ABSTRACT

Changes in the higher education sector globally have resulted in the transition from an elite to a mass model of education, encouraging the participation of students who have traditionally been underrepresented at university. Law schools in a number of countries face the dual pressures of an increasingly diverse student population, and the imperative to meet externally imposed accreditation requirements of the legal profession and the higher education regulation authorities. It appears that law schools could do more to support their students’ academic literacy, and in particular their writing skills. At the Western Sydney University (WSU) law school the issue of a diverse student cohort and academically underprepared students has been addressed by the introduction of a novel model of support and assessment of students’ academic literacy. This article examines the Academic Literacy Support (ALS) program at WSU law school, its function in terms of setting student expectations, motivating students to obtain support, and the impact on student retention, confidence and performance.

摘要

全球高等教育部门的变化导致了从精英教育向大众教育模式的转变，鼓励了传统上大学人数不足的学生的参与。一些国家的法学院面临着学生人数日益多样化的双重压力，以及必须满足法律专业和高等教育监管机构外部强加的认证要求。法学院似乎可以做更多的事情来支持学生的学术素养，尤其是他们的写作技巧。在西悉尼大学 (WSU) 法学院，通过引入一种支持和评估学生学术素养的新模式，解决了学生群体多样化和学业准备不足的问题。