E-Learning for legal professionals in the ‘virtual’ workplace: the use of authentic activities

Many law schools that teach professional courses such as the LPC utilise transactional case studies as part of their course to develop the skills required for practice as a solicitor. Some law schools have taken this a stage further and have developed web based case studies to be as realistic as possible and simulate a ‘real’ case file. The drawbacks of fictional cases could be said to be that they can be limited in complexity and depth and are tutor led and therefore also lack realism. The context can lack authenticity and in many cases the file will not be complete but be an ‘edited’ version. This presentation seeks to consider whether it is educationally sound to use ‘real’ case studies to add context, authenticity and rigor to the student experience. It will also consider the practical difficulties of obtaining ‘real’ case files to be delivered through a virtual learning environment and the difficulties of designing the learning activities within such an environment. The presentation will focus on a learning project currently being undertaken on the Legal Practice Course at the University of Huddersfield School of Law.