EATING THE APPLE: INTEGRATION OF THE IPAD INTO IRISH PROFESSIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION

The use of mobile devices to deliver learning beyond the classroom has become ubiquitous in primary, secondary and higher (third level) education with the iPad being the device of choice. This particular piece of technology is riding the crest of a wave of popularity that began with its release by Apple in 2010.

To date, m-learning has penetrated professional education to a lesser degree than elsewhere with medical education leading the way (Hogue, 2013). This provides clear opportunities for other professional educators to learn from the experience of these vanguards though, while much data is available on the student experience, there has been less analysis of the educator’s perspective.

The literature does indicate some scepticism among educators about the reasons for adopting the iPad and a debate about its place in learning. Is it just a tool for learning or does it require a shift in pedagogical approach? Is the iPad just a repository for information or does it allow students to customise their individual learning? This may be due in part to the fast pace of change with new apps being launched daily and the multiplicity of choice presented by the iPad. If teachers are not clear about how to constructively align the iPad into their teaching then this presents a problem. Nguyen, Barton and Nguyen (2015) believe educators need a sound pedagogical approach to m-learning rather than reacting to the external market i.e. the popularity of the iPad. However this is difficult to focus on in such a fast and fluid digital world.

Over the past few years the iPad has been integrated into the delivery of Irish professional legal education thus following the worldwide trend toward m-learning. This project has been evaluated from the educator’s perspective and the results of this evaluation will be presented in this paper. The focus is on the educator’s use of iPads in professional legal education, what features were used, the benefits or problems from an educator’s perspective and the impact on their role as an educator of future lawyers. Survey research methodology has been used for quantitative and qualitative data collection from the entire cohort (not a sample) of Course Managers who deliver professional training to trainee solicitors in Ireland.

The proliferation of mobile devices in education is proceeding at an enormous rate (Collis and Moonen, 2002) and professional legal education cannot be immune from these advances.