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Advanced Family Law: Formative Assessments Designed to Mirror Time Pressures
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Photo by Daniel Thomas on UnsplashDr Carmel Jacobs has introduced an innovative shift in how students are assessed in her 4th-year Advanced Family Law (FAM 431) module on iKamva.
Structured Topics
The module was structured and entailed various topics including, Ethics in Family Law; Impact of the Constitution on Family Law; Marriages and various unions; and The parent-child relationship.
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Take Home Assessments: Designed to Mirror Time Pressures [One week for formal response]
Rather than relying on the traditional sit-down assessments common across the LL.B curriculum, Dr Jacobs introduced take-home assessments with strict deadlines, designed to mirror the time pressures students will face once they enter the profession. For each coursework assessment/task, students received two briefs on different Family Law topics and were given a week to draft a formal response to a client on a specific matter. Submissions were made via iKamva, where they were screened for plagiarism and AI use.
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NB: The first assessment exposed a serious problem: a significant number of students had relied on generative AI without disclosing it, and performed poorly as a result. While the outcome was disappointing, it served its purpose — students received a sharp reminder of why undisclosed AI use is considered an ethical breach. By the second assessment, informed by that experience, performance improved remarkably.
Final Take Home Exam: Case Studies
The final exam entailed an 18-hour take-home assessment. Students were expected to critically evaluate and analyse specific case studies.
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