Article

Adapting Pandemic Practices Asian Journal of Legal Education

8(2) 144–157, 2021
for the Future: Blended Learning © 2021 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
Model for Online Advocacy Reprints and permissions:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
Training in Pakistan DOI: 10.1177/23220058211013981
journals.sagepub.com/home/ale

Hadia Awan1

Abstract
The challenge of teaching a skill-based course online, during pandemic unfolded lasting/ground-
breaking opportunities for teachers and students of law alike. For the advocacy skills' training course,
a suit for dissolution of marriage was selected and training was divided into 12 steps. The pre-planned
semester calendar of the University was followed, but in the virtual learning environment (VLE),
sessions were held mostly synchronously by using an indigenized blended learning (BL) model. Station
rotation (SR) and the flipped classroom (FC) were also indigenized for effective use. Indigenization
of BL was done. SR was done by creating stations comprising research areas involved in the trial
for dissolution of a marriage. The FC was used to make students learn lectures beforehand, and all
simulations, role-plays and activities were done in class. On-spot grading was done on assessment
rubrics by using standard observation forms, generated based on extracted principles. All rubrics and
standard forms were shared and discussed with students to build trust in the VLE. The asynchronous
mode was also used, but only for the sake of supplemented learning. The grading policy was revised,
and the curves of summative and formative assessments were flattened. A total of 45 students were
trained, out of whom 26 scored A, four A–, two B, five B+, one B–, one C, one C+, one C– and four
got F (for not participating at all). The outcome was encouraging. After completion of the semester,
the need assessment survey culminated in a hands-on training session for the Faculty of Law (FoL).
Participants designed courses using the BL model and found the methodology effective for future use
in regular classes.

Introduction
In Pakistan, professional legal studies start after higher school education of 12 years. This is a
5-year law programme comprising 166 credit hours, consisting of 28 credits of compulsory and

1
Faculty of Law, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Corresponding author:
Hadia Awan, Faculty of Law, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab 54782, Pakistan.
E-mail: haadiaawan@gmail.com
Awan 145

eight credits of general foundational courses and 114 credits of discipline-specific subjects,
including a research project and four elective subjects. The medium of instruction is English, though
Urdu, the national language, is also used in the classroom instructions and off-class student–teacher
meetings. The class generally comprises 30% girls and 70% boys. Neither the Higher Education
Commission (HEC) nor the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has formally required any specific teaching
methodology, though the clinical method has been highlighted informally in meetings of the PBC.
At University of Central Punjab (UCP), the law programme took off in 2016. The Faculty of Law
(FoL) formally introduced experiential and clinical methods for law teaching for the first time in
Pakistan. FoL also introduced five levels of advocacy skills training courses as part of regular
studies.
As advocacy skills courses are not mandated by HEC for the completion of a law degree and
universities are not allowed to change the credit hours as recommended by HEC, UCP decided to keep
the courses non-credit. At the same time, to keep up with the standard of courses, it was decided that they
would be duly graded in the same manner as all other subjects are done. The five levels of advocacy
skills were designed and implemented by FoL initially during summer, but as the majority of law students
came from around the province of Punjab and the training cost them in terms of extra hostel expenses,
these courses were incorporated in the regular semester timetable.
This article focuses on level-II advocacy skills training regarding the conduct of a family trial for
dissolution of marriage. This advocacy training course had been done in the previous year as a
regular, on-campus course. However, this time, as the semester took off, the pandemic closed the
doors of universities for everyone, and the challenge was to teach a skill-based advocacy training
course online.

