November 2010 - University of the West of England

UWE leads the
way in curriculum
development in
legal education in
Vietnam
UWE is playing a key role in
international partnership in
the training of legal academics
in Vietnam. Dr Umut Turksen
and Dr Rick Ball visited Hanoi
Law University in Vietnam last
month. The visit was funded by
the ongoing MUTRAP III project
initiated by the European Union.
The main aim of the project is to
empower Vietnamese academia
to deliver courses in areas related
to international economic law
and international trade law.
During their visit Dr Turksen and
Dr Ball delivered a week long
training course on pedagogical
aspects of legal education as well
as on substantive areas of World
Trade Organisation (WTO) law
and Intellectual Property (IP) law.
During the first day of the course
nearly 40 academics engaged in
discussing fundamental issues and
ideological foundations of IP law
and WTO law.
The remaining part of the course
involved more practical issues
such as copyright law, patent
law, dispute settlement at the
WTO and emanating implications
for transitional economies
such as Vietnam. Futhermore,
innovative and engaging teaching
methodologies were explored
and discussed with Vietnamese
colleagues. It is envisaged that
this course would help improve
research and teaching quality of
legal education institutions in
Vietnam and satisfy the urgent
demand in qualified human
resources for the Vietnamese
international economic
integration.
Students at the first workshop
BBS uses arts-based methods
for learning and teaching
A new two-year Learning and Teaching
Project in BBS led by Dr Margaret
Page (Senior Lecturer in Organisation
Studies) aims to develop arts based
methods for supporting student-led
learning and inquiry, and for promoting
diversity as a resource for learning.
The research team is made up of tutors,
graduates and undergraduate students
in the Department of Business and
Management.
The research project developed from
work by students and tutors on a
module called Managing Change in
BBS. Students researched change in
organisations through visual media
including photography, storyboards
and film. The project is now seeking
to develop these methods of 'visual
inquiry' to explore critical thinking
around ‘change’ in organisations.
During Welcome Week the first of three
action research workshops for tutors
and students explored the meaning of
‘success’ for staff and students, using
visual inquiry.
The first round of workshops involved
30 new BSc(Hons) Management
students. To prepare for the workshop,
students were asked to form inquiry
groups and take photographs of
images that they felt represented
‘success’. They then uploaded their
images onto the project website (http://
bbsartproject.ning.com/).
During the workshops, students, tutors
and project members showcased their
images and shared ideas of how these
images represented success for them. A
huge variety of different images were
shown (from expensive clothes and cars
to students taking part in charity work),
which created discussion and debate
about what it means to be successful.
The value base of ‘success’ emerged as
a strong theme embracing individual,
social, academic and business success.
Alongside the research workshop, Sarah
Mackie, Undergraduate Programmes
Co-ordinator, invited 150 new Business
and Law students to explore the theme
of success through collage and posters.
These have also been uploaded onto
the project website.
The project website is developing fast
as a resource for learning and teaching
using visual inquiry and other arts
based methods. The second of three
planned workshops will take place on
6 April 2011 involving Business and
Law tutors and students from second
and third year groups, to continue
to explore the theme of ‘success’.
Other arts based methods besides
photography will be introduced in
these workshops.
If you are interested in having an input
to the project, sign up and become
a member on the website http://
bbsartproject.ning.com/. Members
can upload their own images of
‘success’ along with a commentary.
Alternatively contact Margaret Page
(Margaret.Page@uwe.ac.uk) or Project
Administrator, Jane Titley (Jane2.Titley@
uwe.ac.uk).
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