Teaching methods

The teaching methods used on the LPC at BPP are set out below.

Pre-Module Reading

You have been provided with some Pre Module Reading (‘PPR’) on the Welcome VLE.

This is divided into two sections, with slightly different purposes:

 the General PPR is to provide you with a reminder of some of the key general legal principles and concepts that you have studied on your degree and/or graduate conversion programmes; and

 the Business Law & Practice PPR is provided to give you an overview of the fundamentals of corporate law which will form the basis of the Business Law and Practice module. You may or may not have studied these previously. The Business Law & Practice PRR is accompanied by an online test (available on the VLE).

It is important that you read both sections of the PPR and complete the Business law online test when you arrive so that you understand the fundamental principles which will be developed further throughout the LPC.

Module Materials

Prior to each module, you will be provided with a (hard copy) materials pack. This will generally contain:

 A module outline;

 Chapter handouts;

 SGS Descriptions; and

 (Where applicable) your permitted materials for the module assessment.

Each Chapter handout is accompanied by a live and/or recorded lecture recording.

Chapters / lectures

The aims of each Chapter will vary depending on the approach required for individual modules but are likely to include one or more of the following:

1. to give an overview of a module area;

2. to prioritise learning points within a topic;

3. to explain, emphasise and demonstrate with appropriate examples substantive or procedural points, in a particular transactional context;

4. to focus on areas within a topic that pose particular difficulties and require further explanation or examples; and

5. to encourage you to look at the module under discussion from a practical perspective as you would as a trainee solicitor.

Each Chapter is based on a handout that you will receive in a pack at the beginning of each module. You will be told at the beginning of each Chapter the approach to be adopted in the Chapter. However, you must not assume that only those areas specifically covered by your lecturer in the Chapter are important as the scope of the module is determined by both the Chapters and the small group sessions referred to below and is all therefore potentially examinable.

Suggested ‘further reading’ will be included at the end of some handouts if you wish to supplement the materials by reading around the module after the Chapter has been delivered.

Small Group Sessions (SGSs)

These are two hours in length and are usually taught in groups of 18 students (except for certain skills, which are often taught in smaller groups). The aims of each SGS vary but they are generally to:

1. develop areas introduced in Chapters and in the SGS preparation;

2. develop problem solving and other legal skills;

3. cover core case law and statute;

4. promote intellectual enquiry;

5. implement assumed and acquired knowledge in a practical way to solve clients’

legal problems; and

6. develop teamwork and both collective and individual presentational skills.

The majority of your teaching sessions will be SGSs.

You will be introduced to each SGS by way of a handout called a ‘Description’ that will be given to you in a pack at the beginning of each module. Examples of Descriptions for three of the modules you will study on the LPC are set out towards the end of this guide along with an explanation of the recommended approach to preparing for SGSs.

You are expected to have completed tasks individually in preparation for the SGS. In the SGS itself, you will work individually or as part of a team when appropriate, reporting back on specific exercises or tasks, sometimes using the whiteboard, flip charts or PowerPoint to aid your presentation. Group work in the SGSs focuses on fresh problems, fact patterns and tasks that build on your preparatory work, so are of a more advanced nature.

Tutors take an active part in the SGS, challenging and testing your understanding. A certain level of knowledge will be assumed based on your pre-reading and preparation so you must take responsibility to make sure you have completed the preparatory work.

Although it will not always be possible to test every area or review all aspects of your preparation fully within the class, the preparation is an important part of the learning process.

SGSs require you to demonstrate a clear understanding and application of substantive law and procedures. They will incorporate relevant legal skills, particularly Practical Legal Research, Writing and Drafting and use realistic exercises which replicate the kind of task that a trainee solicitor may be required to carry out in practice.

For example, you will need to have a good grasp of case study documentation and its significance in order to decide what is relevant information in the context of your client.

You will also need to be able to explain and apply the law orally or in writing to your client or supervisor in a clear and effective way.

You will be expected to participate in every SGS. A student who is not ready, willing and able to undertake the necessary preparatory work and/or who is unwilling to accept the necessity of embracing a considerable measure of responsibility for their own learning is likely to struggle on the LPC - and, indeed, in practice. You will be required to ‘sort out’ quite a lot for yourself but this guide should give you an opportunity to identify the best ways to get the most out of your learning experience at BPP.

If you follow the suggested approach set out in Section D below you should feel confident that you are preparing well for classes and for the exams in those modules.

The better prepared you are for classes the better prepared you will be for the assessments as the questions set are largely based on the kind of activities completed prior to and during SGSs.

Independent Learning Sessions (‘ILSs’)

During the CPA modules you will be given ILSs to complete in your own time. The ILSs contain exercises that you will be able to complete on your own without being required to attend a class to do so. You will then be provided with solutions to the exercises so that you can assess your own performance; a skill that you will need to develop for when you are practising as a solicitor.

The inclusion of ILSs on the LPC allows us to timetable a study day for you each week, which would not otherwise be possible.

You need not complete the ILSs in the order in which you receive them, unless you are given specific information to do so in a particular module. However, it is essential that you complete all ILSs before any relevant assessment, as all material contained in them is potentially examinable.

Workbooks

There are some areas of the programme (such as Taxation, Business Accounts, Solicitors’ Accounts and Professional Conduct & Regulation (PCR)), where the best method of learning the module matter is through the practice of examples. We have found in the past that students have dealt with these modules at very different speeds and so they are not necessarily always suitable to be covered during a delivered SGS.

Therefore, we will provide you with workbooks in these areas that will allow you the flexibility that you need to cover the module matter at your own pace, whilst at the same time receiving the support of your tutors.