Previous Practice
Previously, the method of teaching was experiential, with a lot of doctrinal teaching and simulated
exercises involved in a family trial. Sometimes, these exercises would be observed by some senior
family lawyers, who would fortify the learning by adding their own experiences in actual court. The
teacher (trainer/instructor) would design and perform several role-plays to let the students learn by
examples. Students had ample opportunities to repeat and replay their role-plays or simulated exercises
during training sessions in the presence of the trainer. To acquaint students with the ambience of the
courtroom and of the mediation sessions, mock courtrooms and mediation cells were created on campus,
where students would perform frequently. This course would be the most colourful and exciting
experience during the fourth semester. As the skill’s training required a lot more interaction between
teachers and students, taxing a lot of time of both but still would be prized by them.
With the ascendance of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), circumstances changed and took
away the most desired part of the training comprising personal interactions, frequent meetings, late
sittings in the corridors and performance in the courtrooms. Now, online learning is a new normal2

2  
C.R. Graham, et al., Blended Learning: The New Normal and Emerging Technologies, 15 Int. J. Educ. Technol. High. Educ. 1–16
(2018).
146 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

brought by the pandemic.3 Depression,4 distrust,5 frustration,6 fear,7 financial crunch8 and estrangement9
are some of the many challenges faced by almost everyone in society. Teaching in these circumstances10
would have to cover the extra mile, but imparting of a skills course,11 due to its intrinsic demand for more
interaction12 during advocacy skills training, added a lot more challenge to the online teaching.
Previously, the family trial was taught in two cycles. The first involved training of the trainers (ToT),
and the second, training of the students. In the first cycle, permanent teachers would get trained in the
family laws, with special reference to a suit for dissolution of marriage. In the second cycle, these trained
teachers would train students to conduct similar suits. Under each trainer, one group of 15 students
would get trained. The duration of ToT was 1 week, and training duration was 3 weeks for the students.
The implementation plan comprised the following smaller steps:

• Introductory collective discussion;

• Division of trainers into six groups;
• Allocation of one reason for dissolution to one trainer/group;
• Working of trainers in their respective areas/groups through role modelling and research exercises;
• Pre-trial proceedings with a view to introduce mediation skills;
• Presentation-of-evidence exercises;
• Presentation in the court setting through simulations; and
• ToT judging the simulations.

This plan had already undergone revision, because this time the training was offered as a full-semester
course per the decision taken by the concerned bodies of the university. The compulsion of online
teaching required many more changes and added a lot more challenges to the training. However, the
challenges led to the introduction of new methods of learning, at the same time. One of the most important
was blended learning (BL) in live and virtual classes. The advocacy skills training course was redesigned
in the light of BL to implement it in a virtual learning environment (VLE).

 3 
 F. Peng, et al., The Deadly Coronaviruses: The 2003 SARS Pandemic and the 2020 Novel Coronavirus Epidemic in China, 19
J. Autoimmun. 102487 (2020).
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A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, 88 Brain Behav. Immun. 901-907 (2020).
 5
  D. Musa, et al., Trust During the Early Stages of the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic, 19(3) J. Health Commun. 321–39 (2014).
 6
  J. Ardley & A. Goodloe, Working with Principal Interns During the 2020 Pandemic of COVID 19: Moving From Frustrations
to Resolutions (2020). https://academicexperts.org/conf/edmedia/2020/papers/57884/.
 7
  J. Billieux, et al., The Four Horsemen of Fear: An Integrated Model of Understanding Fear 17(2) Clin. Neuropsychiatry 41–45
(2020).
 8
  S. Gunay, COVID-19 Pandemic Versus Global Financial Crisis: Evidence from Currency Market. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/
papers.cfm?abstract_id=3584249.
 9
  Isobel Sigley, It Has Touched Us All: Commentary on the Social Implications of Touch During the COVID-19 Pandemic 2(1)
Social Sciences & Humanities Open 100051 (2020).
10
  A. Schleicher, et al., Supporting the Continuation of Teaching and Learning (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development 2020).
11
  Ö Mahmut, Vocational Education and Training as “A Friend in Need” During Coronavirus Pandemic in Turkey 9(2) BUJFE
1–7 (2020).
12
  G.T. Clifton, et al., Using Technology to Maintain the Education of Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic 77(4) J. Surg.
Educ. 729–32 (2020).
Awan 147

