This temporary webpage hosts information about a collaborative project on the future of legal assessment (2024-). In addition, there are links to case study 'use cases' (feel free to contribute) and guiding literature that legal educators might find of interest.

The Future of Assessment in Legal Education

Purpose: The purpose of this collaborative research project (Sussex, QUB and Lancaster) is to better understand how law schools across the United Kingdom and Ireland are responding to the significant advances in generative AI. Specifically, it seeks to understand what principles, objectives and environmental factors are guiding responses, and what the implications of those responses might be in terms of the process of learning and cognitive ability, assessment validity, ethical understandings of generative AI and future employability and training.

Context - the why question: According to a recent LexisNexis Survey (September 2024), ‘4 out of 5 lawyers across the United Kingdom and Ireland currently use AI or have adoption plans in place’. This project seeks to understand what this means for legal education providers in terms of assessment. Should law schools fully embrace generative AI in legal education and assessment because of what is happening in legal practice and beyond or should law schools take a more cautious approach grounding decision making on the future of assessment in pedagogic literature on process of learning. Pedagogical decisions certainly need to be made. There is also the validity question. As noted by Dawson et al (2024), ‘a validity perspective makes the claim that a students’ assessment submission is valid if it represents their actual capability’. 

Methodology: This project intends to be primarily quantitative in approach. However, up to 25 qualitative interviews with key personnel from law schools has also been included in the ethical review application to add more nuance and local insight. In sum, the research project methods will include:

1.    A quantitative survey of law schools to be completed by heads of school/assessment leads across Ireland and the UK

2.    A quantitative survey of legal educators across Ireland and the UK

3.    20-25 qualitative follow up interviews with relevant personnel from law schools across Ireland and the UK

Tentative Timeline:

Nov 2024 : Apply for ethical review. Ethics approved.

Feb 2025 : Send out quantitative surveys x 2.

March - June 2025: Review data from surveys & conduct follow up interviews. Start compiling data for the report.

June-July 2025: Write up report.

Sept 2025: Online launch of report at symposium.