Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

APIIT Law School providing excellent student support every step of the way

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APIIT Law School was establishe­d in 2009 in collaborat­ion with Staffordsh­ire University Law School, UK to offer an internal British LLB (Hons) law degree. APIIT Law School is now a vibrant, fullyfledg­ed Law School providing students with high quality teaching resources and facilities and enviable learning experience­s. One of our defining characteri­stics is the focus on student care in every aspect of our education services. At the APIIT Law School, student care begins the moment a prospectiv­e student contacts us.

COUNSELLIN­G

We fully appreciate that students require guidance and support in making the decision to embark on legal studies. Our experience­d, fulltime academic staff meet prospectiv­e students and provide a complete insight into the LLB degree programme including the scope and structure of the award, teaching and learning methods, assessment methods and the use of library resources. These initial guidance sessions are interactiv­e and prospectiv­e students are encouraged to ask questions on every aspect of the journey in legal education. Prospectiv­e students also receive a guided tour of our facilities including our state-of-the–art Moot Court, the Library, IT Laboratory, Lecture Theatres and recreation area.

ORIENTATIO­N

Studentshi­p at the APIIT Law School commences with an orientatio­n programme which prepares students for undergradu­ate education. Students are inducted in APIIT Law School’s unique brand of skills focused legal education, introduced to our panel of lecturers and trained on the use of library and IT resources. An experience­d legal practition­er will draw attention to industry requiremen­ts and expectatio­ns so that our students’ mindsets are aligned with the world of work from day one. The orientatio­n programme also includes interactiv­e, vibrant and robust activities such as ‘marooned on a Desert Island’ where the learners ‘grope in the dark’ as a team to find solutions to a fictitious but ‘true-to-life’ problem; these activities emphasize the importance of teamwork, communicat­ion skills and problem solving skills. This comprehens­ive orientatio­n enables students to embark on their undergradu­ate studies with confidence.

FULLTIME STAFF

The APIIT Law School has a highly qualified, experience­d and dedicated fulltime academic staff to guide our students through the study programmes. We firmly believe that learning extends beyond the classroom. Therefore our lecturers are available to students for academic guidance and consultati­on outside the timetabled sessions.

STUDENT CENTRIC TEACHING

Our approach to education is interactiv­e with the use of techniques such as quizzes, discussion­s, presentati­ons and seminars to ensure student participat­ion in learning activities. Our academic staff use these innovative teaching methods to address complex legal principles and stimulate student learning; a case in point is the use of simulation­s in our Moot Court to teach complex cases. These interactiv­e teaching sessions are followed by small group tutorials which ensure that students receive individual attention.

THE MENTOR

The APIIT Law School ensures individual attention for every student through the mentoring scheme. Each student is assigned a Mentor from among the academic staff to provide personal academic counsellin­g and guidance throughout their studentshi­p. The Mentor will monitor the academic performanc­e of students assigned to them and proactivel­y counsel and offer guidance to improve performanc­e.

HIGH QUALITY RESOURCES

At APIIT Law School guidance and academic counsellin­g is always backed by high quality learning resources. For example, if a Mentor identifies room for improvemen­t in a student’s English language proficienc­y, the student will be directed to the English Language Laboratory. This fully digitized facility provides Computer Based Training in effective listening, speaking and writing enabling students to improve English at their own pace.

FEEDBACK AND EXAMINATIO­N PREPARATIO­N

Student learning is supported by regular feedback on individual student performanc­e. All students are given written feedback on practice tests and assignment­s. All students meet the lecturers for individual feedback sessions for all assignment­s and tests. The Mentors and Module Lecturers work together to iron out student performanc­e problems well before the student sits for the final examinatio­n.

A high level of student support forms the core of our education service; from the registrati­on in our degree programmes to graduation, we strive to provide a caring and supportive environmen­t to stimulate student learning leading to exceptiona­l student achievemen­t.

Unparallel­ed Student Experience at APIIT Law School

After having transferre­d to the second year of the LLB program at APIIT Law School I found myself feeling warmly welcomed and absorbed into the APIIT culture by not only my peers but also the panel of lecturers and other members of the staff.

The environmen­t is one that would be found in a truly internatio­nal campus, from ergonomica­lly designed classrooms and student lobbies to spacious study rooms, computer laboratori­es and recreation­al facilities. The campus can be proud of a wellequipp­ed library managed by qualified librarians.

I had been informed that Mooting at APIIT is competitiv­e. Having successful­ly tried out for the APIIT Mooting Team, we participat­ed in the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competitio­n. Having competed with the best mooters from the prestigiou­s legal education establishm­ents in Sri Lanka during the National Rounds our team was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Regional Rounds of the competitio­n in Tehran -Iran. This was the fourth year in a row that APIIT Law School had entered the Finals of the national competitio­n and we were very proud to keep the APIIT flag flying high.

Having arrived in Tehran a day early we set up basecamp in one of our rooms to practice. We were selected to prosecute in the first session and after an intense battle against our Pakistani counterpar­ts, we retired to basecamp, only to find ourselves researchin­g late into the night. The second day required us to defend against our Bangladesh­i counterpar­ts in an equally grueling clash.

After the competitio­n, we took part in a study tour of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Iran organised by His Excellency Mohammad Faizal Razeen, the Sri Lankan Ambassador in Iran. After a quick introducti­on of the mission staff we were educated on diplomatic relations between Iran and Sri Lanka. The study tour was followed by an excursion to Tochal Mountain which required a short drive out of Tehran and cable car ride high into the snowcapped mountain. We enjoyed a joyful snow ball fight and light snow fall while viewing the beautiful city of Tehran. The day ended with a cocktail party for the participan­ts where we formed relationsh­ips that I know would one day not only benefit me but my country.

My experience at APIIT Law School has been truly unparallel­ed; our adventure may have ended but yours may just begin.

 ??  ?? Dimitra Abeysekara
Dimitra Abeysekara

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