Redesigning the Course for Online Teaching

The new academic semester started on 7 March 2020. Hardly 2 weeks had passed on campus before the
pandemic brought a compulsory closure. The fear and scare of the situation not only cloaked the students
but also enveloped the teachers. Further, an additional concern of teachers was the style and quality of
the students’ academic needs. In this situation, notwithstanding that both teachers and students were
practically alien to the VLE,13, 14 it was the only way forward. However, when they indulged in VLE, they
found that there existed exciting tools and ideas in virtual teaching and learning, starting from curiosity15
and culminating in complete involvement.16 The challenge resulted in a unique opportunity for revamping
advocacy skills training through the use of online learning models.17
The trial of a family suit for dissolution of marriage was divided into 12 steps to systematically conduct
the training. The steps were made smaller and understandable for the students. The modalities of the training
were discussed with the students in detail. It was decided that every step would be role-played initially by
the teacher (trainer) and tutor (teacher’s assistant) and then would be performed by the students.
Notwithstanding the comprehensive training schedule, the students, by and large, consented to the schedule.
Table 1 shows the steps involved in the family trial. In the first column, all steps were classified. In
the second column, placement of each step in the family trial was identified and stated. In the third
column, types of activities were listed which were suitable for learning a specific skill. In the fourth
column, expected outcomes of the activities were recorded. In the fifth column, the use of the outcome
of the preceding step was given, and in the last column, the assessment percentage allocated to each step
was given. Not only was the schedule shared with the students effectively, but they were also engaged to
make suggestions. In particular, the volume of work and expected outcome for each day were decided
with their consultation. The consultation with students added trust between the trainer and the trainees.
Because students were not devoid/unaware of all the/conspiracy theories and scepticism spread in society
especially through media about the conspiracy theories regarding the expand of Pandemic, some of them
were of the view that online training was just an eyewash, the real objective of engaging students through
VLE was to collect fees, disregarding any real learning of the students. Some of them were of the view
that online training was just an eyewash: The real objective of engaging students through VLE was to
collect fees, disregarding any real learning of the students. The sharing of the schedule and consideration
of their suggestions diluted their misconceptions and gave them a direction for work.
Table 1.  Advocacy Skills Training Schedule with Allocated Marks

Stages of a Placement in Designed Expected Further Use of the

S. No. Family Trial Trial Activity Outcome Outcomes % Marks
 1. Interviewing the Pre-filing Role-play Transcript of To draft suit 10
client the interview
 2. Sorting facts Pre-filing Skim and scan Draft of facts To draft plaint/
from the story the facts of the case written statement
 3. Searching Pre-filing Skim and scan Table of laws/ To draft suit and 10
relevant laws/ the law rules/policies arguments
rules/policies, etc. with excerpts
(Table 1 continued)
13
  M. Weller, Virtual Learning Environments: Using, Choosing and Developing Your VLE (Routledge 2007).
14
  D. Schneider, et al., Information & Communication Technologies in Education. 3rd Hellenic Conference (2002).
15
  R.V. Small, et al., Curiosity, Interest and Engagement in Technology-pervasive Learning Environments: A New Research Agenda
59 Educ. Technol. Res. Dev. 181–98 (2011).
16
  J. Stephenson & M. Coomey, Online Learning: It Is All About Dialogue, Support and Control: According to Research 4 Teach.
Learn. Online 37–52 (2001).
17
  C.A. Twigg, Models for Online Learning 38(5) Educause Rev. 28–38 (2003).
148 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

(Table 1 continued)
Stages of a Placement in Designed Expected Further Use of the
S. No. Family Trial Trial Activity Outcome Outcomes % Marks
 4. Searching case Pre-filing Skim and scan Table of selected To draft suit and
law case law cases with arguments
excerpts
 5. Drafting plaint Initiation of trial Consult sample Draft of plaint Trial begins 10
based on facts, plaints
law and case law
 6. Drafting written Continuation of Consult Draft of written Continuation of 10
statement based trial sample written statement trial
on plaint, law statement
and case law
 7. Undertaking Before the Role-play Settlement Disposal of suit/ 10
pretrial actual trial agreement/no continuation of
mediation agreement trial
 8. Framing issues Court Identify points Framed issues To fix onus on
determines of difference parties
direction of trial between parties
 9. Producing Parties release Simulation Transcript of To release onus 10
witnesses/ onus Examination in fixed by court
testimony/ chief
documents
10. Cross-examining Counsels Simulation Transcript To release onus 10
witnesses impeach the of cross- fixed by court
credit of witness/ examination
testimony/
document
11. Final arguments Counsels boil Simulation Memorandum Judgement writing 10
based on the down trial for of arguments
record in case file the sake of
and precedents judgement
(applicable to the
given set of facts)
12. Post-trial Before role-play Settlement Pronouncement of 10
mediation pronouncing agreement/ no judgement
judgement agreement
13-16 Group 10
presentations of
Source: The author.

