PASS in Law
Registration for PASS in LAWS1012 (Torts) and LAWS1016 (Criminal Law) is now closed.
Building on the success of PASS in the Business School, the Sydney University Law Society, in conjunction with the PASS in Business team, has introduced Peer Assisted Study Sessions to the Law School in Semester 2, 2011.
The naturally competitive atmosphere of legal education can often make the student experience in the initial years of university quite daunting and challenging. The often dense and complicated nature of material also fosters an attitude that the best understanding of legal concepts can be achieved through endless hours spent alone reading cases and compiling detailed summary notes. However, the heavy focus on problem questions and the value of differing approaches lend themselves to greater peer collaboration in the learning process. PASS in Law aims to employ the strongly collaborative focus of the PASS program to encourage greater student engagement in practising problem questions and mastering the challenging study of law in the early years of the degree.
What is PASS?
- PASS stands for Peer Assisted Study Sessions. It is a free, peer facilitated learning program which will be run in units for students in their first and second years of law.
- PASS involves weekly, hour-long sessions in which students work in groups to answer specially prepared activities and problem questions. It is aimed at students who wish to maximise their academic potential.
- PASS does not deliver new content, and is a complement to, rather than a substitute for, lectures and tutorials. It is an opportunity for students to reinforce key points from lecture and tutorial materials, while applying their skills in solving problem questions.
- The agenda of a PASS session is strongly student-driven. This gives students the opportunity to focus on the areas with which they are most concerned.
- PASS sessions are run by experienced facilitators, each of whom have worked in the PASS model for over a year. These facilitators are high-achieving law students who have achieved success in the units in previous semesters, and give students the opportunity to benefit from the facilitators hindsight and advice gained from their own experiences and their empathy with the student experience.
- The atmosphere of PASS sessions is relaxed, friendly and low-pressured in which students are encouraged to ask questions and raise concerns with content.
- PASS is fun! It’s a great way to meet new people and make friends.
Who can attend PASS?
PASS will be run in LAWS1016 – Criminal Law and LAWS1012 – Torts in Semester 2, 2011. It will be open to all students enrolled in those courses.
