University College Dublin

Periodic Quality Review

UCD School of Law

April 2008

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Context 3

2. Organisation and Management 6

3. Staff and Facilities 8

4. Teaching, Learning and Assessment 11

5. Curriculum Development and Review 16

6. Research Activity 18

7. Management of Quality and Enhancement 19

8. Support Services 23

9. External Relations 24

10. Combined List of Commendations and Recommendations 27

11. Appendix – UCD School of Law Response to the Report 36

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1. Introduction and Context Introduction 1. This report presents the findings of a quality review of the UCD School

of Law, at University College Dublin. The review was undertaken in April 2008.

The Review Process 2. Irish Universities have collectively agreed a framework for their quality

review and quality improvement systems, which is consistent with both the legislative requirements of the Universities Act 1997, and international good practice. Quality reviews are carried out in academic, administrative and support service units.

3. The purpose of periodic review is to assist the University to assure

itself of the quality of each of its constituent units, and to utilise learning from this essentially developmental process in order to effect improvement, including :

To monitor the quality of the student experience, and of teaching and learning opportunities;

To monitor research activity, including: management of research; assessing the research performance with regard to: research productivity and research income; and recruiting and supporting doctoral students;

To provide an opportunity for units to test the effectiveness of their systems and procedures for monitoring and enhancing quality and standards;

To provide a framework within which the unit can continue to work in the future towards quality improvement;

To identify shortfalls in resources and provide an externally validated case for change and/or increased resources;

Identify, encourage and disseminate good practice – to identify challenges and address these;

To provide public information on the University’s capacity to assure the quality and standards of its awards. The University’s implementation of its quality review procedures also enables it to demonstrate how it discharges its responsibilities for assuring the quality and standards of its awards, as required by the Universities Act 1997.

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4. Typically, the review model comprises four major elements:

Preparation of a Self-assessment Report (SAR)

A visit by a Review Group (RG) that includes UCD staff and external experts, both national and international. The site visit normally will take place over a two or three day period

Preparation of a Review Group Report that is made public

Agreement of an Action Plan for Improvement (Quality Improvement Plan) based on the RG Report’s recommendations; the University will also monitor progress against the Improvement Plan

Full details of the review process can be found on the UCD Quality Office website: www.ucd.ie/quality.

5. The Composition of the Review Group for the UCD School of Law was

as follows:

Professor Roger Burridge, (University of Warwick)

Professor Irene Lynch-Fannon, (University College Cork)

Professor Michael P Ryan, (UCD Dean of Graduate Studies and Post Doctoral Training)

Mr Roy Ferguson, (UCD Director of Quality) 6. The Review Group visited the School on 8-10 April 2008, and had

meetings with a range of School and University staff and students, including: the Quality Review Coordinating committee; the interim Dean of Law and senior staff with responsibility for teaching and learning, research, organisation and resources, College Principal, employers and recent graduates, representative group of academic staff covering, student induction/guidance, assessment and student progress, student support, learning outcomes, planning of the curriculum, learning resources, management of quality and standards; representative group of support staff, tutors, postgraduate students, School of Law Research Committee, undergraduate students; representatives from the Library and the UCD IT Services; and the College Director of Marketing.

7. In addition to the Self-assessment Report, the Review Group

considered documentation provided by the School and the University. This included minutes of meetings (including examination boards), external examiner reports, module documentation, and a sample of assessed work; various reports, such as the Law Budget Review 2007-08 and the Draft University Report from the Policy Working Group on External Examiners.

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The University 8. University College Dublin (UCD) is a large and diverse university

whose origin dates back to 1854. The university is situated on a large, modern campus, about 4km to the south of the centre of Dublin.

9. The current University Strategic Plan (2005-2008) states that the

University’s Mission is:

“to advance knowledge, pursue truth and foster learning, in an atmosphere of discovery, creativity, innovation and excellence, drawing out the best in each individual, and contributing to the social, cultural and economic life of Ireland in the wider world”.

The University is organised into 35 Schools in five Colleges;

UCD College of Arts and Celtic Studies

UCD College of Human Sciences

UCD College of Life Sciences

UCD College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences

UCD College of Business and Law

There are currently over 22,000 students registered on University programmes, including 6,000 graduate students and over 3,000 international students from more than 110 countries.

The UCD School of Law 10. The UCD School of Law is located on the main Belfield Campus in

South Dublin, in the College of Business and Law. The School of Law dates from the early 1900’s and is the largest and most diverse law school in the State. Its graduates occupy some of the most distinguished positions in the fields of Irish law, business and politics. It has a full-time teaching staff of thirty and hosts the UCD Institute of Criminology, the Irish Centre for Commercial Law Studies, and the leading academic journal in Ireland the Irish Jurist. The School’s links with the practising legal profession are excellent: the Judge-in-Residence programme; the appointment of distinguished adjunct faculty and visiting professors; and numerous events linking academics and practitioners, including the annual Irish European Law Forum and prestigious lecture series all reflect the importance of these links.

Vision 11. The School’s Self-assessment Report states:

“The School of Law’s vision embodies a commitment to development and innovation, to enriching the educational environment of its student

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body, to producing high quality legal research, to working in partnership with the practicing legal profession, to developing an understanding of the role of law in society and to establishing an authoritative presence in the international legal community.”

12. In summary the School of Law aims to realise its vision by:

Increasing full time academic staff from thirty to forty

Increasing student numbers from 1200 to 1500

Doubling existing numbers of graduate students ( diploma, masters and doctoral) from approximately 150 to 300

Subject Provision 13. The taught provision under review consists of eight undergraduate

programmes and at graduate level, two Masters programmes and two Diplomas:

Undergraduate:

Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL)

Bachelor of Business and Law

Bachelor of Civil Law (Law with French)

BCL/Maitrise

BCL (Law with History)

BCL (Law with Philosophy)

BCL (Law with Politics)

BCL (Law with Economics)

Graduate:

LLM (streams in Commercial Law and in European law or General LLM)

Diploma in Arbitration

Diploma in Employment Law 2. Organisation and Management 14. The UCD School of Law is a constituent School of the UCD College of

Business and Law. This UCD College is unique in UCD in that there are only two Schools in the College, namely the UCD School of Law and the UCD School of Business. Following the UCD organisational restructuring in 2005, from January 2008, revised management structures have been put in place for the UCD College of Business and Law. In the College, the Heads of Schools of Business and Law are also called Deans and are Deputy Principals (Head) of College. The Dean of the Business School is a member of the University Senior

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Management Team (SMT) - Academic Sub Committee - due to the large size of the UCD Business School (normally only College Principals, Vice Presidents and the President are members of the University SMT).