How Blended Learning Helped

BL is a method of learning where online resources are blended well with the face-to-face resources to
optimize learning.18,19 BL comprises the methods of the flipped classroom (FC) and station rotation
(SR). The FC is a method where VLE is used to supplement the in-class learning. A pre-recorded video

  P. Valiathan, Blended Learning Models, Learning Circuits (2002).

18

  Charles R. Graham & Curtis J. Bonk, The Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs (Pfeiffer 2006).
19
Awan 149

clip of 5–7 minutes is uploaded for students to learn the main concept out of the class. Then, in the class,
a discussion is ignited on various aspects of the concept. SR, on the other hand, is a method to create
various stations for the students to learn in smaller groups.
For the advocacy training, both the above-mentioned methods were utilized to enhance learning. In FL,
students were required to listen to the recorded clips at their convenience before the actual online class. It
was for the sake of bringing everyone on the same page regarding the topic to be discussed, and to motivate
students to bring points of discussion to the class.20, 21 Students were required to listen to the recorded clips
at their convenience before the actual online class. It was for the sake of bringing everyone on the same
page regarding the topic to be discussed, and to motivate students to bring points of discussion to the class.
The practicum based on the doctrinal learning would be done in the live online class. On-spot grading
was done.22 For instance, if students learnt through the FC the concept of family mediation, its practicum
in the form of simulation or role-play would be done in the live online class, and the grading would be
done there and then.
SR is another method of BL. In this method various stations are created, and students are rotated
between these stations to interact with other colleagues and hold discussions with them on some topic
under discussion in the doctrinal or in the practicum class. In the training, this method was adopted by
rotating students around multiple stations.23 Seven stations were set up covering various aspects involved
in a suit for dissolution of marriage. The names of the stations were: the law station, the rules station, the
policy station, the case law station, the Shariat station and the customary practice station. These stations
enabled students to learn various aspects that courts consider while deciding a suit for dissolution of
marriage. The SR enabled the students to analyse the legal position of the hypotheticals in the light of
important aspects of a suit for dissolution of marriage.

Implementation
The class was divided into seven smaller groups of five students each.24 The groups named themselves.
The names of the seven groups were: Fighters, Falcons, Sages, Ali Husnain and Company, Companions,
Comrades, and Saviours. As ‘standard of practice’ (SoP) was resonating everywhere during the pandemic,
it made inroads into our training too. The first SoP adopted was that before starting a new step in a trial,
a demonstration of that step would be given by the instructor and the tutor. The idea of demonstration
added spirit to the training, as students could comment on the demonstration given by the teachers.
Another edge of the demonstration was that because each session was being recorded and available
online after the actual class, students used these recordings optimally while preparing their own tasks
(role-plays, simulations).
‘Unplanned joys bring the best in life’ proved true while converting a face-to-face advocacy skills
training course on family laws into an online one. We started classes on Microsoft Teams with very
limited knowledge about it. Along with technological glitches, the biggest challenge for teachers was to

