G. Data Needs and Ongoing Research

• Author: Rebecca Purdom - Greg Brandes - Karen Westwood
• Pages: 123-124

123

Appendix G

Data Needs and Ongoing Research

Report of Working Group’s Research Committee as of May, 2015

During the inaugural meeting of the Working Group, participants generated a range of practical and

theoretical questions. In subsequent meetings, a subcommittee identified three themes on which to

concentrate:

Learning Outcomes

The first theme, evident in several of the original questions, concerns the outcome variables that should be

measured to determine the effectiveness of distance learning. Although this question is of practical

concern for any educator it is also a towering theoretical challenge. Are we interested in retention,

knowledge of rules, problem-solving ability, or critical thinking? Are there aspects of legal education that

make this question more difficult to answer? Are there moderating variables that influence any outcome

variables (i.e., engagement; attention; sociality)? What is the best method to identify the outcome

variables from the outset (i.e., current academic literature; consensus; Delphi; guidelines)?

Best Practices

The second theme concerns more practical issues: How can we identify distance learning experts in legal

education? What do those experts identify as "best practices"? How can we survey those experts to

develop criteria, gain consensus, and identify points of convergence and divergence? What challenges do

they experience? What are the barriers that key stakeholders (i.e. gatekeepers) identify in the use of

distance learning?

Survey of Distance Learning Activity in Legal Education

The third theme is concerned with creating a "census" of distance learning activities in legal education

and describing their characteristics. In order to develop best practices and facilitate research, those closely

involved in distance learning in legal education need to be able to recognize each other. Which schools

are offering distance learning programs and courses? What are the characteristics of those distance

learning activities? Are some subjects and topics offered via distance learning programs more frequently

than others? What factors facilitate or inhibit the development of distance learning programs?