15. The Principal of the College of Business and Law is a part time

appointment. The Dean of the School of Law is an alternate for the College Principal for the SMT Academic Sub Committee. The College of Business and Law will continue to exercise its oversight responsibility of the two Schools, including financial oversight; to provide professional supports to the Schools in a number of domains (such as Finance, Marketing and Development) and to promote collaboration between the Schools and across the Colleges. Positions that are split between the two Schools include Director of Marketing, Director of Development and Finance Manager. These positions report directly to the Deans of each School on their operations and the ratio of time spent and cost allocation between the two Schools is on a 4:1 (Business: Law ) basis.

Commendations

The School of Law has in place a governance structure with a number of committees including i) Executive committee, ii) Teaching and Learning committee, iii) Research committee, iv) New Building committee. Minutes of committees are available on the UCD connect system.

A workload model has been put in place. Recommendations

A schedule of regular committee meetings should be arranged well in advance with agenda and minutes circulated appropriately.

The School should facilitate non-academic staff and student representation on committees as appropriate.

Include PhD student representation on the research committee.

Further develop the workload model to ensure full participation of all academic staff in the work of the School.

The University should consider putting in place a clear funding model with incentives built in, to support the School in realising its vision and strategic plans.

The School of Law should put in place a system to optimise the synergies that can be developed with the School of Business and the College structures and supports.

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3. Staff and Facilities Staff 16. As mentioned in the SAR, the full-time permanent staffing complement

at the UCD Law School is comprised of a staff of 28, although at the time of the review, the list of staff provided to the Review Group indicated that there were 29 staff, in addition to an Emeritus Professor. The administrative staff complement is currently 11.

Appropriate administrative structures are in place to provide support to the different degree programmes in the Law School.

The balance between professorial staff and other grades of staff seems appropriate. There is a significant involvement of tutors (22) in delivering the academic law modules.

Facilities: Roebuck Castle 17. The Law School is currently housed in Roebuck Castle, on the Belfield

campus. Although at first glance an apparently attractive location for a Law School, this building is not suitable, which the University has recognised. In particular, there is a lack of capacity for large group teaching and a lack of space to facilitate interaction of staff and students alike. Plans for a new (Sutherland) building are underway and funding has been secured. The Law Library is located within the UCD main Library (see paragraph 18 below). In reviewing the existing facilities and in light of input from the various stakeholders and the plans provided in Appendix 3:b of the Self-Assessment Report, the Review Group would suggest that the following issues could be considered in further planning:

The overall design of the building should be driven by the need to enhance the Law School community. The sense of collegiality and mission expressed by staff and students alike throughout the review process could be further developed.

o Café and ‘soft area’ facilities should be provided to

encourage students to consider the building their natural location. Common areas of this kind will serve to improve collegiality between the students and staff.

o Similarly, meeting facilities for staff, such as a common room,

would enhance the sense of collegiality amongst staff.

The design of the building should also accommodate future strategic plans in the Law School.

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o Mention was made of the intention to create Moot Court facilities to accommodate the planned enhancement of the curriculum. Views from various stakeholders, in particular students, past and present, and employers, would support significant expansion of skills modules within all of the law degree programmes. Accommodation in the building could reflect these strategic developments. (See also Curriculum Development and Review section below).

o The new building plans also mention the accommodation of

the Law School’s CPD activities and a clinical legal education centre. Although not mentioned in the SAR, CPD has been an important element in the development of strong external relations for the UCD Law School. Events have been planned for next year, and the Diplomas in Employment Law and Arbitration will be brought under the CPD umbrella. Support for these initiatives through the provision of dedicated facilities will be an important strategic advantage for the Law School at UCD.

o The balance between large and medium sized lecture

theatres provided for in the new building, ought to be considered in light of strategic plans to realign the balance between undergraduate and postgraduate students. In addition postgraduate rooms and offices could form a part of this area of the building.

Facilities: Law Library

18. The Law Library is located within the main UCD library. The issue of

whether or not the Sutherland Building should accommodate a library has been, we understand, resolved in favour of maintaining a centrally located library. The Review Group was informed about budgetary difficulties within the Law Library, noting that the funding allocation of the budget is based on FTE figures. The result of lack of funding has led to a significant shortfall in the acquisition of monographs and other non-electronic sources which are vital to the maintenance of a vibrant research culture, in particular postgraduate research activity. The accessibility to wired workstations was limited in the Law Library area. A significant number of workspaces were cramped and inaccessible (see also paragraph 58-59).

Commendations

Recruitment of academic staff in recent years has added to the overall quality and performance of the Law School at UCD.

The development of a workload model provides greater clarity to the productivity of academic members of staff and has allowed for

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decisions to be made regarding an appropriate balance of teaching, research and administrative work.

The securing of funding for the Sutherland Law Building is a significant advantage acquired by the Law School at UCD. This has the potential to secure the position of UCD Law School as the leading law school in Ireland in the future.

Recommendations

The role of the tutorial staff in terms of recruitment of Ad Astra and PhD students and external tutors has been restructured. Further development of tutors in terms of training should lead to quality enhancement regarding delivery of tutorials and the educational experience of students.

A workload model could be developed for administrative staff, further enhancing the support roles which they provide in the Law School.

The overall design of the new building should be driven by the need to enhance the Law School community and the sense of collegiality and mission expressed by staff and students alike throughout the review process. The design of the building should also take account of future strategic developments highlighted during the review period. Overall coherence of planning is vital in this process.

Budgetary deficits in the Library need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The finance model based on FTEs does not serve the needs of a Law Library. The structures supporting the negotiation of the Law Library budget should be addressed in accordance with recommendations from the Law School Research Committee. As part of the development initiatives surrounding the Sutherland Law Building, funding should be allocated to the refurbishment of the Law Library space. Many of the issues surrounding the library have been identified and addressed by the Law School Research Committee in its Research Actions Document (SAR Appendix 6:b: Section 5). The Review Group are particularly supportive of suggestions concerning a renegotiation of the Law Library budget within University structures.

In the context of the new building initiative, the development of a reading room providing library facilities, modelled on library facilities available in some law firms, would provide a core to the Sutherland Building. Considerable thought should be given to the availability of wifi throughout the building. Furthermore, the addition of some group study rooms, which could be reserved by students working on projects together, would be of benefit.

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Management of space in the interim period prior to completion of the Sutherland Building could address some of the issues highlighted above, in particular, regarding enhanced meeting spaces for staff and students. Enhanced wifi facilities could be secured through further consultation with IT services at UCD.

