Refining a Mature Dental Medico‐Legal Curriculum Through ADDIE : Courtroom Immersion Under High‐Baseline Evaluation

Introduction Dental medico‐legal education should connect legal knowledge with responsibility, communication and dispute contexts. This study examined how Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE) can support quality improvement in a mature dental medico‐legal curriculum through courtroom immersion. Materials and Methods This curriculum quality‐improvement study used a quasi‐experimental, non‐equivalent‐group, post‐test‐only design comparing two cohorts of fourth‐year dental students at a Taiwanese dental school. The 2024 baseline cohort completed the established curriculum; its post‐course questionnaire and open‐ended feedback informed the next refinement cycle. The 2025 ADDIE‐refined cohort completed a revised curriculum incorporating courtroom immersion, judge‐facilitated teaching and a restructured mock trial. Quantitative data were analysed using independent‐samples t ‐test, one‐sample t ‐test against 4 and Cohen's d; qualitative responses were analysed inductively. Results Valid questionnaires were obtained from 37 baseline and 41 ADDIE‐refined participants. Internal consistency of the 13‐item scale was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94). Ratings were high in both cohorts. The ADDIE‐refined cohort reported greater motivation to learn medico‐legal content (4.32 vs. 3.41, p < 0.001, d = 1.400), whereas ratings for lawyer feedback and discussion were lower than in the baseline cohort (4.46 vs. 4.76, p = 0.037, d = −0.482). No other between‐cohort differences were significant. Baseline feedback requested courthouse visits and real‐hearing observation; the refined cohort described courtroom immersion as authentic and complementary to mock trials. Conclusions ADDIE identified improvement opportunities in a highly rated curriculum. Courtroom immersion complemented mock trials by strengthening procedural authenticity, professional links, motivation and perceived authenticity.