One of my elective law courses, Asian Legal Systems, presented a challenge. As well as enabling students understand how law and legal institutions in Asia operate in different and distinctive ways, the design of this comparative law course was to facilitate discussion and the sharing of perspectives thus maximising student input. Keeping these dynamics alive in Zoom classes led to several modifications in assessment.
The last hour [of the weekly three-hour Zoom seminar] was student-led. Our discussion was informed by 2- minute videos screen-shared to the class on Zoom by allotted students. At the course outset, students signed-on for a nation [China, China's Regions of Hong Kong SAR & Xinjiang AR, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia] and one of five legal themes.
The five themes chosen for 2020 were to reflect contemporary legal issues in the region. Hence, COVID-19 and its legal responses and consequences was included. What better way for us to gain insight into law-in-action in Asia and to see how laws, regulations, legal institutions and legal culture lead to diverse responses and outcomes in the region? Another new theme for 2020 was the Media – freedom of speech, media control, social media, ownership and censorship. I kept three themes from 2019: LGBT+, capital punishment, and family & marriage.
Law students used to writing academic research essays, exams and moots can find using a short, creative visual format new and challenging. Every student in the class adapted well to the new mode and, without exception, produced engaging and informative videos. These videos were valuable as the stimuli for discussion, questions, comparative reflection, analysis and enjoyment. Students learnt from one another, as did I.
The Discussion Board was an adjunct assessment item which was also linked to the nation covered that week in class. Students could post up to 250 words sharing their views/opinions/reactions in response to issues raised in the videos students had presented in the class [on our five themes], or to a stimulus question, reflection or conundrum that I also posted for the week. Students were assessed on their best articulated five posts.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 80-100
- CLASS LEVEL
- Post-graduate
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- High time
- CONDITIONS
- Sequence
- FEATURES
- Online
- TAGS
- zoom
Advantages
In addition to the learning outcomes noted above these modes of assessment I felt both modes of assessment gave a sense of control and ownership to students over their learning. At a time when other aspects of control had been subsumed by Covid 19 restrictions, both items allowed our discussions/debate/differences/agreements to turn to issues they saw as interesting and/or important.
Both the thematic video & discussion board allowed students to personally reflect and to draw on their own or their family's experiences of life in some of these nations, or on matters known from other University courses such as history, languages etc. Some of the class were nationals from countries in the region, others had been exchange students either at school or University; essentially students brought to the fore their own personal expertise and insights which were shared. Learning from each other brings authenticity.
The tasks were enjoyable for students. Students appreciated that after 3 or 4 years of assignments and exams they had the opportunity to tackle a new creative and technological based item of assessment.
Challenges
With the video, technological challenges arose at times with screen sharing the video from some of the students' computers.
With the discussion board, some students found the word limit restricting and requested it be increased to 500 or 600 words. I did increase it from 200 to 250 words, but explained to them that keeping posts succinct and focused was an important part of the tasks.
How it supports academic integrity
In the Zoom classes all students are identified when entering & leaving. Similarly with the the Blackboard Discussion Board
Associate Professor Ann Black
a.black@law.uq.edu.au
Associate Professor Ann Black researches in the field of comparative law, law & religion, and legal pluralism, with particular interest in Islamic law and the law and legal cultures of Asia, especially Brunei Darussalam. She teaches two comparative law courses in the undergraduate program - Asian Legal Systems and Introduction to Islamic law in addition to Fundamentals of the Common Law and Comparative Criminal Law in the School's Master's program. She is a co-author with Gary Bell, of Law and Legal Institutions of Asia: Traditions, adaptations and innovations (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and Modern Perspectives on Islamic Law, with Hossein Esmaeili and Nadirsyah Hosen, (Edward Elgar, 2013). A new book with Jahid Hussein, Religious Freedom in a Secular Society in Brill's Studies in Religion, Secular Beliefs and Human Rights series is due early 2022. Find out more