The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has introduced the Virtual Reality (VR) Courtroom Game for the Faculty of Law, to help law students brush up on their legal analysis and court representation skills.
According to a statement, the initiative is a first for South Africa and also a pioneering effort across the African continent.
By integrating VR into legal studies, UJ says it is showcasing the immense potential of technology to revolutionise traditional educational paradigms, offering students an immersive, interactive learning experience that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application.
Conceptualised by the university’s Faculty of Law, in partnership with the Johannesburg Business School Innovation Lab, the VR Courtroom Game addresses the challenge of making legal content relevant and impactful, by immersing students in complex legal scenarios that reflect real-life situations.
Professor Michele van Eck, associate professor and HOD of Private Law at UJ’s Faculty of Law, and overall project lead, says the project’s development team had, from the outset, recognised major contemporary challenges in legal education, specifically in demonstrating the relevance of legal content and its constitutional impact on daily life, particularly in a nation still shaped by apartheid's legacy.
“Against this context, the project team set out to develop an innovative and integrative approach to legal education,” explains Van Eck.
“The VR Courtroom Game is a revolutionary project that provides complex legal scenarios that span various disciplines, enabling students to engage with real-life situations and understand the intersection of legal principles, thus preparing them for practical law practice.
“This involved extensive brainstorming to ensure authentic scenarios were developed that cover different areas of law and are inclusive for students at different levels of legal knowledge and experience.”
Professor Abejide Ade-Ibijola, professor of artificial intelligence and applications at UJ and the VR Courtroom Game's technical lead developer, adds it aims to make legal education enjoyable and exciting by leveraging modern technologies.
“These technologies hold the potential to bridge the gap between legal theory and practice, which reinforces a transformative approach in legal education by enhancing students’ analytical skills and better prepares them for real-world practice.
“This, in turn, has the effect of fostering deeper understanding of legal principles and the interconnected nature of legal principles, but also makes such an experience more engaging and accessible for students,” notes Ade-Ibijola.
The other developer team members included experts from the UJ’s Faculty of Law: Professor Puseletso Letete, Natasha Naidoo, Elton Hart, Felicia Zuba, Louis Koen, Dr Werner Nel, Dr Yvette Joubert and Dr Whitney Rosenberg, who developed the storyline, content and scenarios for the game.
These experts also tested and validated the game to ensure its accuracy and effectiveness.
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