4 July 2013
iPads are the law for Diploma students
Tablet devices are already a must-have for many young people and law students at the University of Dundee will soon have
even more reason to want to get their hands on an iPad thanks to a new initiative to reduce the cost of studying and
help the environment.
Students on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice programme in 2013/14 will have the opportunity to receive materials
which had previously been delivered in paper format pre-loaded onto an Apple iPad mini. Those students who matriculate on
the postgraduate programme are required to purchase their course materials and textbooks, which will cost £499 in
hard copy format for the coming academic year.
The cost of printing handbooks, information sheets and other handouts for each of the course's nine modules is such that
substantial savings are made possible by students accessing the materials electronically.
By passing these savings on to students, the programme leaders are able to offer students the chance to buy an iPad,
normally priced from £269 upwards, containing all their coursework for just £399. That price also includes
all textbooks.
They can then use the device's many other applications as they would otherwise for the duration of their Diploma
studies and beyond. This approach also brings environment benefits by reducing the need for approximately 80,000
sheets of paper if the whole class signs up to receive the materials in this way.
A third option is available for those who already possess a tablet or laptop (£199 including textbooks), but
the use of iPads mirrors development in legal practice as the devices are currently being trialled by the Crown Office
in various locations, so staff felt it appropriate to allow as many students as possible to work as they would in a courtroom.
'We are excited to be offering this option to our students because it makes sense on many levels,' said Elizabeth Comerford,
Deputy Director of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice programme.
'For £120 more than they would spend on an iPad mini bought independently, students can save between £199 and
£379. Another plus for students is portability as the nine full folders they have to collect at the start of their
course, plus books, can only really be transported by car.
'We are still offering the paper format for those who prefer it, but this cost significantly more due to the costs of
creating the materials and the cost of having office staff spending days physically preparing nine folders for each
of the 40-plus students studying for the Diploma. Thousands of sheets of paper would be saved for each student as well.
'There is a further option to access to electronic materials via existing laptops and tablets but we felt it was useful
to offer the iPads due to their growing use in Scottish courts. University education is moving ever closer to paperless
teaching and while other Diploma providers offer access to electronic materials, none offer an iPad mini 'ready to go'
as it were.'
The postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice is the programme that all law graduates must pass before being
allowed to practice professionally.
Dynamic and outward-looking, the School of Law at the University of Dundee seeks to achieve excellence in teaching,
research and professional development.
It is the only British law school to offer qualifying degrees in Scots and English law. It is one of only two
Law Schools in the UK to have 100 per cent of its research rated as being of international standard in the most
recent Research Assessment Exercise.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