20
  W. Ying, et al., Introducing a New Teaching Model: Flipped Classroom 4 J. Distance Educ. (2012). https://en.cnki.com.cn/
Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-YCJY201204007.htm.
21
  H.N. Mok, Teaching Tip: The Flipped Classroom 25(1) J. Inf. Syst. Educ. 7–11 (2014).
22
  W.R. Slomanson, Blended Learning: A Flipped Classroom Experiment 64 J. Legal Educ. 93 (2014).
23
  Station Rotation Method Based on Differentiated Instruction to Improve Higher Order Thinking Skills) (‘Station Rotation
Method Based on Differentiated Instruction to Improve Higher Order Thinking Skills’).
24
  P. Alexander & D. Mills, Small Group Teaching: A Toolkit for Learning (Higher Education Academy 2013).
150 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

engage students. As the broadband width was not supportive of having classes with cameras on, we had
to take classes with cameras off, which added salt to the injury. However, all these hurdles opened new
vistas of joy.
In the first live session, I started with a general discussion about the pandemic and its
psychological, social, sociological, economic, environmental and health effects, to break the ice and
involve all students in the discussion. Then I tried the first role-play of a lady who accessed a law
office for legal help to get her ugly marriage dissolved. This role-play took everyone to the lap of
grandma in a bedtime story: because there was no picture—only the voices of the teacher and the
tutor, who were role-playing a story of dissolution of marriage. Then we invited groups to role play
their stories. Though it was more a child-like activity session, it brought every student on board and
diluted the physical distance between the teachers and the students. It brought students out of the
depression of the pandemic and isolation. The first session energized the students, and they were
anxious to participate in more. Although the session was quite successful, a big question lay ahead:
Without compromising the learning objective of the training, that is, learn by doing the law and
procedure of a suit for dissolution of marriage, how could the physical performance be converted
into virtual one?

First Step: Client Interview

The doctrinal part of the client interview was first taught in the FC as a 5-minute clip and then discussed
in the online live class. The other part was the practicum. As was agreed, the first demonstration was
done by the teacher and the tutor. It was based on a hypothetical developed by the teacher. To create their
own hypotheticals, students were required to learn about the grounds for dissolution of marriage after
working in the SR model on the station of law. The applicable law was The Dissolution of Muslim
Marriages Act, 1939. After studying the grounds in detail, they selected a reason for dissolution of their
choice to proceed with the trial. The groups selected cruelty, denouncement of maintenance, second
marriage, whereabouts of the husband unknown for more than 7 years, impotency of the husband,
venereal disease (HIV/AIDS [human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome])
and khula (grounds for dissolution of Muslim marriage where the wife asks for dissolution in exchange
for some financial benefit to the husband).

Second Step: Sorting of Facts from the Story

To teach students how information from the client interview would be used for drafting, the need was to
train them in sorting facts from the stories. For this sake, a standard questionnaire was distributed among
students to record the client’s history during the role-play. It was the same questionnaire used in the
previous training, but for the sake of online learning, the outcomes of this exercise were recorded by the
students on another template especially created for the online activity. They collected basic information
about the plaintiff, the defendant, their personal information, reason for their clash, what they wanted
from the court, etc. on another template to record the consolidated outcome of role-play. The purpose
was to make descriptive details handier for online use. It was done by summarizing the information for
quick reference for further proceedings. The template is given in Table 2.
Awan 151

Table 2.  The Form Showing Information Based on the Client Interview

Reason/
Current Grounds
Place of Income and
No./Name Name Residence of the Date of
of the Name of of the of the No. of Income of Husband Beginning Prayer(s)of
Group the Plaintiff Defendant Wife Children the Wife per Month of Clashes the Wife

Source: The author.

Third and Fourth Steps: Legal Research

Third and fourth steps comprised researching laws, rules, Shariah, customary practices, judicial policies
and case law. The exercise was done by revolving/shuffling students around the stations specified for
each head. It was a very exhaustive and challenging step, because in the VLE making students sit and
read/study required some creative tools through which this exercise could be monitored and assessed. It
was a very exhaustive and challenging step, because in the VLE making students sit and read required
some creative tools through which this exercise could be monitored and assessed. For this purpose, two
standard forms were generated. In the first form, students were required to record the researched laws,
rules and policies concerning the grounds for dissolution of marriage. This form is given in Table 3.

Table 3. Standard Form Showing Relevant Laws, Rules and Practices for Dissolution of Marriage

Grounds for Enactments with Rules with Relevant

Name of the Group Dissolution Relevant Provisions Provisions Relevant Case Law

Source: The author.

