The power of networks: Engagement and digital capabilities in learning law

While universities struggle to keep pace with the exponential rise of digital technologies in teaching, arguably their interest lies principally in the opportunity for expanded ‘delivery’ of teaching, and the capacity to reach new and existing students as consumers of education. Although early iterations of digital technology involved the capacity to store and recall information remotely, now higher education harnesses networks and the data they generate to advance its mission. Aligned with institutional imperatives yet differently deployed, law teachers can use digital technology independently for the purpose of legal education.
This presentation uses case studies to canvass the possibilities for law teachers in using social media networks to augment engagement and community education, as well as to enrich law student skills development. First, it introduces the concept of digitally mediated networks and the media involved, as well as how they relate to contemporary legal practice. It then demonstrates how law teachers can integrate social media into their academic practice to engage both students and the general public in understanding legal issues while those issues are in the public eye. Finally, it illustrates how social media can be integrated into learning activities and assessment, to assist students to develop professional – and critical – digital capabilities.