest, and enlightening interest, and enlightening to read others thoughts.to read others thoughts.

Forum discussions were Forum discussions were great – allowed unlimited great – allowed unlimited discussion to a detailed discussion to a detailed extent, learn a lot form extent, learn a lot form others views and others views and information posts. information posts.

Everyone had to be Everyone had to be organised – coordinating organised – coordinating everyone’s availability and everyone’s availability and sometimes people at sometimes people at different ability levels. different ability levels.

Leader role - Leader role -

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Student comments – discussion Student comments – discussion cont. cont.

Discussion forum Discussion forum difficult as there was difficult as there was not enough guidance not enough guidance as to what to expect – as to what to expect – some write academic some write academic essay, others essay, others comment to stir. comment to stir.

Students at different Students at different year levels, and year levels, and therefore varied legal therefore varied legal knowledgeknowledge

High expectations for High expectations for discussion posts, at discussion posts, at times when other times when other assessments dueassessments due

Minimum posts each Minimum posts each week were too much week were too much with other reading & with other reading & responding, just keep responding, just keep to roster to roster

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Academic reflections: e-Academic reflections: e-portfolio entriesportfolio entries

Three e-portfolio entries - describe & reflect on Three e-portfolio entries - describe & reflect on experiences during placement, plus complete experiences during placement, plus complete online eportfolio module, online eportfolio module,

Detailed CRA, instruction sheet and guidelines Detailed CRA, instruction sheet and guidelines were provided in advance, reminder emails closer were provided in advance, reminder emails closer to the due date.to the due date.

Marker Marker Reflections:Reflections: Most understood what was Most understood what was required, some difficulty with the nature of required, some difficulty with the nature of reflectionreflection choose better in terms of experiences, choose better in terms of experiences, focus on development of relevant employability skills focus on development of relevant employability skills

rather than focusing on describing specific tasks, rather than focusing on describing specific tasks, use of STARL/STARP frameworks, for more structured use of STARL/STARP frameworks, for more structured

approach to reflection, approach to reflection, offer exemplars of e-portfolio entries & give students an offer exemplars of e-portfolio entries & give students an

opportunity to be provided with formative feedback prior opportunity to be provided with formative feedback prior to submission of the assessable entries.to submission of the assessable entries.

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Academic reflections: Academic reflections: Assessing the e-portfolio Assessing the e-portfolio

entries (cont…)entries (cont…) Utility of CRA:Utility of CRA: Each e-portfolio entry was marked Each e-portfolio entry was marked

out of 5 and marks were allocated as follows: out of 5 and marks were allocated as follows: Description of experience (1 mark)Description of experience (1 mark) Reflections upon experience (3 marks)Reflections upon experience (3 marks) Presentation in e-portfolio (1 mark)Presentation in e-portfolio (1 mark)

Marker reflections:Marker reflections: Criteria appropriate as key performance Criteria appropriate as key performance indicators, detailed descriptors too verbose- summarised indicators, detailed descriptors too verbose- summarised and refined before being meaningfully applied.and refined before being meaningfully applied.

Guidelines and instructions need to highlight the significance Guidelines and instructions need to highlight the significance of reflection and preparing an action plan for the future. of reflection and preparing an action plan for the future.

Exemplars of e-portfolio entries will be provided. Opportunity Exemplars of e-portfolio entries will be provided. Opportunity for formative feedback will be provided. Reduce assessable for formative feedback will be provided. Reduce assessable entries to two, mark out of 10 rather than 5 to enable entries to two, mark out of 10 rather than 5 to enable increased scope for discernment in marking.increased scope for discernment in marking.

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Student comments - Student comments - eportfolioeportfolio

Documenting your significant Documenting your significant experiences and things worth experiences and things worth reflecting on in eportfolioreflecting on in eportfolio

Job applications helpful, and Job applications helpful, and eportfolio – I will use this more to my eportfolio – I will use this more to my advantage even after graduationadvantage even after graduation

Stimulated further thinking, valuable Stimulated further thinking, valuable processprocess

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Proposed revisions to Proposed revisions to AssessmentAssessment

Application - change to Application - change to formative assessment formative assessment -- feedback feedback to be provided by Careers and to be provided by Careers and EmploymentEmployment and employersand employers

Project – increase team weighting to Project – increase team weighting to 15% - individual to 20%15% - individual to 20%

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Proposed revisions to Proposed revisions to Assessment (cont…)Assessment (cont…)

Online discussion forum entries Online discussion forum entries and Executive Summaryand Executive Summary Proposed change: 20% (was 15%) Proposed change: 20% (was 15%)

Student e-portfolio entriesStudent e-portfolio entries 20%20% Proposed change: 2 entries to be Proposed change: 2 entries to be

assessed, 1 entry will be formative assessed, 1 entry will be formative and submitted earlier, with and submitted earlier, with feedback from eportfolio team. feedback from eportfolio team.

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Considerations for markingConsiderations for marking

Workplace supervisorsWorkplace supervisors Reduce the turnaround time for Reduce the turnaround time for

allocation of marks and formal feedback,allocation of marks and formal feedback, Aim to be more discerning in their Aim to be more discerning in their

allocation of marks. Guidelines and allocation of marks. Guidelines and marking instructions provided to marking instructions provided to workplace supervisors to be revised. workplace supervisors to be revised.

Students will be provided with Students will be provided with exemplars of project outlines and exemplars of project outlines and reports. Guidelines and instructions to reports. Guidelines and instructions to students will be revised.students will be revised.

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Challenges for the futureChallenges for the future

Training workplace supervisors to assessTraining workplace supervisors to assess not as discerning as academic markers – marks generally highernot as discerning as academic markers – marks generally higher

Balance between weighting of workplace project assessment Balance between weighting of workplace project assessment and online discussion forum and eportfolio reflection (practice and online discussion forum and eportfolio reflection (practice vs theory balance)vs theory balance) 40% online discussion and eportfolio40% online discussion and eportfolio 60% workplace project60% workplace project

Resource and workload implications - involve QUT Careers and Resource and workload implications - involve QUT Careers and Employment & eportfolio team in formative feedback,Employment & eportfolio team in formative feedback,

Succession planning: Retention of existing workplace Succession planning: Retention of existing workplace supervisors and increasing capacity to take more students into supervisors and increasing capacity to take more students into unit,unit,

Incremental recruiting and training of new supervisors,Incremental recruiting and training of new supervisors, Retention of existing academic staff and recruitment and Retention of existing academic staff and recruitment and

training of additional academic staff team members, including training of additional academic staff team members, including sessional staff.sessional staff.

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Feedback and comments Feedback and comments welcome to:welcome to:

Caroline Cottman Caroline Cottman

Tina CockburnTina Cockburn

Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology

Email: [email protected]: [email protected]

[email protected]@qut.edu.au