Table 4.  Standard Form to Record the Contents of the Case Laws

Step 1 Details citation and title of the case

Step 2 Headnote: relevant laws
Step 3 Second paragraph: facts of the case
Step 4 Last or last two paragraphs: verdict of the court
Step 5 From the third paragraph till the last or last two paragraphs: arguments of the parties
Source: The author.
152 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

In the second form, they were required to write down a summary of the case laws. Every student of
each group was given cases relevant to the grounds for dissolution of marriage selected by the group.
To make sure that all students were carrying out the reading assignment, this activity was kept individual.
Every member of the group would carry out the research and submit the form individually. Keeping in
view the nature of activity, 20% marks were allocated instead of the usual 10% for all other steps.
Students were prepared for collecting resources for the purpose of drafting plaints and, later in the trial,
material for preparing final arguments. The reflection of the standard form is given in Table 4.

Fifth and Sixth Steps: Drafting and Filing

After collecting information and resource material, for example, particulars of the parties, their causes of
actions, prayers, the laws, rules, policies and reported case laws, the students were now ready to draft
their plaints and written statements. The principles of pleadings were discussed with students before they
were given the task of drafting synchronously.25,26 They were provided sample drafts of plaints and
written statements asynchronously.27,28 The drafts were also discussed in detail by the instructor in an
online class. All groups completed the drafting in three–four attempts. The first and second drafts were
prepared and checked openly in the presence of the whole class, in the FC manner, but the third or/and
fourth attempts were assessed through private conversations, through phone calls, WhatsApp or email.
Before filing of the drafts, students were given a list of documents to be attached with the plaint and
written statements per the requirement of the relevant law. A sample of the set of compiled documents
was shared with the students by the instructor, to make them familiar with the actual court file. The suits
were filed in a simulated court of law. While simulating the filing procedure, the question was how to
present all characters and the activities they were performing before the instructor, because cameras were
off. One of the groups came up with idea of making sounds or uttering words. For example, where a
lawyer presented the file to the registry, she would utter a few words to show who was sitting there.
Then, the sounds of flipping papers, writing with a pen and fixing of a seal were produced to give
the impression of the number of people involved in the activity and what their functions were.
The conversation between them also created a real-life picture of the registry.

Seventh Step: Pretrial Reconciliation

On the first date of hearing, the parties were called for reconciliation proceedings. Reconciliation
proceedings were mainly held through negotiations. The theory of negotiation skills was discussed in the
FC, followed by role-play. As standard practice, after the FC on reconciliation, a demonstration was
given by the instructor and the tutor. An observation form template was created to record the skills used
by the instructor and the tutor in the reconciliation proceedings. The template was shared with the

25
  J. Finkelstein, Learning in Real Time: Synchronous Teaching and Learning Online (American Psychlogical Association 2006).
26
  Supporting Discourse in a Synchronous Learning Environment: The Learning Protocol Approach) (‘Supporting Discourse in a
Synchronous Learning Environment: The Learning Protocol Approach’).
27
  K.K. Hein & T.R. Kochtanek, Creating and Nurturing Distributed Asynchronous Learning Environments, 24(4) Online Inf. Rev.
280–94 (2000).
28
  S.R. Hiltz, Collaborative Learning in Asynchronous Learning Networks: Building Learning Communities (1998). https://eric.
ed.gov/?id=ED427705.
Awan 153

Table 5.  Pretrial Reconciliation/Mediation Observation Form

Areas to be Observed Procedural Skills Substantive Skills Observations

 1 Introduction of the mediator
 2 Confidentiality assurance
 3 Joint session
 4 Individual session
 5 Re-joint session
 6 Neutrality/impartiality
 7 Help for parties to change positions
 8 Help for parties to reach suggestions
 9 Help for parties to finalize suggestions
10 Help for parties to reach agreement
Source: The author.

students. To make the skills measurable, the reconciliation skills were divided into two groups, that is,
procedural and substantive. The skills were marked based on a grading key. The reconciliation observation
form is given in Table 5.
To assess the activity, an assessment rubric was generated. The scale of skill proficiency ranged
between grades A and D.

