What did COVID-19 change in UK law education?

COVID-19law

Teaching moved online at pace, assessment clarity rose to the top of student priorities, and strong teaching staff anchored continuity. Across National Student Survey (NSS) open-text analysis on COVID-19, 12,355 comments show 68.6% Negative and a sentiment index of −24.0, capturing sector-wide disruption to delivery and assessment. In law – the Common Aggregation Hierarchy subject grouping used across UK providers – assessment dominates: Feedback accounts for 8.9% of comments (index −19.2) and Marking criteria a further 4.5% (index −46.7), while students consistently value staff expertise. These insights shape the choices highlighted below.

How did online delivery reshape law teaching?

The rapid move to online platforms required law programmes to protect interactive elements such as mooting, debates and seminars. Staff redesigned modules and assessment to keep advocacy, analysis and discussion central. Student feedback shows mixed experiences of engagement but consistently welcomes visible structure, predictable timetabling and clear communication. Using discussion boards, live Q&A and real-time feedback tools helped sustain participation and reduced uncertainty as course teams iterated delivery.

What happened to practical components when campuses closed?

Clinics, moots and client interviewing paused or shifted to remote simulation. Placements feature less in law than in many disciplines, but the loss of in-person interactions still constrained skill development. Faculties piloted virtual hearings, negotiated remote advisory work with partners and re-mapped practical outcomes into assessment briefs. Students valued continuity but noted that online simulations only partially replicate the dynamics of practice, reinforcing the need for explicit criteria, exemplars and calibrated marking to evidence skills gained.

How did access to legal resources change?

Restricted access to law libraries created immediate pressure on digital provision. Providers expanded database licences, strengthened remote authentication and offered short, targeted training so students could navigate resources efficiently. Where libraries and learning technology teams communicated updates through a single source of truth and offered responsive support, students reported smoother study rhythms and fewer barriers to completing research-heavy tasks.

How did the shift affect student wellbeing?

Isolation, uncertainty and the cognitive load of studying remotely increased stress and anxiety. Younger and full-time cohorts tended to express more critical views of pandemic arrangements, so targeted outreach, predictable contact and proactive tutor check-ins mattered. Online counselling, wellbeing workshops and mental health first aid for staff helped, but students asked for consistent signposting and response expectations so support felt timely rather than ad hoc.

How did COVID-19 shape career planning for law students?

Cancelled networking and reduced in-person opportunities disrupted routes into practice. Virtual internships and online employer events maintained some connectivity, though students missed informal learning from chambers and firm settings. Interest grew in areas aligned to regulatory and societal shifts, including digital privacy, cybersecurity and health law. Embedding structured, work-integrated rhythms within modules and clinics can replicate some of the benefits students associate with in-person exposure.

What worked and should remain in law programmes?

Virtual moot courts, hybrid seminars and recorded resources improved flexibility and made participation more inclusive. Students reported better legal research habits as they relied on broader digital sources. Teaching staff remained a consistent strength when they made structure explicit, framed sessions with clear outcomes and maintained reliable turnaround and dialogue on feedback.

What strategies should law schools use next time?

• Keep a disruption-ready playbook for teaching, assessment and access changes, with a single, up-to-date source of truth that explains what changed and why.
• Prioritise assessment clarity: publish annotated exemplars, checklist-style rubrics and mapped criteria, and calibrate markers; commit to a realistic feedback service level and track it.
• Target support to cohorts that react most negatively in crises with short micro-briefings, Q&A and flexible access routes. Make disability-related adjustments explicit whenever arrangements shift.
• Lift practice from stronger-performing practice-heavy disciplines by protecting continuity of learning and assessment clarity, then adapt for law’s clinic and advocacy needs.
• Run short reviews of assessment briefs, workload pacing and access to specialist activities, and publish concrete fixes.

Where does this leave law education after COVID-19?

Law schools demonstrate resilience and a willingness to redesign delivery around student need. The sector evidence points to three durable priorities: stable, disruption-ready delivery; transparent assessment; and sustained access to resources and support. Retaining these gains will help programmes protect learning quality while supporting student wellbeing in future shocks.

How Student Voice Analytics helps you

Student Voice Analytics turns open-text into actionable priorities for COVID-19 and law. It tracks topic volume and sentiment over time, lets you drill from institution to school and cohort, and compares like-for-like across subject groupings and demographics. You can segment by site or provider, surface where assessment clarity, delivery operations or support need attention, and generate concise summaries and exportable figures for rapid briefing to programme and quality teams.

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