Amid the global Covid-19 lockdown, UK universities have scrambled to move courses online, with thousands of students now logging in remotely. It has posed a logistical challenge for many institutions, but at The University of Law (ULaw), there’s a cohort who won’t have noticed much difference. “If you’re already an online student then this hasn’t really affected them at all,” Janet Wright, head of undergraduate programmes and student affairs, says. “With technology the way it is these days, we can pretty much do anything remotely.”
The origins of ULaw date back to 1876, and London mayor Sadiq Khan and QC Cherie Blair are among its alumni. Now spanning nine UK campuses (plus Hong Kong and Berlin), and with its course offered at four other universities, it also offers a wide range of online undergraduate and postgraduate courses. These cover a straight undergraduate degree in law and postgraduate legal practice course (LPC), to combinations with criminology, government and politics, and business modules. The latter have been developed by the university’s business school, which launched in 2016.
There are also specialist postgraduate degrees such as international human rights law, medical law and ethics, legal technology, strategic business management, cybersecurity and data governance, and project management. The business school launches a new online international top up programme in business management in September 2020 featuring strong practice-based learning and employability skills development.
At ULaw, 2020 marked a significant milestone as the number of students choosing to study an online course surpassed those studying face-to-face at any one campus for the first time. That expertise in online delivery meant it could react quickly to the coronavirus lockdown. “The overwhelming feedback has been very positive,” says Raury Mason, programme and student lead for the graduate diploma in law (GDL) and MA in law. “A lot of people who would not previously have wanted to study online now think it’s a good alternative.”
Charlotte Fagan is in the final year of a four-year undergraduate law degree with ULaw. The 23-year-old from the Wirral says she chose to study the part-time course online because it meant she could continue working as a contract adviser. “It’s a bit of a shock to begin with, but you get used to it,” she says about juggling the two. “I’d always wanted to do a law degree, but I loved the confidence and the financial independence that work gave me so I didn’t want to give that up.”
Many of the online courses follow the same content as the corresponding face-to-face programme, Wright says, but include tools optimised for a remote environment, such as video clips to explain basic concepts, short activities at regular intervals to check understanding, online workshops, and individual feedback from supervisors. There’s remote welfare, study skills, disability and library support, and students are assigned a personal tutor for the duration of their course. “Students really shouldn’t feel it will be any less of an experience, the support is all still there for them,” Wright says. “And the qualification they’re getting is exactly the same … it [just] gives them that balance of flexibility and the opportunity to have a career they might not otherwise have been able to.”
Fagan admits there have been sacrifices, with most weekends and time after work set aside for studying. “I’d 100% say it was worth it. It gives you such a sense of achievement. Online study wasn’t something I was aware of prior to leaving school, which is a shame. I honestly think it should be encouraged as an alternative way of accessing higher education,” she adds.
That’s something Mason would agree with. He was a commercial litigation solicitor for 11 years before joining ULaw, and now heads up its online conversion courses for graduates with non-law degrees. The online courses in particular attract a wide range of students – from professionals such as doctors and architects looking to change careers, to those straight out of university who need to work to fund their studies. The flexibility can also appeal to those with young families or other carer commitments, international students, and those who, for whatever reason, might not feel comfortable attending campus every day. Widening access to these groups also has the potential to improve diversity in a sector where women and BAME professionals are underrepresented (particularly at partner level), he says.
“As the legal profession changes to embrace diversity, there’s a recognition that people of all ages and backgrounds do have something important to offer. It’s important we’re able to help those people get into the profession,” Mason adds. “There can be a perception of online courses that you’ll be given a reading list and access to the online version of a stack of books and told, off you go ... But our tutors are facilitating learning pretty much as they would do in an in-person workshop.”
Bartek Wytrzyszczewski worked in the charity and local authority sectors for a number of years before embarking upon a full-time MA at ULaw in January. So far, he’s enjoying being able to choose his own study schedule and has already undertaken some pro bono legal work, and made use of the support offered by the university’s employability team. “I recently had an appointment to talk about becoming a barrister,” he says. “It was incredibly helpful in terms of identifying the skills I already have, and what I need to work on.”
While this was done remotely, online students are able to access facilities in person at any of the university’s campuses: “It’s the best of both worlds,” he adds. “And I have found the tutors responsive. You can always email them if you have a query and you normally get an answer straight away.”
The pandemic has undoubtedly been “a stress test for the online capabilities of both institutions and learners”, Konstantinos Samiotis, online programmes director for the ULaw business school, says. But he hopes it has proved that any preconceptions of online education are no longer valid. “It’s no longer a prerogative for distance students,” he adds. “The universities have matured, the online delivery models have become more adaptive to meet learners’ needs and requirements. I don’t think there’s a better time for someone to try out the experience of online education.”
