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Teaching IP to mixed-education classes: is there any research?

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

The IPKat has received this query from his scholarly friend Thorsten Lauterbach (Lecturer in Law and Course Leader for Postgraduate International Law Programmes at the Aberdeen Business School, The Robert Gordon University, Scotland). He writes:

"Dear IPKat

Are you aware of any research on the teaching of IP Law to a multicultural/ international postgraduate cohort of students? I am involved in the teaching IP in a module that is both taken by MSc International Trade and LLM International Commercial Law/IT Law students from China, Nigeria, India, UK/EU and many other places. In addition, the educational background of the cohort is varied, with many having an undergraduate law degree, but others (especially in the International Trade course) having business, economics and public policy degrees.

All of this makes pitching IP law content at the right level very tricky; I would be most grateful if there was a way to get in touch with others who have similar experiences.  And, indeed, if there was research available, I would be most interested in devouring it!".

The IPKat has had a good deal of practical experience teaching mixed groups of this nature, and knows how difficult it can be, but he has no knowledge of any research on it. Pitching the subject correctly is pretty tricky when the same class contains both those who have already studied IP and those who have not, and those who have a grounding in common law and those whose legal education is in the civil law tradition. Basing the teaching around specific problems rather than on legal principles is one way of tackling the difficulties, but there may be better ways.

Full post as published by IPKat on May 25, 2009 (boomark / email).