Legal Education
Convenor: Ms Pauline Collins
Consideration of the state of legal education is a matter of ongoing concern in Australia, with the Pearce Report in 1987 through to the ‘Learning outcomes and curriculum development in law’, 2003 report commissioned by the AUTC, a move towards more theoretical and student focused teaching has occurred. The Carrick Institute’s second stage (2008-09) of discipline–based initiatives (DBIs) in law consists of the establishment of network hubs, which will identify exemplars of good practice and develop effective means of transferring this knowledge to other areas. Four USQ Law School staff participated in the Bond University Community Engagement Forum 2008 in which academics from many Australian Universities participated in discussions focused on legal education and with a view to creating a network hub as part of an ongoing collaboration. This collaborative approach to research in legal education is fostered by the USQ staff, with cross disciplinary teams being acknowledged in the awards our teaching staff have received and their collaborative approach to research.
Law School academics with an active interest in legal education research include Caroline Hart (with Susanne Schultz Law Librarian) and Pauline Collins, who were each recipients of Faculty of Business teaching awards in 2008, and another, Tom Delany, who was voted in the top 10 at USQ as Best Lecturer.
Members of the legal education research concentration include: