Flipped Classrooms for Legal Education (SpringerBriefs in Law)

This book discusses comprehensively the use of Flipped Classrooms in the context of legal education. The Flipped Classroom model implies that lecture modules are delivered online to provide more time for in-class interactivity. This book analyses the pedagogical viability, costs and other resource-related implications, technical aspects as well as the production and online distribution of Flipped Classrooms. It compares the Flipped Classroom concept with traditional law teaching methods and details its advantages and limitations. The findings are tested by way of a case study which serves as the basis for the development of comprehensive guidelines for the conceptâ#x80;#x99;s practical implementation. As Flipped Classrooms have become a very hot topic across disciplines in recent years, this book offers a unique resource for law teachers, law school managers as well as researchers in the field of legal education. It is a must-have for anyone interested in innovative law teaching methodologies Preface 6 Contents 7 1 Introduction 10 1.1 General 10 1.2 Why This Topic? 10 1.2.1 Law Schools Today 10 1.2.2 Modernizing Legal Education 11 1.2.3 Digital Age 12 1.2.4 Legal Education and Technology 13 1.3 Goals 13 1.4 Methodology 14 1.5 Structure 15 2 Defining Flipped Classrooms 17 2.1 General 17 2.2 Literature Review 17 2.2.1 Flipped Classrooms 17 2.2.2 Blended Learning and Hybrid Learning 18 2.2.3 Podcasting 20 2.3 Definition Adopted for This Book 21 3 The Pedagogical Feasibility of Flipped Classrooms 22 3.1 General 22 3.2 Arguments Contra Traditional Lectures 23 3.2.1 General 23 3.2.2 Is Traditional Lecture an Effective Law Teaching Method? 23 3.2.3 Current Practice in the U.K., Canada and Australia 25 3.2.4 Defending Lectures 27 3.2.5 The SAMR Model 29 3.3 Arguments Pro Flipped Classrooms 30 3.3.1 Improved Learning Experience 30 3.3.2 Flexible Learning 32 3.3.3 IT Literacy 33 3.3.4 Improved Learning Outcomes 33 3.3.5 Students' Feedback 35 3.3.6 Learning Theories 37 3.3.7 Learning Needs 41 3.3.8 Bloom's Taxonomy 42 3.3.9 The Debate Regarding the Use of Technology 42 3.3.10 Issues with `Flipping' 44 3.4 Socratic Method Versus Flipped Classrooms 45 3.4.1 General 45 3.4.2 What Is the Socratic Method? 45 3.4.3 How Does the Socratic Method Work? 46 3.4.4 Active Learning Principle 47 3.4.5 Arguments Contra the Socratic Method 48 3.4.5.1 General 48 3.4.5.2 The Socratic Method Does Not Teach Practical Skills 49 3.4.5.3 The Socratic Method Is Unexciting and Cannot Convey Large Amounts of Information 50 3.4.5.4 The Socratic Method Fosters Monopolization by `a Vocal Few' 50 3.4.5.5 The Socratic Method Causes Distress Among Students 50 3.4.6 Students' Feedback 52 3.4.7 Defending the Socratic Method 53 3.4.8 Variations of the Socratic Method 54 3.4.9 Comparing the Socratic Method and the Flipped Classroom Concept 54 3.5 Video Flipping Versus Audio Flipping 56 3.5.1 General 56 3.5.2 Arguments in Favor of the Video Approach 56 3.5.3 Arguments in Favor of the Audio Approach 57 3.5.4 Conclusions 59 3.6 Observations, Potential Problems and Open Questions 60 3.6.1 General 60 3.6.2 Limited Data 60 3.6.3 The Flip Sides of Flipped Classrooms 61 3.6.4 Resistance 62 3.6.4.1 Teacher Resistance 62 3.6.4.2 Institutional Resistance 63 3.6.4.3 Student Resistance 64 3.6.4.4 Communication Needs 65 3.6.5 Students' Time Constraints 66 3.6.6 Law as an Unsuitable Subject for Multiple-Use Online Modules? 