REFORMING CROATIAN LEGAL EDUCATION

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REFORMING CROATIAN LEGAL EDUCATION

• TEMPUS PROJECT
• 2005/06

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OUTLINING THE PROBLEMS

• The following summarizes the current situation in
  higher legal education and research in Croatia
• there is no comprehensive strategy for HLER
• the model of division of higher education in a
  2-cycle system is perceived as unacceptable and
  incompatible with the needs and conditions of
  professional education and training in law
• a part of faculty staff perceives Bologna
  developments as threats and directly opposes the
  changes and a large part of faculty staff remains
  passive in the process

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• there is an information gap on a Bologna process
  itself and on the experiences of other European
  countries in adjusting their HLE to Bologna
  requirements
• curricula and teaching methods are partially
  outdated and in discord with EHEA
• curricula does not adequately follow needs of
  labor market and social needs especially in terms
  of harmonizing Croatian legal system with the
  acquis communitaire and mobility requirements and
  opportunities within EU
• a quality assurance and accreditation system are
  not in place, ECTS system is neither fully
  implemented nor understood
• education and research are not sufficiently
  interconnected
• the possibilities for lifelong learning are not
  addressed at all.

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THE OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT

• A network (Croatian Faculties of Law foreign
  Faculties of Law government bodies Judicial
  Academy legal professional organizations NGOs
  civil society)
• Expert teams created, 20 experts retrained,
  long-term working relationship between experts
  from Croatia and EU countries working on HLER
  established
• Report on
• the study of the experience of HLER in EU
  countries
• current problems and needs in restructuring and
  reforming Croatian legal education
• recomendations for a change

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• International conference on "The impact of
  Bologna process on HLER" (Croatia)
• NS AP for legal education reform generated and
  published
• Seminar material (handouts, visuals, readers,
  best practice)
• Seminars on
• NS AP for reforming Croatian legal education
• best practicies related to implementation of
  Bologna process at law faculties in EU countries
• (held at all 4 Faculties of Law - 150 students,
  teachers and staff retrained)

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ASSUMPTION RISKS

• the interested parties actively take part in
  legal education reform
• there is enough interested experts to work on
  HLER
• the trained experts really apply their knowledge
  and experience
• analyse can be carried out in such a short
  period of time
• interest for dissemination results
• Faculties of Law and Ministries show commitment
  through financial participation

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THE ACTIVITIES

• Kick off meeting
• Expertss meeting
• Training seminar for experts
• Training visits of Croatian experts to EU
  participating institutions
• Comparative study of current trends, problems and
  needs in HLE
• Writing report on the study
• International conference on "The impact of BP on
  HLE"
• Writing a national strategy
• Writing an action plan
• Seminars at Faculties of Law (4X2)
• Analyses, report writing and final meeting

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Kick-off meeting

• establish expert teams
• foreign national experts
• develop a detailed work plan with a timeline

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Expert teams

• Academic standards subject benchmark statements
  / learning outcomes
• Curricula
• Quality assurance
• Assessment of students
• Life long learning
• Others (?)

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Expert team for academic standards

• GOALS
• To produce Statement of Benchmark Standards which
  will
• set as a minimum certain achievements (knowledge
  skills) which a student must demonstrate to be
  awarded a Law degree
• describe the nature and characteristics of
  programmes in a specific subject
• provide general guidance for articulating the
  learning outcomes associated with the programme
  (but not provide a specification of a detailed
  curriculum)
• set out requirements about the study methods (?)
• Set out requirements about the way courses are
  structured (?)
• PURPOSE
• to provide a basis for HLI to devise their own
  learning outcome statements
• to provide support in pursuit of internal quality
  assurance by enabling the learning outcomes
  specified for a particular programme to be
  reviewed and evaluated against agreed general
  expectations about standards
• to provide bases for assessment of students

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Expert group for creating the Bologna Curricula

• GRADUATE STUDIES
• Define
• Core legal subjects
• Elective legal subjects
• Optional legal subjects
• Extra curricula activities
• ECTS

• DOCTORAL SPECIALIZED STUDIES

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EXPERT GROUP FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE

• Comparative analyses of the internal evaluation
  system and quality assurance methods in similar
  HEI in Europe
• To study causes of prolonged studying and poor
  student achievements
• To identify legal and ethical aspects of the
  introduction of internal evaluation
• To develop evaluation and self-evaluation
  procedures for quality assurance
• To assess needs of teaching assistants and other
  staff for continuing education in contemporary
  teaching methods
• To produce brochure on quality assurance

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EXPERT GROUP FOR THE ASSESMENT OF STUDENTS

• Design the assessment strategies for programs and
  awards
• Define types of assessment
• Define instruments of assessment
• Define clear criteria for the marking and grading
  of assessments
• Define appropriate feedback to students on
  assessed work which will promote learning and
  facilitate improvement
• Define effective mechanisms to deal with breaches
  of assessment regulations and the resolution of
  appeals against assessment decisions
• Define effective, clear, and consistent policies
  in respect of the membership, procedures, powers
  and accountability of assessment panels and
  boards of examiners
• Propose mechanisms for the review and development
  of assessment regulative
• Propose the adequate instructions for stuff
  involved in the assessment of students in order
  to be competent to undertake their roles and
  responsibilities

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Expert group for life long learning
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• Which expert groups do we need?
• What should be their tasks?
• Assigne consortium members to particular expert
  groups

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EXPERT TEAMS
ZLS Croa. HLI Foreign HLI Ministries
Academic standards
Curricula
Quality Assurance
Assesment of Students
Life Long Learning
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TIMELINE OF THE ACTIVITIES
Month Activity Duration Location
11/25-26 Meeting and training seminar for experts 23 days Croatia
12/8-9 Training visits of Croatian experts to EU participating institutions 10 days Austria Italy Slovenia
December January February Study of current trends, needs problems in HLE 75 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
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Month Activity Duration Location
February March Report writting preparing conference 30 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
3/24-26 Conference The Impact of BP on HLE 3 days Croatia
April May Writing a National strategy 50 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
June July Writing an Action plan 50 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
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Month Activity Duration Location
August September Construction of seminar material and web site 40 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
10/9-20 Seminars at Croatian Faculties of Law on NS AP 8 days Croatia
September October 10/28 Analyses, report writing final meeting 55 days Austria Croatia Italy Slovenia
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Training seminar for experts

• Issues that should be addressed
• Propose trainers

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What should be researched?

• Comparative analyses of the implementation of the
  BP in EU HLI
• Implementation of the BP i Cro. HLI
• problems
• needs
• recommendations

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Report

• Who does it prepare?
• Content
• Comparative analyses
• Analyses of Croatian situation
• Recomendations
• Banchmark statement
• Proposal of curricula (core subjects)

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Conference

• What to address?
• Whome to invite?

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NP AP

• How many people should be involved?
• Who should be involved?

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Seminars

• Presentations
• Comparative situation (foreign consortium
  members)
• NS AP (Croatian consortium members)
• Workshops
• How to implement NS in my institution
• How to implement NS in my course