1. Dr. Mary Rogan Dublin Institute of Technology mary.rogan@dit.ie http://maryrogan.wordpress.com

2. Law students learning with communities  What does ‘students learning with communities’ mean?  What are the benefits?  What’s involved?  What we have done at Dublin Institute of Technology  Reflections

3. SLWC  ‘Community-based learning’  ‘Service-learning’  Facilitates students in the active practise of their skills  By means of engagement with the community  ‘Real-world’ issues  Meeting community needs For credit

4. The possible benefits  ‘Affective learning’ Responsibility, caring, civic duties, ethics  Fulfils the duties of Higher Education institutions towards the community  Facilitates the development of problem- solving abilities  The development of a ‘professional mindset’  Experiential learning

5. What about academic achievement?  Less research in this area  Evidence that community-based learning can: Assist students to acquire skills Increase motivation Improve relationships between faculty and students Increase self-efficacy Increase student engagement Improves critical thinking

6. Not the sole focus  A ‘kaleidoscope’ of learning outcomes  Impact on career decision-making  Peer interaction  Civic responsibility  Transferable skills  Develop initiative and be self-directed

7. What’s important  Allowing students to apply their skills to a real-life context  Reflection  ‘The hyphen in service-learning’  Increases the student’s ability to think critically, solve problems and develop a stronger commitment to social responsibility  The bridge between service and learning

8. SLWC and Law Students  Obvious potential in the application of legal research skills  Importance of encouraging responsibility to clients  Need to encourage research skills amongst students  Potential benefit to legal NGOs etc

9. SLWC and Law Students  But… such students may not be used to reflection  Black-letter tradition  Limited room for what could be considered ‘the emotional’  Understanding of legal research methodology continues to be underdeveloped

10. Do we need it?  Need to encourage students to reflect on their own performance  Need to understand and make explicit the role of emotion, social relationships, the effect of legal decision-making and ethics within law

11. ‘Law in Society’ at DIT  A 5 ECTS module  One semester  Students carry out legal research to a brief provided by NGO (Irish Penal Reform Trust: www.iprt.ie)www.iprt.ie  Group project  Group assessment  Findings presented in report and oral forms to NGO

12. Reflection  Students asked to reflect on their activities using a template  Supported in advance and during the process  Room for improvement!

13. The results  100 page report to the NGO on a topic it needed research support on  Greater awareness of the NGO’s work among students  Good evidence of research skills being used and an awareness of the importance of deadlines ‘in the real world’

14. The future  Further funding obtained  Expansion to include prison visits and engagement with a drug treatment charity  Potential to expand into online activities

15. Why SLWC?  Exciting, engaging  Diversity in teaching  A way of ‘giving back’  Creating links with community/voluntary and other groups

16. Things to watch out for….  Student expectations  Expectations of community partners  Time  Group work issues  Supporting reflection  Dealing with institutional matters and cultures!

17. Thank you! E: mary.rogan@dit.iemary.rogan@dit.ie B: http://www.maryrogan.wordpress.comhttp://www.maryrogan.wordpress.com T: @MaryRogan