LAW TEACHING ON TRIAL: THE EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF FIRST YEAR CANTERBURY LAW STUDENTS.

This paper reports the results of two online surveys focusing on the expectations and experiences of students enrolled in first year law papers offered in 2014 by the School of Law at the University of Canterbury. The results from these surveys make up the first phase in a planned longitudinal study of the participating students. A survey of School of Law teaching staff was also carried out. Students participating in the study shared many common characteristics and, for the most part, reported high levels of engagement in, and satisfaction with, their law school experience. There was a high degree of correlation between the responses of students and academic staff to questions directed at students' teaching and learning experiences. Most students reported overall levels of mental wellness either consistent with or better than the general population over the entirety of their first year of study. There were few significant gendered differences in students' responses. Although the findings of this phase of the project are prima facie positive, further work needs to be done to determine the make-up of the small minority who reported a different and more negative experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]