An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2001-2002
Report to Údarás na hOllscoile
Review of
BA Legal Science Programme
Self Assessment
Review Group Visit
Follow Up Meeting
Sept 2001 to Jan 2002
28 February and 1 March, 2002
13 September 2002
This Report was compiled for members of Údarás na hOllscoile, NUI Galway and its committees as
a readily accessible but comprehensive source of information on the above review, its context and
its outcomes.
Report to Údarás – Review of BA Legal Science Programme 2002
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Professor Jim Gosling, Director of Quality, November 2002
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1. Overview of Legal Science Programme
1.1 Aims and Objectives of the Programme
1. To teach a broad range of law subjects to undergraduate Arts students
2. To expose students of the humanities to legal methodology and to the distinctively legal
way of thinking and writing.
3. To provide an opportunity for students of the humanities to reflect on the relevance of and
the relationship between the humanities and law.
1.2 Student numbers
Fulltime equivalent (FTE) student numbers taking the Programme were relatively stable until 1999,
but have been increasing exponentially since then.
Students
Total FTE
% Increase
1997
70.2
100
1998
64.7
92
1999
83.5
119
2000
130.3
186
2001
248.4
354
1.3 Staff to student ratio
The Programme is offered by the Law School. The number of fulltime equivalent academic staff in
the School was 22.97 in 2001 having increased from 15.10 in 1997, giving a staff student ratio of
31.4 in 2001.
1.4 Costs
‘All costs’ for the Law School were €3085 per FTE student when students from all programmes are
included. This compares to the Arts Faculty average of €5272 and the Commerce Faculty average
of €2943 (all 2000 figures).
1.5 Accommodation and facilities
The Law School is located mainly in Tower 2 on the Concourse of the Arts/science Building.
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2. Review Group Visit and Report
The review team consisted of: Professor Irene Lynch Fannon, (Chairman), Dean, Faculty of Law,
University College Cork; Professor Stephen Livingstone, Head of School of Law, Queen’s
University, Belfast; Dr Anne Byrne, Vice-Dean of Arts, Department of Political Science and
Sociology (cognate), NUI, Galway and Professor Hubert McDermott, of the CFA, acting as
rapporteur.
The Group visited the University and met the Programme Director and contributing staff on
28 February and 1 March, 2002. The Programme Board and contributors had already submitted a
'Self Assessment Report' that, with other documentation, was made available in advance of the visit.
2.1 Main Recommendations
Short Term
There is a need to manage the continuing likely short-term growth in the number of students taking
the BA in Legal Science in a way which does not lead to a decline in the quality of the learning
environment for the students and the quality of work experience for the staff. Some steps might
include
1. Team teaching of the larger modules – it should not be left to one person to teach and
examine 300 students +
2. Greater investment in tutorial teaching – more tutors should be hired and more
administrative resources should be devoted to finding rooms for tutorials and providing
support for tutors
3. Involvement of tutors in marking, at least in first year modules, under the supervision of
lecturers
4. Appointment of a programme coordinator for the BA Legal Science to oversee both the
changes suggested above and the design of longer term changes.
Long Term
If the Law School wishes to achieve the objectives it has set itself regarding the BA in Legal
Science, then steps must be taken to curb the numbers taking this degree. Currently, the risk is that
consistently rising numbers will overwhelm the capacity of the Law School to deliver a distinctive
BA degree as opposed to a reduced and second-class BCL degree. Three options would appear to
be available
1. Restore the cap on the number moving from first year BA Legal Science to second year but
at a higher number than 40
2. Replace the current BA Legal Science degree with a denominated joint Law and Arts degree
which would have a specific intake and would seek to develop synergies between law and
the humanities
3. Increase the number of Arts options which BCL students may take.
Options 2 and 3 are not mutually exclusive and, indeed, we feel there is a good case for doing both.
The Review Group recommends increased staff support for those delivering the Legal
Science BA Programme. Given the turnover of staff, in combination with the administrative,
teaching, examining and student demands and needs that this Programme requires, a specifically
designed Legal Science staff induction course in association with mentoring partnerships for new
staff with more senior staff may go some way to alleviate the obvious stress associated with this
programme.
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3. Follow up Meeting
10.00 a.m. Friday 13 September 2002
Present: Professor Jim Browne Registrar, Professor John Marshall Dean of Arts, Professor Liam O’Malley Dean of
Law, Professor Gerard Quinn, Mr Ray Murphy, Ms Ursula Connolly, Mr Larry Donnelly, Ms Marie McGonagle, Mr
Donncha O’Connell, Professor Jim Gosling Director of Quality (Chair), Ms Maureen Linnane of Quality Office in
attendance.
3.1 Action Plan for the Programme Board:
1. A Programme Director will be appointed to manage and coordinate the overall Legal Science
Programme and a Programme Board will be established by 1 November, 2002.
2. The Programme Director will organise such discussions as are necessary for a decision to be
made on the core focus of the Programme, and will then decide the best options for reform of
the Programme. These planning activities will involve inputs from the Arts faculty and will be
complete by the end of the academic year 2002-2003.
3. The Programme Director will work (with CELT as appropriate) to develop a training course for
staff contributing to the Legal Science Programme and to establish mentoring partnerships for
more junior staff. The objective is to hold the first course before the start of teaching in 2003–
04.
4. The Programme Director will work with CELT to improve tutor initiation and training. These
initiatives will be introduced by the Director as soon as possible, and will be fully in place and
mandatory by the start of the second semester in January 2003.
5. In so far as resources permit, small group teaching and tutorials will be expanded with
continuous assessment of work assignments. The objectives of this initiative will be to promote
the development of the critical and analytical skills associated with ‘legal training’.
6. The Legal Science Programme Board will establish (at the latest in the first semester 2003–04)
a pilot scheme to test the effectiveness of ‘shared teaching and examining’ in reducing the
overall burden on individual lecturers when the number of students taking a course is high.
7. Student feedback will continue to be sought in a number of ways. A Staff-Student Committee
will be established every year at about this time, starting this semester. Two to three meetings
will be held every year, for which minutes are kept. Contributors to legal Science will be
encouraged also to participate in the voluntary facilitated “grouped Student evaluations of
teaching” scheme organised each semester by CELT / Quality Office.
8. The Programme Director will contact the Director of Physical Resources, Mr John Gibney in
relation to the measures that may be taken to improve the usage of present space in the Law
Department.
3.2 Action plan for University Management:
1. The Registrar welcomes the plans of the Law Faculty for a new, purpose built Law School,
perhaps involving cooperation with the Courts service, and said that the University recognises
this as an important strategic development, to be supported and encouraged in all ways
possible.
2. The Registrar will continue to work with the Law Department and the Law Faculty with a view
to providing more administrative resources.
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3. The Dean of Arts will: (1) work towards reducing the current four week period after which BA
students must choose their subjects/modules, while still allowing informed choices. (2)
establish a Timetable Working Group with a nominee from each of the seven groups of
subjects in the BA, including a representative of the Legal Science Programme.
4. The Dean of Law will work to increase the number of rooms available for Legal science
tutorials, including the negotiation of agreements with individual departments in other faculties
with respect to space under their control.
Approved by: Course Director, Professor Gerard Quinn, 11th October, 2002
Approved by: Dean of Arts, Professor J. Marshall, 1st November, 2002
Approved by: Dean of Law, Professor Liam O’Malley, 19th November, 2002
Approved by: Registrar, Professor J. Browne, 18th October, 2002
Finalised: 19th November 2002, Jim Gosling, Director of Quality
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