School of Law - Undergrad
Faculty of Business and Law
All the courses offered have units available by off-campus study. Deakin is
currently the only university in Victoria teaching law in this manner. Off-campus
students are taught using a combination of printed materials and electronic
communication. They attend Law Induction School and undertake
the other requirements of their courses in a similar manner to on-campus students.
Deakin Studies Online (DSO)
The Law School uses computer mediated learning
to augment its off-campus delivery. Using Deakin Studies Online (DSO)
teaching and learning environment, students can access course materials, receive
lecture notes and interact with tutorial groups.
Students familiarise themselves with this program at an early stage as important course information is made available through DSO. It is a very important method of communication between lecturers and unit chairs and their students. It also provides a unique opportunity for all students to express their views on the subject matter of the unit. Some lecturers will only accept assignments submitted via DSO. More information on the specific use of DSO for individual units is provided to students by lecturers and can be found in the Unit Outline of study materials provided.
DSO is available both remotely (ie. from outside the University) and from all on-campus computer laboratories. Remote access is gained via the Internet and the DSO software is provided on the Deakin Learning Toolkit CD (mailed to all off-campus students free of charge).
Instructionally designed materials
Deakin's expertise in this area
has been used to develop and produce off-campus legal materials for most units.
The preparation of these materials
involves combining the skills of academic teachers, instructional designers,
editors and graphic designers with a view to producing the materials which
will enable students to progress through the units they study largely on their
own. These materials are made available to off-campus and postgraduate students
without charge. On-campus students may acquire them through the campus bookshop.
Library services
It is Library policy to provide, as far as possible,
the same level of service to all its students. Borrowing conditions are identical
for on-campus and off-campus
students, although the latter may be required to pay a library charge to help
defray the cost of delivering material to them.
Examination centre network
The University's Student Administration
has an established network of examination centres in Australia and overseas.
However, if a student lives
far from an existing examination centre, special arrangements are made.
Law Induction School
A weekend Law Induction School is held each year for
the incoming off-campus LLB class. This is designed to enable its members to
establish, at the outset
of their course, a relationship with the University, its staff and their fellow
students and to facilitate the formation of study groups.
Study groups
Deakin University is changing the nature of off-campus
study by encouraging interactive, group-based learning, through the use of
study groups and DSO.
Undergraduate students are encouraged to study and learn co-operatively by using their practical legal skills firms to form working relationships amongst themselves.
