Since the pandemic has hit the globe, almost every institute on the planet has shifted their mode of studying towards online practice considering the prevalent threat to health that COVID-19 can bring, Institutions teaching law have also been affected by the pandemic and even prestigious law institutes like McGill in Canada and Cambridge in the UK have shifted towards the online mode of studies. It is now apparent that the semester that was following the traditional physical education within the premises has to change up a lot of their strategies to cope with the current online scenario of education.
Here we will discuss a few points that the legal institutions will have to adapt in order to implement and better impart online learning in law schools for its students.
Design Online Course Curriculums effectively
It is the duty of the faculty members and Head of Departments designated in the department for law studies to rethink, re-evaluate and reform their course outlines and make them valid and justified for online learning in law schools and the online paradigm of education as compared to the physical in-campus mode so that students enrolled in their respective courses do not have to tackle constraints during online education.
In addition to the above suggestion, the focus should be on the outcome of the course, what will the student learn? What will he/she achieve after successfully completing all the classes assigned in the course? What will the student experience and what will he/she learn regarding the concepts of the course? The faculty in charge of the course should work diligently on how to deliver the entire course such that knowledge retention and absorption becomes a must for the student as it will assist them in this online mode of studies.
Adopt the Asynchronous Mode for Classes
Because of the implementation of online learning in law schools, it is no longer important for the student and the teacher to be present in the class at the same time, in-fact the asynchronous mode should be promoted and adopted and lecturers should be able to record their lectures and the lectures should be easily made available for the students to access them at any time of their choosing and benefit from them which was impossible during the on-campus classes but shifting towards the online learning in law schools, this online mode helps develop asynchronous studies as an extremely beneficial option for students in law schools.
Little by Little Impartment of Knowledge is Better
It is essential, especially during the online learning in law schools that the entire course should not be loaded up for the students but it should be delivered bit by bit so that the absorbing of knowledge which is the final outcome of any course taught be implemented smoothly and it does not lead to creating more stress levels and any knowledge worth of substance be not instilled into the minds of the students. This is one of the most important changes that must be adapted and applied in the online mode of teaching from the educated faculty members of law.
Encourage Collaboration
Teamwork and group studies should be promoted within the students as it leads to more reach and acceptance of knowledge than individual studying by students. The collaboration during the online mode of education can be as simple as a simple Zoom meeting call or transferring prepared notes with each other or exchanging links to useful resources will aid the students greatly to apply their teachings in a collective manner which will yield fruitful results.