ABSTRACT
The central components of the law curriculum have remained largely the same, in particular the pre-eminence of legal doctrine, the teaching and learning of law through appellate judgments, the lecture format and the use of heavily weighted examinations as the assessment method. Elsewhere in higher education, there is a more palpable interest in the student learning experience, out of which has grown a considerable body of scholarship that has informed the way that learning and teaching is designed. Authentic learning involves instructional design, and a rethinking of teaching and learning materials. Authentic assessment should of course be aligned to authentic learning environments and activities. The multitude of legal education reviews demonstrates if nothing else a recognition that conventional methods are deficient. Nonetheless, it remains a challenge to win the hearts and minds of legal educators and to persuade them to a more reflective and outcomes-oriented approach to their teaching and learning design.
