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Trial lecture
Friday September 24, 10:00 a.m.
Title of the trial lecture: "Professional learning across higher education: Theoretical and pedagogical underpinnings of students' disciplinary socialisation processes as knowledge practices".
Adjudication committee
- Professor Madeleine Abrandt Dahlgren, University of Linköping (the first opponent)
- Assosciate Professor Patric Wallin, Norwegian university of science and technology (NTNU) (the second opponent)
- Professor Bjørn Stensaker, University of Oslo, is the third member of the committee and the committee's coordinator.
Chair of defence
Head of Department Professor Tone Kvernbekk, Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Professor Monica Bærøe Nerland, Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo
Professor Ingvill Rasmussen, Department of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo
Summary
Knowledge Practices and Learning Challenges in Legal Education –Examining students’ collaborative work in two undergraduate courses
This article-based thesis contributes to research on teaching and learning in higher education. The thesis primarily aims to contribute to a better understanding of what it means for students to take part in a knowledge community and to develop in-depth insights into the challenges undergraduate students face in that respect. I approach this overall aim by examining knowledge practices and learning challenges as they play out in groups of law students who relate to and apply resources when working on profession-specific cases. To investigate this, I have moved into two course contexts from the first and second year of study.
My first two research questions are as follows: 1) What characterises knowledge practices students are introduced to in undergraduate legal education?
And: 2) What learning challenges do the students face when participating in these practices?
To highlight he complexity in student initial participation in the field of law, I have used the following analytical concepts: epistemic space, appropriation, assembling, and navigation.
The third research question of the thesis is: 3) How can the thesis’ choice of analytical concepts contribute to generating a better understanding of students’ initial participation in knowledge practices in law?
The thesis is based on analyses of qualitative data from two course contexts—an introductory course and a second-year course in international law. I have followed the students’ interactions in group-work and have paid particular attention to the role that the legal texts play in the students’ exploratory work with case assignments. The thesis finds that, in line with previous research that law students, by engaging in knowledge practices, access legal discourse, professional language, and resources in the profession. Through the chosen analytical concepts, the analyses of the two courses have provided a basis for describing some important conditions for students to participate in knowledge practices in law in exploratory activities. The final discussion emphasises the importance of thoughtful pedagogical designs to facilitate and support students’ learning when faced with different practices in a knowledge field.