Abstract:
A key part of my teaching philosophy and importantly, my significant teaching innovations have been founded in experiential learning. There is a wealth of literature on experiential learning that builds on the pioneering work of John Dewey (Dewey, (1916).) Experiential learning has been defined as “a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values.” (Savicki, (2008) at 75). What remains consistent throughout the literature is the identified benefits of experiential learning; the literature consistently refers to experiential learning as a particular teaching methodology that provides additional learning outcomes that are not achieved by traditional forms of classroom teaching. The student learns from experience, whether that be through in-class role-playing, a simulated experiential learning tool or off-site experiential learning. I have embraced all of these examples of experiential learning in my career. Apart from learning substantive legal principles, practising lawyers and accountants need to develop certain professional skills, such as client interview skills. In regards to the first example of experiential learning noted above, in my taxation classes last semester the students interviewed their new client Julie. I was a naïve professor of law who loved cows and the issue was whether my cow breeding activities constituted a business. This semester I was the winner of master chef and am unaware of the tax consequences of my participation and winnings. The challenge at Deakin University was to find a mechanism that was also accessible to Deakin’s cohort of distance education students. While there is a substantial body of work on the educational benefits of simulations, literature examining the use of e-simulations in the teaching law is comparatively limited. My e-simulation, ‘ClientView’, allows students to develop relevant interview skills through a simulated experiential learning model interviewing their client, Miranda, who seeks legal advice on relevant business organisations to conduct her new ventures and/or the taxation implications of using these business organisations. The feedback has been very positive. I was given permission to use the e-simulation in my subsequent appointments at Auckland University of Technology and the University of Auckland. The technology requires some updating; a matter myself and Mr David O’Brien of Deakin University are working together to achieve. I want to share in this seminar the highs and (little) lows of developing an e-simulation.