66 3.6.7 Flipped Classrooms and Teacher Personality 67 3.6.8 Flipped Classrooms to Deepen Particular Subject Areas 67 3.6.9 Searching for the One and Only Teaching Mode: Mission Impossible? 67 4 How to Develop Flipped Classrooms? 69 4.1 General 69 4.2 Planning 69 4.3 Production 72 4.3.1 General 72 4.3.2 White Board Approach 73 4.3.3 Screen Capture Approach 74 4.3.4 Audio-Only Format 74 4.3.5 Students' Preference 75 4.4 Distribution 76 4.5 Technical Challenges 77 5 Costs 78 5.1 General 78 5.2 Costs to Develop Flipped Classrooms 78 5.3 Can Technologies Save Cost? 80 5.4 Open Educational Resources (OERs) 81 6 Case Study: Flipped Classrooms for `The Law of International Business Transactions II' 85 6.1 General 85 6.2 The LIBT II Course 86 6.2.1 Course Contents 86 6.2.2 Delivery Mode 87 6.2.3 Hong Kong Specifics 88 6.2.4 Pedagogical Underpinning 89 6.3 Why `Flipping' LIBT II Lecture Modules? 90 6.4 Developing `Flipped' LIBT II Classrooms 91 6.4.1 Pilot Scheme 91 6.4.2 Selecting Sessions for `Flipping' 91 6.4.3 `White Board Approach', `Screen Capture Approach', `Audio-Only Format' or OERs? 92 6.4.4 In Particular: Echo 360 93 6.4.5 In Particular: Searching for LIBT II Compatible OERs 94 6.4.5.1 General 94 6.4.5.2 Choice of Source 94 6.4.5.3 The Experience of Searching for Suitable OERs 95 6.4.6 Distribution 97 6.4.6.1 General 97 6.4.6.2 The Blackboard Approach 98 6.4.6.3 The Podcast Approach 98 6.4.7 The Recording Process 99 6.4.8 Preparing for the LIBT II for the Flipped Classroom Experience 99 6.5 Evaluation 100 6.5.1 Developing an Evaluation Framework 100 6.5.1.1 General 100 6.5.1.2 Measuring the Learning Experience 100 6.5.1.3 Measuring Learning Outcomes 102 6.5.2 Evaluating the LIBT II Pilot Scheme 103 6.5.2.1 General 103 6.5.2.2 Statistics Generated by Echo 360 103 6.5.2.3 In-Class Observations 104 6.5.2.4 Student Feedback 105 6.5.2.5 Course and Teaching Evaluations 109 6.5.3 Conclusions 110 7 Final Remarks 112 Appendix A: List of Law School Websites Searched 113 Appendix B: Checklist---Developing Flipped Classrooms? 119 Appendix C: Materials Related to the Case Study 126 References 138 This book discusses comprehensively the use of Flipped Classrooms in the context of legal education. The Flipped Classroom model implies that lecture modules are delivered online to provide more time for in-class interactivity. This book analyses the pedagogical viability, costs and other resource-related implications, technical aspects as well as the production and online distribution of Flipped Classrooms. It compares the Flipped Classroom concept with traditional law teaching methods and details its advantages and limitations. The findings are tested by way of a case study which serves as the basis for the development of comprehensive guidelines for the conceptâ#x80;#x99;s practical implementation. As Flipped Classrooms have become a very hot topic across disciplines in recent years, this book offers a unique resource for law teachers, law school managers as well as researchers in the field of legal education. It is a must-have for anyone interested in innovative law teaching methodologies Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-7 Defining Flipped Classrooms....Pages 9-13 The Pedagogical Feasibility of Flipped Classrooms....Pages 15-61 How to Develop Flipped Classrooms?....Pages 63-71 Costs....Pages 73-79 Case Study: Flipped Classrooms for ‘The Law of International Business Transactions II’....Pages 81-107 Final Remarks....Pages 109-109 Back Matter....Pages 111-144