4. Teaching, Learning and Assessment 19. The School provides a good range of programmes at undergraduate,

graduate and CPD levels, that attracts very able students from Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. It also recruits international students including the US. It has significantly expanded its market share over the review period. In 2006/07 the School introduced new undergraduate programmes - Law with History / Politics / Philosophy / Economics – as well as the dual BCL/Maitrise. The popularity of its various programmes and the quality of applicants is evidence of its reputation as one of the foremost Irish legal education institutions.

20. The School has the institutional support, organisational structures,

management expertise and academic and support staff resources to deliver and fulfil its role as a leading deliverer of HE legal education. It demonstrates appropriate and effective mechanisms within the UCD and College structure for the effective delivery, monitoring and evaluation of its teaching and assessment.

21. Lectures and seminars are appreciated by students, as evidenced in

the aggregated module evaluations and discussions with students. Student progression data and examples of assessments, examination papers and scripts confirm that the quality and standard of teaching and assessment on the programmes is appropriate and effective. The School is addressing difficulties in collating and evaluating student questionnaires on teachers and tutors. It is important that regular monitoring of students’ evaluations of teaching is maintained and results analysed by the Teaching and Learning Committee, which should consider student representation.

22. The framework for student consultation is in place but could be more

effectively implemented (see also paragraph 46-51). The appointment of a Student Adviser fulfils an important role in support and is a role that until recently has been neglected. The Student Consultative Forum (SCF), however, is essential to ensure that there is opportunity for student-staff dialogue about all aspects of programme delivery and such meetings should not be dependant upon the role of the Student Adviser. The School should ensure that regular meetings for all programmes are held and that academic staff attend and are well represented. Consideration should be given to the proceedings and decisions of the SCFs at a relevant School Committee, including the Teaching and Learning Committee for teaching and learning issues.

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23. The proposed development of a Law School Teaching and Learning Strategy will ensure that the various proposals for more innovative teaching initiatives are reviewed and introduced across programmes.

Masters programmes 24. The LLM was reviewed in February 2008. The Preliminary Report

provides a valuable basis for development and its recommendations should be carefully considered and expeditiously implemented.

25. The Review reveals a wide range of modules presented in three

streams – Commercial, European and Criminology and Criminal Justice. In 2007/8 there were 71 students registered for 14 modules (Semester One) and 15 modules (Semester Two). Whilst this provides an interesting and varied range of modules, the average number of students per module is 5. In view of the proposal to introduce further new modules in 2008/9, it is recommended that careful consideration should be paid to the resources to be dedicated to the number of students anticipated, although it is noted that staff:student ratios are considered to be very good. Nevertheless the delivery of a module for only two students is an expensive allocation of resources.

26. Students’ experiences of supervision for their dissertations were varied.

For example, there is a lack of clarity in relation to the selection of thesis topics, supervisor’s responsibilities and general guidance.

27. The strengths of the LLM programme identified in the Preliminary Report (see paragraph 24 above) are welcomed, particularly the adoption of varied assessment methods. The challenges identified need to be addressed as proposed, including the promotion and maintenance of office hours for academic staff and ensuring that Student and Careers Advisors are available.

Undergraduate Programmes 28. Students appreciate the experience and expertise of their Lecturers

and recognise amongst them a number of very charismatic and effective teachers. They also expressed appreciation of their tutors, although analysis of the new student questionnaires about tutorials is awaited.

29. Four tutorials per semester are delivered and students are organised in

groups of about 15. Lecturers do not participate in tutorials but prepare the instructions and materials for tutors.

30. The tutorial system provides the principal opportunity for interaction

with students and in 2007/8 is delivered by 22 tutors. Some of these are postgraduates, including seven Ad Astra students, but the majority are part time teachers with other, often professional, commitments. The introduction of recent, practical knowledge adds breadth to

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teaching and students are generally very appreciative of tutors’ efforts, although students commented that this often resulted in sudden changes to the published arrangements and switches in tutors. There is also concern at the disparity in size of tutorial groups (5 to 30) and the uneven preparedness and contribution amongst fellow students. Comment was also made about the uneven behaviour of tutors’ attitudes to student attendance and participation.

31. The teaching approach for the majority of modules, is lecture and

tutorial, and assessment is predominantly by final examination. The School recognises in its Self-assessment Report that there is much scope for introducing more varied approaches. These would encourage wider student participation throughout the programmes and enhance tutorials in particular. Students and employers recognised the importance of generic skills (oral presentation, team-working, legal drafting, mooting, debating etc.). Such innovations were felt to be relevant to all students and would assist, but should not be restricted to, the assimilation of vocational skills. Such skills are capable of being delivered in all modules (e.g. mooting examples in criminal law).

32. The proposal to change the BCL into a four year programme would

provide a valuable opportunity for wider student experiences, including placements, clinical involvement, and research activities. Practitioners expressed strong support for such developments. The four year BCL programme should be evaluated for its wider benefits as a vehicle for delivering a more effective and comprehensive preparation for practice, academia and other careers (see also paragraph 36). The inculcation of generic learning skills across the curriculum however, need not be dependent upon a four year programme. Innovation in experiential learning and generic skills development can be introduced throughout teaching.

33. BCL students expressed strong appreciation of the Legal Research

and Writing module. The concentration of this programme within the Tort and Contract modules will ensure that research and writing skills are exposed to all law undergraduates, but its success will be dependent upon clear identification of student expectations, support for Lecturers and tutors involved and close monitoring of the transition.

Commendations

The variety, relevance and distinctiveness of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

The scholarship, commitment and expertise of academic staff, including the graduate tutors.

The commitment to the development of a wider range of approaches to teaching and assessment, including the introduction of generic skills across the curriculum for all programmes.

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The development of specific measures to ensure effective staff engagement in learning and teaching issues (Teaching and Learning Committee; seminar programme organised by the Head of Teaching and Learning; workload model; emphasis upon staff undertaking Higher Diploma in Graduate Education).

Recommendations

The School’s proposals for introducing more skills, problem based learning opportunities and clinical experiences should be implemented.

Mechanisms for supporting students, consulting with them and learning from their feedback and evaluations should be given a higher priority. The processes for engaging students are present but have not been effectively utilised.

Efforts should be made to ensure more evenness in students’ experiences of teaching and the administration of modules.

There is scope for greater clarity of Lecturers’ expectations of students’ learning; and more determined adherence to School learning and teaching policies and practices amongst some Lecturers (tutor meetings and briefings; module guidance and materials; use of Blackboard; feedback to students). These processes will be assisted if the School implements the proposal to develop module teams and rely less upon individual academics to deliver modules.

