Kay Maxwell, Director, Practical Legal Training Unit, University of Wollongong. Email: kaym@uow.edu.au
Julie Pastellas, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, QUT. Email: j.pastellas@qut.edu.au
On-line learning, legal training
The availability and continuing development of the technology necessary to provide services such as online learning and distance education has a continuing impact on the scope and availability of tertiary education. Students can select where, when and how they want to learn. Through the use of technology, educational institutions are able to attract a more socially, economically and geographically diverse student population than ever before. Nevertheless, the trend for technology to be seen as a saviour for higher education both in social and economic terms is disturbing in some respects. While technology does provide a more flexible learning environment, its tools do not necessarily offer an equal or even equivalent learning structure for all tasks.
In the past, pre-admission practical legal training (PLT) has been delivered in a face-to-face intensively interactive format. As technology advances and PLT programs seek to take advantage of new ways of teaching and learning, questions arise as to the extent to which online learning tools can augment or even replace these traditional modes of instruction. In our rush to the future, are we in danger of losing sight of the goals of PLT? This paper will consider the evolving use of online learning tools in PLT programs and how these tools may be used in the pursuit of authentic learning outcomes.
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