Project Development Fund

Please note that due to the closure of UKCLE this scheme is now closed.

The Project Development Fund (PDF) was established by the UK Centre for Legal Education for the following purposes:

• to promote innovation and the dissemination of good practice in learning and teaching in law
• to encourage research and projects in the field of legal education
• to involve law students and their representative bodies in the promotion of teaching and learning
• to develop methods for the evaluation of effective learning and teaching
• to enable the consideration of regional differences in the learning and teaching of law
• to deliver direct benefit (for example by the provision of materials, conclusions, experience) to law teachers
• to encourage a climate of innovation and inquiry among law teachers in their approach to learning and teaching

In pursuit of these aims, funds could be used for the following purposes:

• buying out teaching or other identifiable elements of working time to release the applicant(s) to work on the project
• employment of research assistants, students or other project workers, clerical support
• travel (within the UK )
• materials and equipment
• other learning resources
• other purposes approved by the UKCLE

Project proposals should:

• contribute to the development and understanding of learning, teaching and assessment practices as indicated above
• show an appreciation of ethical conduct and not discriminate against any individual or group
• show an appreciation of existing research findings in the area and articulate how the proposed project develops ideas
• describe how the work is to be carried out and the research methodologies to be used
• present clear outcomes/deliverables (for example a report or questionnaire or learning tool that will contribute to an understanding of learning and teaching issues in law)
• set out a strategy for dissemination of the outcomes of the project
• demonstrate that project outcomes can be replicated generally in the discipline, rather than be specific to a particular institution
• set out a realistic timetable for completion
• set out a realistic budget plan for the research

Additional notes:

Projects were expected to provide regular updates and release of funds was determined by satisfactory progress. A member of staff at UKCLE or a UKCLE Associate was nominated as a main point of contact for ongoing support and advice. All projects were required to submit a final project report, which was published by UKCLE to enable dissemination of the project’s processes and outcomes for the benefit of the wider legal education community.

Last Modified: 19 July 2011