More opportunities for and better attendance at School wide discussions of learning and teaching practices and greater sharing of different teaching approaches should be considered (e.g. ongoing, as well as dedicated events, such as a Teaching Away Day).

Greater School acknowledgement and better utilisation of University reward systems should be explored to encourage and promote good teaching practices.

The organisation and delivery of tutorials, whilst effective, will benefit from:

o greater supervision and leadership by Lecturers o closer regulation of students’ attendance at their designated

tutorial o teaching observation of Lectures and tutorials should be

continued and monitored; and more interactive exercises in tutorials should be developed and training provided for staff who are unfamiliar with them

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o consideration should be given to adjusting the balance of teaching approaches by reducing the number of lectures and increasing the number of tutorials

o lecturer participation in the delivery of tutorials would ensure a wider understanding of the students’ learning and promote a stronger teaching team ethos

The introduction of 10% credit for module participation is welcome although the award of marks appears to be varied. More clarification of expectations and greater parity amongst tutors in the allocation of marks should be considered.

The establishment of a personal tutor scheme would assist students in choosing appropriate options and electives and would also provide a useful first meeting point for careers advice and advice on graduate study.

Improved guidance should be developed for the LLM degree, for example: the selection of thesis topics; and the responsibilities of the student and supervisor.

Communication systems and procedures to support learning and teaching are in place and are generally appreciated. At various levels however, they are not utilised as effectively or as timely as they could be:

o more attention should be paid to information flows and the

maintenance of contacts between all members of the School and University – School managers, Lecturers, support staff, students and tutors;

o the provision of more information should include module expectations and performance; publication of module review results; more frequent contact between Lecturers and tutors;

o the processes of information should be reviewed to enable quicker and more widely broadcast (for example, plasma screens) communication between the administration and students about sudden changes to tutorial arrangements; explanation of Blackboard and other IT systems and data bases;

o module documents, lecture outlines and tutorial materials should be accessible to all teaching staff and monitored by the School’s Teaching and Learning Committee.

Consideration should be given to the inclusion of student representatives on the Teaching and Learning Committee.

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5. Curriculum Development and Review 34. Overall, considerable satisfaction was expressed by all stakeholders

regarding the operation of the BCL and BBL programmes.

Many of the students both present and past, expressed a great deal of positive interest in the Horizons project. In general, flexibility was considered to be an attractive feature of many of the degree programmes currently offered, ranging from the BBL degree to the BCL Maitrise and on to the combined Law with … degrees. Data seemed to bear out these positive views, as Law CAO first preference figures have increased since the combined degrees were introduced.

35. The Review Group recognises that the Law programmes are

constrained by the requirements of the professional bodies, namely The Incorporated Law Society and the Kings Inns. The interaction between this unique requirement experienced by the Law School and developments at University level, in relation to the Horizons Project and in relation to the development of Law with … degrees, has led to mixed outcomes:

Students expressed some dissatisfaction as to the lack of flexibility which they experienced in reality with the combined degrees.

The Review Group strongly supports the delivery of legal writing and research skills. The SAR states that legal writing and research will feature in modules taken by all students in the programmes offered by the School from 2008-2009. The Review Group considers that it would be most important for such skills to be delivered in a structured way and that students should be reassured that these skills will be delivered. Past students and employers were also very positive about the delivery of these skills based modules. Mooting was considered to be an additional skill which should be delivered within a module format.

Students had concerns regarding lack of information as to requirements necessary for qualifying as practitioners both in Ireland and in the UK. This information is vital to them in choosing options and electives. Students observed that even though information was available on the websites and on Blackboard, they were not familiar with the need to acquire information in a timely manner. An academic personal tutor scheme might address some of these issues, in addition to being available as a conduit for career advice and support. In general, it is possible that students are not as computer literate as might be expected.

In general, students who had experienced the international placement on the BBL or BCL were very positive about their experiences.

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36. The introduction of a four year degree programme, which is planned for commencement in 2009/2010, will provide additional flexibility to enhance the provision of a broader range of modules to BCL students. The four year BCL is a key development underpinning the School of Law’s curriculum reform. The School will need to be mindful, however, about the implications for recruitment, when the three year BCL is terminated (e.g. it will lengthen the time to professional qualification). (See also paragraph 32).

37. In relation to overall delivery of the degree programmes, the students

felt that there was some disconnect between some of the combined degree programmes and the pure BCL degree. In the case of the BBL it is fair to say that the differences between each programme were regarded as reasonable, with the exception of the provision of the Legal Writing and Research module. In relation to the other degree programmes the differences were not always regarded in a positive light.

38. The Review Group were particularly concerned about the high drop out

rate of the BCL Maitrise. 39. The LLM has been reviewed recently. Some concerns were raised in

the course of the review by members of staff regarding the decline in applications to the LLM. Figures obtained by the Review Group from the Admissions Office, however, do not indicate a drop between 2006, 2007, 2008. The introduction of a dissertation and the introduction of additional modules were viewed as positive developments. The relationship between the introduction of a four year BCL degree and its impact on the LLM postgraduate programmes was not addressed in the SAR.

40. In terms of future curriculum development, a number of the employer

and past graduate stakeholders expressed very positive views about the potential role of the Law School, in providing a platform for collaborative educational initiatives delivered by a combination of academics and practitioners. Positive views were expressed regarding the provision of courses at an advanced level in areas of relevance to specialist firms and practitioners. Legal education provided by the professional bodies was regarded as quite ‘generalist’ in approach.

41. In relation to the generation of income from an increase in

postgraduate numbers at both LLM and PhD, the finance model currently in place was not made clear to the Review Group, but it seems that this model does not allow for direct transfer of fee income to the Law School. In the Review Group’s view this will hinder future strategic development of the Law School. As stated in paragraph 18, a particularly urgent issue in this regard, is the availability of funds for the Library, the sourcing of which is vital to the continued attractiveness of UCD Law School (see also recommendations on page 10).

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Commendations

The range of degrees representing flexibility and choices available to undergraduate students has consistently attracted a high caliber of students to UCD. New initiatives in light of the Horizons project and the Law with … degrees have added to the attractiveness of Law at UCD. CAO First preferences for Law have increased in 2006 and 2007 over 2005 figures.

The review of the LLM programme will ensure the continued attraction of high calibre students.

Recommendations

Balance between the BCL, BBL and Law with other disciplines degree programmes should be scrutinised carefully regarding parity of delivery of these programmes, with particular emphasis on the delivery of skills elements such as Legal Writing and Research, and Mooting.

