EuropeICT final version.docx
- 文档编号:4877435
- 上传时间:2022-12-11
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:20
- 大小:37.96KB
EuropeICT final version.docx
《EuropeICT final version.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《EuropeICT final version.docx(20页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
EuropeICTfinalversion
ThroughaScreen,Darkly:
ElectronicLegalEducationinEurope
PaulMaharg*&AntoinetteJ.Muntjewerff**
*UniversityofStrathclyde
GlasgowGraduateSchoolofLaw
LordHopeBuilding
141StJames’Road
+441415484946
paul.maharg@strath.ac.uk
www.strath.ac.uk/law/staff/maharg.htm
**UniversityofAmsterdam
FacultyofLaw
P.O.Box1030
1000BAAmsterdam
+31205253485
muntjewerff@lri.jur.uva.nl
www.lri.jur.uva.nl/~munt
Abstract
Electroniclegaleducationinvolvestheuseofinformation,communicationandinstructionaltechnologiestoenhancestudents’learningofthelawandtoprovidelawteacherswithenvironmentsandtoolsforteachingthelaw.WiththefastgrowthoftheInternetmanyLawschoolsandLawfacultiesaremovingtheireducationandtrainingintowebenvironments.Thismayopennewwaysofteachingandlearningthelawbyprovidingstudentswithanenviromentinwhichtheycanmanagelegalinformationandlegalknowledgefortheirpersonalprofessionaluse.HoweveritisclearthatthroughoutEuropetherearedivergentaswellasconvergentusesofthewebandIT.Thisarticleexploressomeoftheissuesinherentinthis,andsuggestsanumberofprojectsthatwouldenableICTinlegaleducationtofacilitatetheaimsoftheSorbonne-Bolognaprocess.
Introduction
DanteandBach,withtheirintenseloveofstructureandcreativity,wouldhavetakenenthusiasticallytocomputers.SotoowouldAccursius,Blackstone,StairandGrotiusforwhom,intheirownuniqueways,hypertextanddatabaseswouldhavebeennaturalextensionsofthewaystheywroteaboutsystemsoflawandlegalreasoning.Forlawteachersinthetwenty-firstcentury,though,computerscanoftenbeobjectsofpuzzlementanduncertainty.Whatshouldwebedoingwiththeminourteaching?
Howcantheyincreasestudentlearning?
Howaretheyaffectingadministrationinuniversities?
Aboveall,inthecontextofthisspecialissue,howisICTcurrentlyusedinEuropeanlawschools,andwhatmighttheirfuturerolebeinlegaleducationwithintheframeworkoftheBologna-SorbonneDeclaration?
Inthisarticleweshallexaminesomeoftheeffectsofinformation&communicationstechnologies(ICT)inEuropeanlawschools.WeshallhighlightonewayinwhichICTcanbe‘institutionalised’.Wethengiveabriefaccountofthetypesofe-teachinginterventionsusedinEuropeanlegaleducation,togetherwithsomeexamplesofapplicationsandenvironments.WefollowthisbyfocusinginmoredetailontwotypesofapproachestakeninScotlandandtheNetherlands.WeshallconcludethispaperwithalistofwhatweconsidertobedesirableprojectstoimprovethepositionofICTinEuropeanlegaleducation.ThatsuchconclusionscanbedrawnatallissymptomaticoftheslowrapprochementofhighereducationinstitutionsacrossEurope,ofwhichtheBologna-SorbonneDeclaration,withitscommitmenttointer-institutionalco-operation,mobilityschemesandintegratedprogrammesofstudy,isbutoneclearsign.
ItmustbesaidfromtheoutsetthatoursurveyofICTpracticesinEuropeisnotbasedonasystematicsurveyofalllawfacultiesanddepartments.Suchasurveyisamajorundertaking,andisabouttobeundertakenbyatleastoneEUMINERVAproject.Rather,wehavetakenthosecentreswhereweknewofdevelopmentsoruse,anddescribedinalittlemoredetailwhytheyareusingICT,howtheyaredoingso,andthegeneralresults.Whileitispossibletoadoptacomparativejurisprudentialapproachtothesubject(andthearticlebyBurkhardSchaferinthisissuedoesjustthat),wehavetakenwhatmightbetermedacomparativeeducationalapproach,drawinguponeducationalresearchintoICTfromstagesotherthanthetertiary,andfromdifferenteducationalsystems.Thatsuchanapproachcanbefruitfulisborneoutbythewealthofcomparativeeducationalresearchinalmosteveryareaofeducation.Inthecaseoflegaleducation,itcanilluminatehowICTisbeingusedandhow,forusallinourseparatejurisdictions,theremaybecommunallessonstobelearnedaboutitsuse.
Learningandmanagedenvironments.
BeforeweoutlinesomeoftheapproachestakenacrossEuropeinlegaleducationalfields,itwillbeusefultoconsidergenerallythestatusofcomputer-andnetwork-basedinformationsystemsinuniversities.Withthedevelopmentofmanagedlearningenvironments(MLEs),suchinformationsystemshavebecomesignificantforcesontheteachingandlearningenvironmentoflawschools.Asyet,littleisknownabouttheireffectsonlearningorteaching,inspiteofthefactthatmanylawschoolsaresigninguptousethem;andtheresearchbasefromthedirectionoflegaleducationisverysmallindeed.Asweshallsee,someofthegeneralresearchonnetworkedcommunicationscouldbeusefulforustobearinmindwhenconsideringhowwemightuseMLEseffectivelyinlegaleducation.
