Student-active lectures in legal education

This mixed methods study examined the experiences of first-year law students attending online and on-campus lectures. Interviews with six students and a survey completed by 261 students revealed a preference for on-campus lectures, citing higher lecture quality, better focus and better retention. Online lectures faced technical challenges and disengagement, although students found the use of instant messaging for questions beneficial. In on-campus lectures, students favoured some form of student involvement, such as digital multiple-choice questions or digital open questions with short peer discussions, as opposed to lectures without student activity. Group work was deemed more suitable for other course components. The findings suggest that incorporating well-designed digital questions combined with peer discussions can enhance student engagement, attention, self-assessment and learning. Additionally, the study emphasises the importance of holistic planning when designing a course, ensuring alignment between different components.