The LLM could be considered as a vehicle for providing advanced collaborative educational programmes involving practitioners and academics, further enhancing the relationship between the Law School and the professional community.

6. Research Activity 42. The School enjoys a strong reputation for legal research in Ireland. A

Research Policy was developed in 2001 and a Research Actions paper was adopted by the School in November 2006. Together these identify support needs and provide a firm basis for progress. Research activity and policy is directed by the Research Committee, led by a Director of Research. A Research Administrator is shortly to be appointed. The School is well represented on research issues in University and College committees.

43. Research activity by staff includes a high quality and quantity of outputs

from a significant number of staff. Most staff are research active and there is breadth and variety in the research interests in the School. There are mechanisms such as the workload model in place for monitoring staff performance, which can inform the School’s strategy.

44. The School has a healthy proportion of 25 PhD students, 13 of whom

have registered since 2006; seven are Ad Astra Scholars. The School aspires to double the registration of PhD students over a five year period, having commenced in 2006-07.

45. The School is looking forward to growth in all areas of its research

activities. It has in place the necessary framework and support to

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sustain a busy and interesting research culture and to fulfil its ambitions to grow. In recent years staff have been successful in obtaining a range of funded research projects, including the prestigious Codification Project. There is a commitment to build funded research which should be energetically pursued.

Commendations

The quality and volume of research outputs from a significant proportion of staff.

The research culture represented in the two reports on research development, the efforts of the Research Committee and Director, the commitment to and appreciation from postgraduate research students, and the academic staff workload model, monitoring individual activity and sharing of results amongst staff.

The introduction of the research leave scheme. Recommendations

The proposals adopted by the School should be implemented rapidly, including the appointment of a Research Manager or Administrator; and improvements to the research pages on the web-site.

The School’s research strategy needs further clarification of the proposal to develop research clusters. Efforts should be made to promote exceptional expertise and exploit combined efforts, including the establishment of new research centres. Research interests amongst staff should continue to be reviewed and new areas for development identified.

Staff should engage wider university opportunities for inter-disciplinary projects and utilise University and College networks.

The University needs to recognise the specific Law discipline approaches to the review of research outputs.

7. Management of Quality and Enhancement 46. The School of Law uses a number of external indicators to measure the

quality of the provision of legal education delivered by the School. These indicators include: the number of students who chose UCD Law as their first preference in the CAO application process and the high level of average points at entry, for example 525 points average for first year entry to the BCL and the BBL; the large number of competitive scholarships that are awarded to UCD Law graduates; and the level of

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recruitment of UCD law graduates by the legal profession, the public sector and private companies, in both Ireland and the UK.

47. The School employs a number of evaluative processes to monitor

teaching and learning performance. These processes include: student module evaluation using end-of-semester surveys; tutorial evaluation surveys; student feedback through student forums; involvement of external examiners in the examination process in both the setting of examination papers and overview of grading trends. A number of School committees have responsibility for the monitoring of quality and standards within the School – these include: the Teaching and Learning Committee; the Undergraduate and Graduate Law Programme Boards and the Undergraduate Programme Coordinator meetings.

48. The Review Group would endorse the assessment by the School

(SAR: 25) that notwithstanding the scope of the monitoring and review mechanisms that are in place, their effectiveness concerning their contribution to quality improvement of provision is mixed. An example of this is the evaluation of large group teaching, which is not as effective as it might be, due in part to the poorly designed survey instrument. The feedback to module coordinators is at times ad hoc and predominantly quantitative. Qualitative feedback comments are not always relayed in full and there is no process to ensure follow-up on constructive criticism. It was not clear to the Review Group how the various quality review mechanisms collectively contributed to quality improvement. On the other hand there are examples of best practice such as the new tutorial survey instrument which was piloted in 2007, to survey students and tutors. Positive feedback has been generated from this survey and is being acted upon by the School.

49. The Student Consultative Forums have also proved to be a useful

mechanism for collating student feedback, however, the reviewers noted that the schedule of meetings were at times erratic. The organisation of Student Consultative Forums should be helped with the appointment of a part-time Student Advisor. It would be helpful if the documentation from these consultative forums explicitly set out: what actions had to be addressed, who by, and the action taken. This would facilitate the tracking of action taken/to be taken, and assist with systematic feedback to students, which appeared to the reviewers to be ad hoc.

50. The quality of student progression is commendable. Students reported

that support systems are in place and are generally responsive to students’ needs. There is provision to obtain feedback from students through a range of processes, including representation on Programme Boards. However, as stated in paragraph 22, whilst a range of mechanisms are in place, they do not all appear to be fully utilised.

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51. The students interviewed by the Review Group consider that they are generally involved in the formal quality and standards procedures, being able to cite instances where matters they raised have been addressed. Students are able to make contributions to the process of module and programme review through questionnaires, focus group and the student consultative forums. Students also readily expressed their appreciation of the enthusiasm and commitment of staff and their willingness to give academic support and advice to them.

52. The reviewers noted that while there is a useful Student handbook for

LLM graduate students, there is no equivalent for undergraduate students.

53. The School is commended for its efforts to provide greater skills

training for staff, and while there has been a modest uptake of this facility to date, reviewers would encourage the School to continue to promote this support for staff. At subject level, there are examples of good practice, such as peer review and the reviewers would again encourage the roll-out of this process still further amongst staff.

54. The Undergraduate Programme Coordinator meetings along with the

Undergraduate Programme Board meetings deal with student applications and academic policy issues. A feedback mechanism exists to track the follow up to matters raised. Greater transparency should be facilitated with respect to the decisions of the Programme Boards by the new Communications Strategy that will require minutes and papers presented to the Boards to be posted on UCD Connect.

55. The School states that external examiners are an important element of

quality assurance. The School ensures that external examiners deal with a range of modules, thus giving them a cross-cutting view of the School’s teaching. External examiners approve the exam papers in advance of the examinations and exercise a quality review and standards function at the borderlines of firsts and fails and are invited to review a spread of sample marks within each module. The reviewers note that the reports from external examiners have been largely positive and supportive of the School, the performance of students and the standards maintained. The reviewers would commend the School for the degree of involvement of externs in the examination process. External examiners, along with judges of the High Court also play an important role each year in the selection of prize-winning work by students in examinations and coursework assessment, thereby providing an external and objective perspective on student standards.

56. Under the current external examiner system, however, the reviewers

noted that in a number of cases, reports from external examiners were either delayed or not available. The reviewers judge that this is a weakness in what is otherwise a robust process. The Review Group noted that the University is currently reviewing the role that external

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examiners would play in a modularised system. This review of external examiners may address the shortcomings in the present system.

