ability to grow their mindset and achieve excellence in their endeavours. ‘Learning by doing’ or experiential learning at first instance might imply the requirement for physical engagement and until 23 March 2020, this was our preferred means of delivery. Interaction and engagement are key to the successful achievement of the learning outcomes and metacognitive enrichment in the delegates. Providing delegates with a ‘safe environment’ to practice skills underpins the successful delivery of experiential learning. Movement around NLS’s small group classrooms to complete tasks is traditionally central to the effectiveness of delivery of ‘learning by doing’ pedagogy. However, the pandemic lockdown on 23 March 2020 forced us to question this belief. Could we deliver our constructively aligned experiential learning courses online? Could we replicate the physical movement between groups and outputs from group discussions? Would the tutor be able to ‘sit’ among the delegates to give feedback and facilitate guidance on the tasks? Could we ensure delegates’ access to and engagement with the course and mental health? With these questions in mind, we turned to Microsoft Teams and created a ‘virtual NLS’. Delegates raced around the virtual group rooms created within the Team, documents were created on communal Word documents, and tutors ‘sat’ in their dedicated group’s channel – which frequently split into subgroups, causing tutors to ‘jump’ between the calls in their subgroups. Tutors moved around the group rooms to ‘judge’ advocacy hearings and delivered short plenary sessions in a dedicated plenary channel. Timing was crucial, so tutors liaised in a locked Tutor channel to co-ordinate timing and preparation. We adapted our sessions and pushed Teams to the hilt to replicate our teaching ethos. It worked. What did we find? Delegates would visit the Team at the end of the days’ sessions (which would finish earlier than the physical course to limit time on screen), and work offline with other team members to discuss or prepare a task for the next day’s session. They worked simultaneously on a Word document to which their dedicated tutor also had access to give feedback. This was effective for giving feedback on crossexamination questions. Delegates also found they could ‘call’ or message their tutor through Teams. It was a pleasure to witness the delegates’ engagement and enthusiasm given this new regime and the anxiety of the pandemic. Now we are back in person, have we changed our approach in any way? Yes, we have. The underpinning pedagogy of our courses remains but our approach to physical delivery has changed. MS Teams is a permanent feature of our delivery in conjunction with face-to-face sessions. 24 LAWYER MONTHLY MARCH 2023 We adapted our sessions and pushed Teams to the hilt to replicate our teaching ethos. It worked.
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