Daniel Bansal, Maribel Canto-Lopez, Clark Hobson

The role and impact of relying on digital technologies in contemporary legal education: an empirical study

Introduction

The role and impact of relying on digital technologies in contemporary legal education: an empirical study. Explore digital tech's role in legal education, tackling digital exclusion. An empirical study assesses tablet impact on student learning, providing recommendations for inclusive access.

Abstract

This paper critically evaluates the role and impact of relying upon digital technologies to deliver legal education within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). HEIs now use and rely on digital technologies as a key component of their delivery of teaching and learning. However, despite this, many students do not have digital access. Therefore, there is the risk that some students become digitally excluded and thus unable to (fully) participate and engage with their learning. While HEIs had to rely exclusively on this delivery method during the global COVID-19 pandemic, many have now moved to a hybrid or blended approach to teaching and learning, retaining many of the digital provisions used during the pandemic.  The paper seeks to investigate the risk of digital exclusion: its causes, nature, and effects. To do this, we engage in qualitative and quantitative research to examine whether providing students with a tablet computer affects students’ perception of the learning environment, student satisfaction, student performance and attainment, and removes barriers to learning owing to digital exclusion. We critically examine our findings. Notably, we offer tangible and practical recommendations to providers and teachers of legal education to ensure that all students have digital access to promote a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for students.

Review

This paper addresses a highly pertinent and critical issue in contemporary higher education: the pervasive integration of digital technologies in legal education and the concurrent risk of digital exclusion among students. Given the significant shift towards hybrid and blended learning models post-COVID-19, the study's focus on the causes, nature, and effects of digital exclusion is exceptionally timely and relevant. The research aims to empirically investigate how providing students with tablet computers might mitigate these issues, examining impacts on perceptions of the learning environment, satisfaction, performance, and the removal of learning barriers. A key strength lies in the proposed mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research to provide a comprehensive understanding of the problem and the effectiveness of the intervention. The study's focus on tangible outcomes such as student satisfaction, performance, and the removal of learning barriers directly addresses practical concerns faced by Higher Education Institutions and offers a valuable contribution to both pedagogical research and institutional policy. The promise of "tangible and practical recommendations" for providers and teachers is particularly commendable, suggesting the paper will offer actionable insights for fostering a more inclusive and supportive digital learning environment. While the abstract clearly outlines the intervention (tablet provision) and the critical evaluation of findings, further detail on the specific scope and design of the empirical study (e.g., sample size, duration of intervention, geographical context) would strengthen the initial impression of methodological rigor. Additionally, while the paper addresses digital access via tablets, it would be valuable if the critical examination of "causes" of digital exclusion extended beyond hardware to also touch upon factors like digital literacy, socio-economic disparities influencing home learning environments, or even the pedagogical design of digital learning materials. Nevertheless, this study presents a robust and well-conceived approach to tackling a critical challenge, offering significant potential to inform best practices in the equitable delivery of legal education in the digital age.

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