FLIPPED CLASSROOM: IS IT THE NEXT STEP FOR LAW TEACHING?

Recent advances in high technology is shifting the law teaching and learning into a new direction in high education. The flipped classroom as a new pedagogical teaching and learning approach employs a hyperlinked video watch with tailored questions for students to think of while watching the video as homework before class, and in class, students are allocated into adversary groups for debate and presentation. Then the lecturers clarify the issues relating to the subject matter in discussion. The flipped classroom contains a cycle beginning with a hyperlinked case study on the module website; followed by a period set aside to work in teams and then a session of feedback from the lecturer.

The employment of the flipped classroom into law teaching aims to stimulate student’s interests in the law subject and facilitate students to absorb information in short burst. In the meanwhile, it also keeps students alert, enthusiastic, and engaged in lectures. There is a strong belief that the flipped classroom represents a unique combination of learning theories – student-centred, problem-based learning activities.

Module evaluation survey of student perceptions of the flipped classroom is very positive, students tend to prefer at-home video watch with tailored questions, but prefer interactive classroom activities over lectures. Anecdotal evidence shows that student’s performance and learning skills are improving for the flipped classroom compared with the traditional approach because students are actively involved in knowledge acquisition and construction.

Undoubtedly, the flipped classroom brings student’s different learning style into play and improves their study skills and self-responsibility for their studies as they participate in and evaluate their learning. However, there is little work investigating student learning outcomes objectively, which I endeavour to research by using formative and summative assessment and face-to-face learning activities for future studies.