Commendations

The School employs a wide range of evaluative processes to monitor teaching and learning performance.

There is evidence to indicate that the School responds positively to student feedback.

There are a number of useful student guidance notes (e.g. Guidance on Module Choice; Modules Required for a Qualifying Law Degree) and a comprehensive Graduate Student Handbook (except for the guidance on dissertations already noted).

Students commented favourably on the culture of approachability and support amongst members of staff.

The support and guidance given to students on overseas placements is a strong indicator of the quality and commitment of the staff concerned.

The practice of placing the papers/minutes/decisions of Programme Boards on the School web site will aid transparency.

There is a clear formal process for the approval of new modules and programmes.

Recommendations

There is some evidence to indicate that the quality review processes are informing the enhancement of teaching, however, there is scope for further improvement, for example, ensuring that student forums meet regularly, and that designated academic staff attend these forums. In addition, structures need to be put in place to ensure the systematic feedback of results from the various monitoring mechanisms, to the relevant staff and programme boards, as appropriate.

The comments provided by external examiners are one of the key inputs to the quality review process. The reviewers would recommend that the University and the School should, as a matter of urgency, put in place procedures to ensure that external examiner reports are received and circulated in a timely way to the Dean of the Law School and module coordinators. It is acknowledged that the new University Policy on External Examiners may address these issues.

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While there are a number monitoring processes to collate student views, the reviewers would recommend that mechanisms should be developed to further communicate feedback to students on issues that they have raised. Appropriate issues of concern should also be feedback to the relevant Programme Board.

The School should develop an undergraduate handbook, similar to the LLM student handbook.

The School should consider documenting how the various quality review mechanisms, including student feedback and the various School Committees, collectively contribute to the review and enhancement of modules and programmes.

8. Support Services The Library 58. The School Self-assessment Report indicates that there has been a fall

in the budget allocation for books and journals in 2007-08, a fall of €15,244 from 2006-07. The bulk of spending is on journals. In 2007-08, a one-off allocation was made by the Library of €5,000 to the School of Laws Library budget. This money was supplemented by an award of a further €5,000 from the UCD Alumni Fund. The funds available for library acquisitions for law remains restrictive. The School and the Library staff have been proactive in identifying creative ways to optimise current budget limits. Reviewers would submit that the limited funding for the library budget is having a detrimental effect on the further development of the law curriculum, such development being uniquely dependent on the development of a law library which is similar to the scientist’s laboratory. First class library provision is a prerequisite for excellent research and graduate education (see also paragraph 18).

59. The space available to law students in the library, while serviceable, is

cramped and uninviting. The law section of the library requires updating and redesigning to optimise space and present an attractive resource for students and staff, including improved lighting, computer facilities and dedicated space for graduate students.

IT Services Support 60. Recognising the continuing reliance on IT systems to deliver the

curriculum and communicate with staff and students, the School appointed an IT specialist in 2006, to augment the support service provided centrally by the University.

61. The School’s Self-assessment Report acknowledges that in a range of

areas the support services provided by the IT Services has improved in

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recent years, including the IT support service provided by the IT Support Service Helpdesk system. The School has identified some difficulty in resolving less than straight forward IT problems. The Review Group noted, however, that the College had not yet established a College IT Committee, the chair of which would be a member on the University IT Committee. The establishment of such a committee would facilitate liaison links between the School and central IT specialists, assist with the co-ordination of developments and the resolution of IT related problems.

Commendations

The close links between the School and the Law Librarian has proved constructive and helpful.

The information skills workshops and the Library Roadshow, organised in March 2008, are useful initiatives to raise student skills and library awareness amongst law students.

The support provided by University IT Support Services is generally good, in particular the assistance provided by the IT Support Services Helpdesk.

The IT induction and rolling training sessions provided by the IT Support Services is valued by the students.

Recommendations

The University and the Library should review the law section of the library provision with a view to upgrading the study environment for law students (see also page 10). In particular, the provision for the use of laptops by students should be enhanced, for example, improving access to power outlets.

The College, with its two Schools, as a matter of urgency, should establish an IT Committee, in line with University procedures, to coordinate IT developments and to provide a formal liaison link with the University IT Support Services.

9. External Relations The University

62. The School has been active in the development of interdisciplinary

degrees and linking to other Schools in the University for Undergraduate Programmes. The membership of the Undergraduate Law Programme Board reflects these arrangements. At the Graduate level the School is also active in developing cooperation for both Taught and Research Graduate Programmes. The School has also

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moved to link the research policy with the strategic research themes identified in the University Research Strategy. Some issues were raised concerning liaison within the College and with the central University.

Commendations

The School is to be commended on the forward looking policy to develop cooperation and joint undergraduate and graduate programmes with other Schools in the University.

Recommendations

The School should develop a strategy to optimise its communications and liaison with the central University systems and facilities.

The School Manager should play a leading role in arranging to maximise the services obtained from central University.

The Law Programme Office should optimise the liaison with other relevant Schools and Programme offices to ensure that students on joint programmes obtain a very positive learning experience.

Internationalisation of the student experience 63. The School has been particularly active in fostering the development of

the internationalisation of the student experience and has developed the BCL/BBL (International). The School is also keen to develop new relations with our partner Universities in the Universitas 21 network. The School has developed links with some American Universities including DePaul University which required American Bar Association accreditation. Exchange arrangements for staff with University of California at Davis and University of Minnesota have also been developed. The School participates in the Federal Defenders Internship programme. The School has also been very active and positive in seeking arrangements to recruit students from China.

Commendations

The School is to be highly commended for the very positive steps it has taken to develop relationships with international Universities to the benefit of both staff and students.

Recommendations

The School should continue to develop the international experience for its students, and staff in the programme office should specifically facilitate this development to the benefit of students.

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The University should consider putting in place clear incentives to promote the internationalisation strategy, including the two-way movement of students and prepare the graduates for life and work in the global society and economy.

The School and Employers 64. The School is in a special position in that the Professional Legal Bodies

regulate the profession and therefore act to identify those law subjects that are necessary for a qualifying law degree. The relationship with the Professional Legal bodies is therefore a delicate one and care is needed to ensure that these Professional Legal bodies retain an appropriate level of input into the development of the curriculum. The relationship with the employers of the law graduates from the School is very positive. On the other hand, the students felt that there was a necessity for more directed career advice.

Commendations

The stakeholders, that is, the employers of the UCD Law School graduates, were very positively disposed to the School and expressed a willingness to facilitate more interaction.

