Moodle & MOOCs: Bringing professional legal education mainstream – the MOOC experience at the Law Society of Ireland.
Abstract
Since 2014, the Diploma Centre at the Law Society of Ireland (LSI) has implemented a programme of MOOCs; 'Massive Open Online Courses' in key areas of practice. This paper charts this online learning experience from a number of perspectives. Firstly we explore the objectives behind the Diploma Centre's MOOC programme, and how this public legal education initiative aligns with a broader mission to widen access to justice and to the legal profession. Secondly, framed by a set of practical tips for others who may be developing MOOCs, the authors discuss their instructional design process and the opportunities presented in utilising a bespoke design of the Moodle learning management system. Quantitative and qualitative feedback from MOOC participants is provided which in turn is used to implement best practice for our MOOC course design.
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