I recently read Waine v Carnival PLC t/as P&O Cruises Australia [2022] NSWDC 650. This case may be of interest to students in my Torts Law class. The plaintiff was 15 weeks pregnant when she started to show signs of losing her baby. At the time she was enjoying a...
Lets talk about democratising higher education…
Recent Blog Posts
Medical Negligence, Causation and Bariatric Surgery!!!
Woohooo…I am teaching causation in negligence actions again!! Causation is kinda cool but can also be super tricky… Essentially causation in a negligence action, relates to whether or not the defendant (alleged wrongdoer) caused the harm to the plaintiff (person who...
Duty of Care and Climate Change…
Nothing gets people more excited than talking about owing duties of care. For the uninitiated, duty of care in a negligence action relates to whether or not a defendant owes a legal duty to another. Within a negligence action, finding a duty of care is often easily...
Social Media and Criminal Law- Revenge Porn, Cyberbullying and Harassment!!!
This week we investigated the intersection between social media and criminal law in my Social Media Law course. I will be honest and tell you I was both appalled and confused by many of the cases and incidents which are cited relating to criminal activities which take...
I have been a tertiary educator for more than two decades.
There is no doubt I have had some wonderful and heart-warming teaching experiences. Three experiences stick out- one was at an intensive school for a Medical Law unit I was teaching. We were talking about legislation relating to Euthanasia- at the time Euthanasia was not legal in any jurisdiction in Australia. The students were so motivated by the discussion that they met up that night- no doubt over a few drinks- and drafted suggested legislation for legalising voluntary physician assisted Euthanasia!!!
The second was again whilst teaching Medical Law many years later- we were discussing Mental Health Law. I had the most beautiful and honest conversation with students about mental health issues and coping with studying law etc. It was completely impromptu and unscripted- but I remember the reaction of the students was beautiful. I felt ‘lighter’ after that discussion and I think the students did as well!
The third was when Covid was just rearing its ugly head in 2020. I met with a group of on-campus Torts Law students. They were anxious and worried about the strange new circumstances we were all confronting. Again, we had a very honest conversation about resilience and how hardship can actually make us better people- I don’t think any of us realised how hard the coming years would be though!!
Recently, I am enjoying a very different teaching experience. For the first time ever, I have created a new unit- entirely from scratch- Social Media Law. I will be honest- I have found it challenging and difficult at times. I have questioned if I really have the ‘expertise’ to run the unit. I have also found myself to be slightly overwhelmed at the sheer volume of material I am trying to get my head around.
Notwithstanding all of these facets- I am loving it…and here is the reason why…. Like the other teaching experiences, I have just listed, the students are front and centre of the learning process. In many respects the students are crafting their own unit and their own educational journey. Let me give you some examples- just this morning two students contacted me with suggestions on who they would like me to interview as part of the unit. This filled me with such joy, as these students clearly are hungry to learn and hear from people who work at the forefront of legal issues relating to social media and the law. Within the unit, students are also given the autonomy to choose a social media presence to critique and comment on. Who and/or what they choose to focus on is completely their choice!!!
Anyway- these experiences have led me to think- perhaps democratising higher education is the way forward??? Perhaps student engagement would sky rocket and flourish if students were given the independence to take charge of their own educational journey??? I am not sure….but in any event- how wonderful is it to have a group of students who actually want to engage with me and each other and create their own communities of practice!!