The School has in place a UCD School of Law Development Council.

Recommendations

The School should further develop its relationship with the employers of its graduates.

The School should further facilitate and actively promote placement schemes both short term - 10 weeks - and more long term – 6 months – for students as appropriate.

The School should consider developing seminars whereby staff in the relevant employment sections participate in providing students with insight into the different employment opportunities.

The School should further develop its relationship with the UCD Careers and Appointments Office with a view to providing some dedicated and timely career advice support for its students. It may be possible to achieve this through a College level arrangement in the College of Business and Law.

The School should explore all possibilities to maximise to its advantage, its relationship with the professional legal bodies.

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10. Combined list of Commendations and Recommendations a. Organisation and Management

Commendations

The School of Law has in place a governance structure with a number of committees including i) Executive committee, ii) Teaching and Learning committee, iii) Research committee, iv) New Building committee. Minutes of committees are available on the UCD connect system.

A workload model has been put in place.

Recommendations

A schedule of regular committee meetings should be arranged well in advance with agenda and minutes circulated appropriately.

The School should facilitate non-academic staff and student representation on committees as appropriate.

Include PhD student representation on the research committee.

Further develop the workload model to ensure full participation of all academic staff in the work of the School.

The University should consider putting in place a clear funding model with incentives built in, to support the School in realising its vision and strategic plans.

The School of Law should put in place a system to optimise the synergies that can be developed with the School of Business and the College structures and supports.

b. Staff and Facilities

Commendations

Recruitment of academic staff in recent years has added to the overall quality and performance of the Law School at UCD.

The development of a workload model provides greater clarity to the productivity of academic members of staff and has allowed for decisions to be made regarding an appropriate balance of teaching, research and administrative work.

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The securing of funding for the Sutherland Law Building is a significant advantage acquired by the Law School at UCD. This has the potential to secure the position of UCD Law School as the leading law school in Ireland in the future.

Recommendations

The role of the tutorial staff in terms of recruitment of Ad Astra and PhD students and external tutors has been restructured. Further development of tutors in terms of training should lead to quality enhancement regarding delivery of tutorials and the educational experience of students.

A workload model could be developed for administrative staff, further enhancing the support roles which they provide in the Law School.

The overall design of the new building should be driven by the need to enhance the Law School community and the sense of collegiality and mission expressed by staff and students alike throughout the review process. The design of the building should also take account of future strategic developments highlighted during the review period. Overall coherence of planning is vital in this process.

Budgetary deficits in the Library need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The finance model based on FTEs does not serve the needs of a Law Library. The structures supporting the negotiation of the Law Library budget should be addressed in accordance with recommendations from the Law School Research Committee. As part of the development initiatives surrounding the Sutherland Law Building, funding should be allocated to the refurbishment of the Law Library space. Many of the issues surrounding the library have been identified and addressed by the Law School Research Committee in its Research Actions Document (SAR Appendix 6:b: Section 5). The Review Group are particularly supportive of suggestions concerning a renegotiation of the Law Library budget within University structures.

In the context of the new building initiative, the development of a reading room providing library facilities, modelled on library facilities available in some law firms, would provide a core to the Sutherland Building. Considerable thought should be given to the availability of wifi throughout the building. Furthermore, the addition of some group study rooms, which could be reserved by students working on projects together, would be of benefit.

Management of space in the interim period prior to completion of the Sutherland Building could address some of the issues highlighted above, in particular, regarding enhanced meeting

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spaces for staff and students. Enhanced wifi facilities could be secured through further consultation with IT services at UCD.

c. Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Commendations

The variety, relevance and distinctiveness of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

The scholarship, commitment and expertise of academic staff, including the graduate tutors.

The commitment to the development of a wider range of approaches to teaching and assessment, including the introduction of generic skills across the curriculum for all programmes.

The development of specific measures to ensure effective staff engagement in teaching and learning issues (Teaching and Learning Committee; seminar programme organised by the Head of Teaching and Learning; workload model; emphasis upon staff undertaking Higher Diploma in Graduate Education).

Recommendations

The School’s proposals for introducing more skills, problem based learning opportunities and clinical experiences should be implemented.

Mechanisms for supporting students, consulting with them and learning from their feedback and evaluations should be given a higher priority. The processes for engaging students are present but have not been effectively utilised.

Efforts should be made to ensure more evenness in students’ experiences of teaching and the administration of modules.

There is scope for greater clarity of Lecturers’ expectations of students’ learning; and more determined adherence to School learning and teaching policies and practices amongst some Lecturers (tutor meetings and briefings; module guidance and materials; use of Blackboard; feedback to students). These processes will be assisted if the School implements the proposal to develop module teams and rely less upon individual academics to deliver modules.

More opportunities for and better attendance at School wide discussions of learning and teaching practices and greater sharing of different teaching approaches should be considered (e.g.

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ongoing, as well as dedicated events, such as a Teaching Away Day).

Greater School acknowledgement and better utilisation of University reward systems should be explored to encourage and promote good teaching practices.

The organisation and delivery of tutorials, whilst effective, will benefit from:

o greater supervision and leadership by Lecturers o closer regulation of students’ attendance at their designated

tutorial o teaching observation of Lectures and tutorials should be

continued and monitored; and more interactive exercises in tutorials should be developed and training provided for staff who are unfamiliar with them

o consideration should be given to adjusting the balance of teaching approaches by reducing the number of lectures and increasing the number of tutorials

o lecturer participation in the delivery of tutorials would ensure a wider understanding of the students’ learning and promote a stronger teaching team ethos

The introduction of 10% credit for module participation is welcome although the award of marks appears to be varied. More clarification of expectations and greater parity amongst tutors in the allocation of marks should be considered.

The establishment of a personal tutor scheme would assist students in choosing appropriate options and electives and would also provide a useful first meeting point for careers advice and advice on graduate study.

Improved guidance should be developed for the LLM degree, for example: the selection of thesis topics; and the responsibilities of the student and supervisor.

Communication systems and procedures to support learning and teaching are in place and are generally appreciated. At various levels however, they are not utilised as effectively or as timely as they could be:

o more attention should be paid to information flows and the

maintenance of contacts between all members of the School and University – School managers, Lecturers, support staff, students and tutors;

o the provision of more information should include module expectations and performance; publication of module review results; more frequent contact between Lecturers and tutors;

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o the processes of information should be reviewed to enable quicker and more widely broadcast (for example, plasma screens) communication between the administration and students about sudden changes to tutorial arrangements; explanation of Blackboard and other IT systems and data bases;

o module documents, lecture outlines and tutorial materials should be accessible to all teaching staff and monitored by the School’s Teaching and Learning Committee.