Forthepasttenyearsateamofresearchersatthe‘TravailetMobilités’unitintheUniversityofParisX-NanterrehavebeenanalysingpatternsofcomputerisationinuniversitiesacrossEurope.Theyfocusedonhowitaffectedorganisationalchange,howitwasusedforself-evaluationpurposes,andhowitaffectedadministrationandmanagementofstudents.Theycametoanumberofgeneralconclusions:
1.atthehigherendofuniversitymanagement,theuseofelectronicdataandinformationsystemswasunsystematic
2.useofcomputersasameansofdecision-makingwasgreaterindepartmentsthanatthecentraladministrativeandmanagerialfunctions,andwasappliedinquotidian,ratherthanstrategic,decision-makingwithinuniversities
3.computer-basedinformationsystemsattractedmoresupportfromadministrativeandclericalstaffthanfromteachingstaff;andtheuseofthesesystemstendedtoincreasethedistancebetweenthesetwogroupingswithintheuniversity.
TheadvantagesofITininformationadministrationandatdepartmentallevelarefairlyobvious,andneednorehearsalhere.Gueissaz’team’sconclusionsfromtheseandmanyotherfindings,though,arenotentirelypositive.Informationnetworks,farfromincreasingcommunication,couldactuallymakecommunicationbetweengroupswithintheuniversitymoredifficult.Ownershipofandusetowhichdatacouldbeputcouldbecomeasourceofsuspicionanddiscord.Andthenewinformationnetworksrequirednewstaffposts,committeesandprocedurestoorganiseandregulatenetworkissues.Allthisadministrativeandinformationalinfrastructure,Gueissazargued,requiredtobeintegratedintotraditional,decision-makingprocessesiftheyweretoenable,ratherthaninhibit,decision-making.
WhatishappeningasregardsITinuniversityadministrationismirroredgenerallyinsociety.TheBangemannReportforecastthatITwouldbringaboutmassivechangestothewayweworkandlivetogether,butwasnotblindtothestressfracturesitwouldcausetothefabricofsociety.Technology,howeveralienandnewitmayappeartoeverygeneration,isalwaysdeeplypolitical,deeplyculturalandimbuedwithourmoralvalues:
itisnevermerelyaneutralagent.
Atypicalexampleofthisinthedomainoflegaleducationisthedecisionofuniversitiesordepartmentstouseamanagedlearningenvironment(MLE)initsteaching&learning–BlackBoardorWebCTareexamples,anduniversitiesthroughoutEuropeareusing,orareconsideringusing,suchsystems.Thestrategyinvolvesmajordecisionsregardingregistryservices,thecreation,handlingandaccesstopersonaldataandacademiccourseinformation,andmuchmore.Oftenthedecisionsareclothedinthreelayersofknowledgeconception:
ademocraticconception,whichoftenincludesreferencetodistancelearningandtransparency;aneconomicconception,referringtoincomegenerationandcompetitiveness,andadiscipline-relatedconception,wherethegreaterefficiencyofdiscipline-basedlearningisadduced.
However,thedecision-makingprocessesinvolvedinthechoiceofacommercialMLEorthedecisiontocreateonewithintheuniversitycanrarelybemadebytraditionalcommitteemembershipandstructures,composedastheyareofdisciplinespecialistacademicsandadministrators.Asaresult,newactorsemerge‘whoserelationshipwithmoretraditional(collegialoradministrative)structurescannoteasilybedefined.AsJosBoyspointsoutinarecentreportonMLEs,thesenewcommitteesandactorsoftentakeoninterestingattitudes,becausetheyimplicitlyseethemselvessittinguneasilybetweentheformalcommitteesattheadministrativecentre,andtheteachinganddisciplineclustersinfacultiesanddepartmentsattheperiphery.Heobservesthat‘problemswithimplementationaremostlikelytobeascribedtoageneralisedneedfora‘cultureshift’becauseofthecurrentlackofexperienceofICTratherthantospecificinstitutionalissuesaboutorganisational/educationalchangeortheintegrativedemandsofscaling-up’.Asaresult,theinterpretationofthemodelofwhataMLEcouldbe(sincetherearemanyconflictingmodelsoftheenvironment)becomesseriouslydegradedtolimitedportalconcerns.Whathavealwaysbeenregardedasseparatesystemsoflearningservices--registryservices,archivalservices,libraryfunctions,learninginterfaces--stillremainsointheMLE,andthekeyopportunityforchange,organisationallyandtechnically,islost.Indeed,hearguesthat‘theportalapproachistakingholdpreciselybecauseitenablesinstitutionstoavoiddifficultquestionsabouthowtheyorganisethemselves’(ouremphasis).
Boys’pointisprofoundlyparadoxical,butverymuchinpoint.Whatheisdescribingisineffectameansbywhichtechnologyisusedbyaninstitutiontoavoidchangebyallowingtheinstitutiontoappeartoembracechangethrough
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- EuropeICT final version