Group identity (optional)……………………………………………………………..……

Name(s) of the plaintiff(s)……………………………………………………………….…
Name(s) of defendant(s)………………………………………………………………..…
Name(s) of the judge(s)………………………………………………………………..….
Name(s) of the observer(s)…………………………………………………………….…..

Eighth and Ninth Steps: Framing of Issues and Examination in Chief

After the reconciliation proceedings, the issues were framed and communicated to the parties by the
instructor. The next step was examination in chief. After discussing the principles of examination in chief
in the FC, the students were given a standard observation form to prepare transcripts of examination in
chief. At this stage, students required frequent meetings and step-by-step advice, because they were not

Table 6.  Reconciliation Proceeding Assessment Form

Incorporation Creativity in
Coordination of the Standards Making the Role-
of the Group Knowledge of Style of Given in the play Close to
Characters Members the Proposition Presentation Observation Form Reality
Plaintiff(s)
Defendant(s)
Judge(s)
Observer(s)
Source: The author.
154 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

Table 7.  Examination-in-chief Observation Form

Areas to be observed Procedural steps Substantive steps Observations

 1 Oath taking
 2 Address of the party/witness
 3 Statement
 4 Signature of the party/witness
 5 Counter signature of the Judge
 6 Straight questions
 7 No leading questions
 8 Questions on admitted facts
 9 Objections taken by other party
10 Statement according to the pleadings
Source: The author.

yet familiar with the law of evidence. I discussed with the students about how they would like to interact
frequently. They wanted more practice sessions. After some discussion, we reached the agreement that
we would hold practice sessions daily before formally performing the simulation. Due to online teaching,
it became very easy, because now we could hold as many meetings as we wanted without any approval
of the university authorities.
To make every student participate in the training, different roles were given to the participants for
specific activities. In the reconciliation proceedings, the roles were of the plaintiff, the defendant, the
judge, the lawyers and the observer. The task of the observer during the activities was to observe the
activity in the light of the standard observation forms. A separate grading key having a scale ranging
from grade A to grade D was used to assess proficiency in the skills, and the cumulative grade was
transferred to the fifth column of the assessment form, similar to the one in Table 6.
Interesting situations came up during the initial observations.
As the observers were from the same group, they would appreciate the performance of their group no
matter how poorly they were performing. I observed that the role of observers was merely cosmetic. It
was further confirmed when students were found contesting for this role instead of performing as lawyers
or judges. I asked for suggestions from the students. We decided to mark the observers on the points of
criticism only. When observers were marked only for criticism, they started indulging more in the
performance per the standard forms to identify faults of their group members. This led to a very healthy
observation and evaluation environment in the sessions.

Tenth Step: Cross-examination

The theory of cross-examination was discussed with the students in an FC setting, followed by preparation
of a cross-examination observation form based on the main principles of cross-examination. The form
was shared with the students so that they could utilize the principles while preparing cross-examination
transcripts. For this activity, the roles allocated to the students were those of the witness, lawyers, judge
and observer. The performance of students was assessed on a scale ranging from grade A to grade D. The
cumulative grade earned based on the observation form was transferred to the fifth column of the
assessment form. This form was similar to the one in Table 6.
Awan 155

Table 8.  Cross-examination Observation Schedule

Areas to be Observed Procedural Steps Substantive Steps Observations

 1 Oath taking
 2 Address of the party/witness
 3 Statement
 4 Signature of the party/witness
 5 Counter-signature of the judge
 6 No scandalous questions
 7 Leading questions could be asked
 8 Suggestions could be made
 9 Objections could be made by the other
party
10 Statement according to the pleadings
11 To impeach the credit of witness, any
question could be asked
12 Only relevant questions could be asked
Source: The author.

Eleventh and Twelfth Steps: Final Arguments and Post-trial

Reconciliation
The final argument is generally the last stage of a trial but not in family trials. According to Family
Courts Act, 1964, a last opportunity of post-trial reconciliation shall be given to the parties, so that they
could reach a settlement agreement. This step was skipped in the actual training at the cost of repetition
of the skills learnt at the pretrial reconciliation stage. The students were prepared for the final arguments.
The same pattern was followed for the last stage of trial. The students learnt the basic principles initially
in the FC, and then the principles extracted from the concept after the in-class discussion were boiled
down in the standard form. Like the previous activities, roles were allocated to engage all attendees
of the whole group in activity. The roles for this activity were those of the lawyers, the judge and
two observers. The proficiency of students was assessed on a scale ranging from grade A to grade D.
The cumulative grade was transferred to the assessment form like the one given in Table 6.

