MOOCing the way to numerical literacy in

law.

Louise Taylor, Nottingham Trent University

Louise.Taylor@ntu.ac.uk

10th April 2014

What is numerical literacy and why is it missing in legal learning and practice?

• “...an individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgements and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen.”

nationalnumeracy.org.uk

• Lack of numeracy skills.

• Maths anxiety.

• Maths avoidance.

Lack of numeracy skills in the general population.

•“Unlike the stories, mythologies, and gossip that have been shaping our minds since the beginning of human culture, public statistics are a recent cultural achievement.”

Gerd Gigerenzer, 2002.

Lack of numeracy skills learning and teaching on the LLB.

•Numerical literacy at admission:

– 2012/13 NLS cohort = 284 students; 69 with no data; 34 with a maths qualification beyond GCSE.

•QAA numeracy requirement for QLD – only nominally met.

•Pervasive culture of maths anxiety and avoidance within undergraduate legal education prevents continuing numerical skill development.

Maths anxiety.

•“Mathematics anxiety is characterized by feelings of tension,apprehension, and fear about performing math and isassociated with delayed acquisition of core math andnumber concepts and poor math competence.”

Richardson and Suinn, 1972.

Maths avoidance.

•“I know for me, I’m a lawyer because I was bad at science and math. All lawyers in the room, you know it’s true. We can’t add and subtract, so we argue.”

Michelle Obama, 2011.

Impact on legal practice.

•LETR identified commercial awareness (incorporating numeracy) as an area of deficiency in legal professional knowledge. LETR 2013: 2.74-5.

• Impact on legal reasoning:– “Too often our discomfort with numbers means that we fail to

challenge, or even recognize, the subjective assessments made in the compilation and presentation of numerical information.”

Milot 2013.

– “…substantive legal analysis can vary significantly with the numeracy of legal decision makers.”

Rowell and Bregant 2013.

The challenge:

• To improve numerical literacy in law.

• To tackle maths anxiety.

• To challenge maths avoidance strategies.

• To spark a cultural revolution within the student cohort, the academy and the profession.

• To avoid detracting from the substantive undergraduate law subjects.

The solution? MOOCing the way to numerical literacy in law:

• 6 week MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) aimed at NQF level 4 law students.

• Incorporating maths tuition and cognitive behavioural therapy within an online virtual legal environment.

• Retained as an open-access online resource.

• Available for adoption and adaptation for use by other law schools and within other disciplines.

• With potential for development as a resource aimed at legal professionals.