Consideration should be given to the inclusion of student representatives on the Teaching and Learning Committee.

d. Curriculum Development and Review

Commendations

The range of degrees representing flexibility and choices available to undergraduate students has consistently attracted a high caliber of students to UCD. New initiatives in light of the Horizons project and the Law with … degrees have added to the attractiveness of Law at UCD. CAO First preferences for Law have increased in 2006 and 2007 over 2005 figures.

The review of the LLM programme will ensure the continued attraction of high calibre students.

Recommendations

Balance between the BCL, BBL and Law with other disciplines degree programmes should be scrutinised carefully regarding parity of delivery of these programmes, with particular emphasis on the delivery of skills elements such as Legal Writing and Research, and Mooting.

The LLM could be considered as a vehicle for providing advanced collaborative educational programmes involving practitioners and academics, further enhancing the relationship between the Law School and the professional community.

e. Research Activity

Commendations

The quality and volume of research outputs from a significant proportion of staff.

The research culture represented in the two reports on research development, the efforts of the Research Committee and Director,

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the commitment to and appreciation from postgraduate research students, and the academic staff workload model, monitoring individual activity and sharing of results amongst staff.

The introduction of the research leave scheme.

Recommendations

The proposals adopted by the School should be implemented rapidly, including the appointment of a Research Manager or Administrator; and improvements to the research pages on the web-site.

The School’s research strategy needs further clarification of the proposal to develop research clusters. Efforts should be made to promote exceptional expertise and exploit combined efforts, including the establishment of new research centres. Research interests amongst staff should continue to be reviewed and new areas for development identified.

Staff should engage wider university opportunities for inter-disciplinary projects and utilise University and College networks.

The University needs to recognise the specific Law discipline approaches to the review of research outputs.

f. Management of Quality and Enhancement

Commendations

The School employs a wide range of evaluative processes to monitor teaching and learning performance.

There is evidence to indicate that the School responds positively to student feedback.

There are a number of useful student guidance notes (e.g. Guidance on Module Choice; Modules Required for a Qualifying Law Degree) and a comprehensive Graduate Student Handbook (except for the guidance on dissertations already noted).

Students commented favourably on the culture of approachability and support amongst members of staff.

The support and guidance given to students on overseas placements is a strong indicator of the quality and commitment of the staff concerned.

33

The practice of placing the papers/minutes/decisions of Programme Boards on the School web site will aid transparency.

There is a clear formal process for the approval of new modules and programmes.

Recommendations

There is some evidence to indicate that the quality review processes are informing the enhancement of teaching, however, there is scope for further improvement, for example, ensuring that student forums meet regularly, and that designated academic staff attend these forums. In addition, structures need to be put in place to ensure the systematic feedback of results from the various monitoring mechanisms, to the relevant staff and programme boards, as appropriate.

The comments provided by external examiners are one of the key inputs to the quality review process. The reviewers would recommend that the University and the School should, as a matter of urgency, put in place procedures to ensure that external examiner reports are received and circulated in a timely way to the Dean of the Law School and module coordinators. It is acknowledged that the new University Policy on External Examiners may address these issues.

While there are a number monitoring processes to collate student views, the reviewers would recommend that mechanisms should be developed to further communicate feedback to students on issues that they have raised. Appropriate issues of concern should also be feedback to the relevant Programme Board.

The School should develop an undergraduate handbook, similar to the LLM student handbook.

The School should consider documenting how the various quality review mechanisms, including student feedback and the various School Committees, collectively contribute to the review and enhancement of modules and programmes.

g. Support Services

Commendations

The close links between the School and the Law Librarian has proved constructive and helpful.

34

The information skills workshops and the Library Roadshow, organised in March 2008, are useful initiatives to raise student skills and library awareness amongst law students.

The support provided by University IT Support Services is generally good, in particular the assistance provided by the IT Support Services Helpdesk.

The IT induction and rolling training sessions provided by the IT Support Services is valued by the students.

Recommendations

The University and the Library should review the law section of the library provision with a view to upgrading the study environment for law students (see also page 10). In particular, the provision for the use of laptops by students should be enhanced, for example, improving access to power outlets.

The College, with its two Schools, as a matter of urgency, should establish an IT Committee, in line with University procedures, to coordinate IT developments and to provide a formal liaison link with the University IT Support Services.

h. External Relations

Commendations

The School is to be commended on the forward looking policy to develop cooperation and joint undergraduate and graduate programmes with other Schools in the University.

The School is to be highly commended for the very positive steps it has taken to develop relationships with international Universities to the benefit of both staff and students.

The stakeholders, that is, the employers of the UCD Law School graduates, were very positively disposed to the School and expressed a willingness to facilitate more interaction.

The School has in place a UCD School of Law Development Council.

Recommendations

The School should develop a strategy to optimise its communications and liaison with the central University systems and facilities.

35

The School Manager should play a leading role in arranging to maximise the services obtained from central University.

The Law Programme Office should optimise the liaison with other relevant Schools and Programme offices to ensure that students on joint programmes obtain a very positive learning experience.

The School should continue to develop the international experience for its students, and staff in the programme office should specifically facilitate this development to the benefit of students.

The University should consider putting in place clear incentives to promote the internationalisation strategy, including the two-way movement of students and prepare the graduates for life and work in the global society and economy.

The School should further develop its relationship with the employers of its graduates.

The School should further facilitate and actively promote placement schemes both short term - 10 weeks - and more long term – 6 months – for students as appropriate.

The School should consider developing seminars whereby staff in the relevant employment sections participate in providing students with insight into the different employment opportunities.

The School should further develop its relationship with the UCD Careers and Appointments Office with a view to providing some dedicated and timely career advice support for its students. It may be possible to achieve this through a College level arrangement in the College of Business and Law.

The School should explore all possibilities to maximise to its advantage, its relationship with the professional legal bodies.

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11. Appendix – UCD School of Law Response to the Review Group Report The UCD School of Law welcomes the Quality Review report as the culmination of a very useful and constructive process. We welcome in particular the endorsement given by the Review Group to many aspects of our activities and the significant commendations contained in the Report. The recommendations made in the Report will assist the school to further enhance its provision. The School of Law will be considering how to address each of the recommendations over the next few months, with the aim of preparing a Quality Improvement Plan. The School’s Self Assessment Report, the Review Group Report and the Quality Improvement Plan will all be used to inform the School’s academic and resource planning activities for the next strategic period.