The experience of a small regional law school in preparing students for a journey through law

In 2004, in recognition of the rapidly changing nature of the legal profession and the necessity to provide graduates equipped with the requisite skills to survive in the legal profession, a review of the first year law program at James Cook University was undertaken. Staff were concerned with student engagement and performance in first year law subjects. In order to address these concerns and to ensure that first year students acquired the necessary skills to progress into later years of the degree and the workforce, a new, completely re-designed first year program was introduced for students commencing their law studies in 2005. The program was designed to reflect current best practice in teaching and learning and offered a fully integrated and student-centred approach to the teaching and learning of first year students. The staff involved in the project, including sessional staff, have worked and continue to work in a team-based environment for the design, development and implementation of the program. In this paper, two of the staff members involved in the first year program discuss how an integrated curriculum design can be used as an effective tool to engage students and develop generic and legal specific skills