Assessment Outcomes of the Training Session

The students showed quite encouraging results. The final grades for the formative and summative
assessments are presented in Table10.

Findings
My observation after implementation of the training is that BL is an upcoming methodology of learning,
whether face-to-face or virtual. In the VLE, the method becomes of special importance, because it not
only connects the parted friends in one chat room to work without any restriction of time or space, but it
also neutralizes the hazardous effects of isolation. I especially experienced this during the training.
156 Asian Journal of Legal Education 8(2)

Table 9.  Final Arguments Observation Schedule

Areas to be Observed Procedural Steps Substantive Steps Observations

 1 In writing
 2 Paragraphed
 3 Signature of the lawyer
 4 Stamp of filing by the court
 5 Opening paragraph: facts of the case
 6 Second paragraph: issue(s) framed
 7 Third paragraph: evidence presented and
admitted by the court
 8 Fourth paragraph: relevant law(s) and how
are they relevant
 9 Fifth paragraph: relevant case law(s) and
how they are relevant
10 Sixth paragraph: closing paragraph with
prayer
Source: The author.

Table 10. Assessment Results

Letter Total Letter Total Letter Total Letter Total

Grade Number Grade Number Grade Number Grade Number
A 26 A- 4 B 2 B+ 5
B-  1 C 1 C+ 1 C- 1
D  0 D+ 0 F 4 I 0
W  0
Source: The author, based on results posted by the university.

At least three of my students were tested COVID-19-positive during classes. They did not quit classes
unless their conditions were severe. Even under severe conditions, they missed just two–three classes.
Right after they overcame the severe conditions, they were back in class, and with the availability of
recordings of the sessions, videos used for the FC and material available after SR, they did not miss
anything and coped well with the rest of the class. Interestingly, they were isolated (quarantined) from
their families, but they were very much there with their classmates and teachers. A few other findings are:

• Due to the effectiveness of the BL model, it is going to be utilized in the future for regular classes
and training sessions through utilizing all rubrics, templates, schedules, etc. created for advocacy
skills training.
• The FC proved to result in a good, synergizing experience.
• Translating principles and skills into the standard form ensured quality of the training sessions.
• Assessments conducted during the training sessions were graded on a scale ranging from grade A
to grade D, standardized as per the regular university criteria.
• The BL method could be utilized for other skills training sessions and regular classes in other
departments.
Awan 157

• Sharing of rubrics and standard forms and frequent contact through online tools, for example,
WhatsApp, email, chat in Teams, etc., enhanced the engagement of students.
• The engagement of students shielded them from the scare and stresses of the pandemic.
• The schedule, standard forms and assessment rubrics developed for the online training saved the
instructor time and energy that she would have utilized in addressing individual problems.

Conclusion
VLE in the times of Pandemic opened doors of experimentation with the existing set of teaching and
learning skills; BL is one. In the times of ongoing Pandemic, Blended Learning (BL) through VLE is a
salutary alternative to the traditional teaching and learning skills, saving our children from abyss of
illiteracy. The article discussed an instance of online advocacy skills training where BL was successfully
used. The areas of concentration from the doctrinal part of the subject were extracted, and standard forms
were developed. From these standard forms, assessment forms were generated to assess the performance
of the learners on a scale ranging from grade A to grade D. The FC was used to maximize student
engagement. Likewise, SR was adapted by creating seven stations comprising areas of research for
preparation and conduct of family trial. Student-focused learning remained the basic theme, and all
available modes of online contact were utilized to maximize students’ engagement not only for the sake
of learning but also to keep them busy despite the stress of the haunting pandemic. The outcomes were
promising, having potential for flourishing in the future.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of
this article.

Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.