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The learner’s voice logo fades in and out with musical soundtrack followed by the video title: ‘the learner’s voice’. This is followed by a sequence of shots of learners, ending with the video sub-title: ‘Amanda’. |
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Shot of Amanda Benstock and her daughter in the kitchen of her home, includes some dialogue between them:
Daughter: “..in the next 40 minutes”
Amanda: “OK, well you’d better go and get yourself organised then”
This is followed by a shot of Amanda’s daughter leaving the kitchen and Amanda clearing away the breakfast items. Then a shot of Amanda entering her bedroom followed by a series of shots of her working on her laptop.
Includes background musical soundtrack. |
Voiceover: Amanda has recently completed a Diploma in Legal Practice at the Glasgow graduate school of law at the University of Strathclyde. Amanda’s decision to leave a successful career in medical science in order to become a solicitor, has meant that she is keener than ever to use technology. Especially if it means saving time. |
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Close-up of a laptop showing the web page that Amanda is working on, followed by a shot of Amanda sitting in front of the laptop with her name (‘Amanda Benstock’) briefly displayed, and a bed, cabinet and window in the background.
This is followed by a close-up of the laptop showing the webpage that Amanda is researching, followed by a series of shots of Amanda working on the laptop.
This is followed by a close-up of a photograph on the wall showing some of her family members and then a shot of Amanda stood in her kitchen with some kitchen cabinets behind her.
Includes background musical soundtrack, fading out as Amanda begins to speak and fading back in as she finishes talking. |
Amanda Benstock: I’ve actually been using the internet for several years, probably at least 10 or 11 and I started using it for email, and that is something that now, I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t email people. I use it much more than actually talking on the phone.
I’m always happy to use websites if I think they’re going to help me. I think in the end, these things are all time savers, so I find its very much part of my day-to-day life.
I’m going to be meeting up with my former colleagues from a virtual legal firm a bit later on this morning. |
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Close-up of the sign outside a building saying Lord Hope Building, University of Strathclyde, followed by an external shot of the building with Amanda entering it.
This is followed by some shots of Amanda and her fellow students sitting at a table working and viewing a computer display projected onto a whiteboard, including a series of shots of the Ardcalloch web pages they are viewing. |
Voiceover: During her Diploma, Amanda and her peers worked together as part of a virtual law firm within a virtual community called ‘Ardcalloch’. This transactional learning environment simulates real-life legal scenarios, and Amanda’s case-load included a personal injury transaction. Amanda’s virtual firm carried out fact gathering and analysis, legal research and negotiation. Aspects of her firm’s performance were tracked, and presented in feedback sessions to students. |
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Close-up of Amanda sat in an empty classroom including a series of shots of her and her fellow students sitting at a table working and viewing a computer display projected onto a whiteboard.
Includes faint soundtrack from the pages they are viewing. |
Amanda Benstock: When we were initially put into our firms, the first thing we saw was a video of the person who we were representing, what had happened to them, why he wanted to pursue a legal action. Which was extremely useful because it showed us where the accident happened and really gave us a good sense of the context of the accident. It did make it a reality more, I’d say, that anything I’d done before. |
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Close-up of Alison sitting in an empty classroom with her name (‘Alison Hempsey’) briefly displayed, including some shots of the Ardcalloch web pages. |
Alison Hempsey: We had this guy who we would write to and he would write back to us, and you did become quite involved in it. And, yeah, I enjoyed that aspect. |
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Close-up of Phil sitting in an empty classroom with his name (‘Phil Etherson’) briefly displayed, including some shots of the Ardcalloch web pages. |
Phil Etherson: It’s given us the insight into working as a firm. Sitting and reading books, you’re not getting the idea of actually working as a firm or a firm member, and I think the integration from the virtual community, it does give you that to a certain extent. As though you’re actually working as a lawyer, rather than just studying. |
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Close-up of a laptop displaying some of the pages on the Ardcalloch web site, followed by a close-up of Amanda sitting in an empty classroom. |
Amanda Benstock: We kept using the posting board all the time, just to keep updated and it was a much more sort of productive way to work, doing it on the internet. And also it felt more real. |
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Close-up of Phil sitting in an empty classroom, including some shots of the Ardcalloch web pages, followed by some shots of the Ardcalloch web pages. |
Phil Etherson: My journey time is probably an hour and a half into university, so rather than spend an hour and a half travelling here and an hour and a half going home, I can sit and use that three hours at home, and actually get somewhere. |
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Close-up of a web page from the Ardcalloch web site, followed by a close-up of Amanda sitting in an empty classroom.
This is followed by a shot of Amanda sitting in front of the laptop in her bedroom with a bed, cabinet and window in the background, followed by a series of shots of the Ardcalloch web pages.
This is followed by a close-up of Amanda sitting in an empty classroom, including some shots of Amanda and her fellow students sitting at a table working and viewing a computer display projected onto a whiteboard, including a series of shots of the Ardcalloch web pages they are viewing.
Includes background musical soundtrack, fading in as Amanda finishes talking. |
Amanda Benstock: We had our course co-ordinator that we could contact, and there was also a site that we could post, you know, problems, worries, whatever concerns, and there might be sort of, four or five replies to one question and that would be helpful. So that was very useful in that, you know, we felt that when we flagged something up, that it was actually dealt with. We felt that everything that was up there could be viewed by whoever was overseeing the project. And I suppose if we were just scribbling on bits of paper or sending emails to each other or whatever, there wouldn’t have been that same feeling of being assessed all the time. So, yes, I think it did very much focus us and made us work well and efficiently. |
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A shot of Amanda walking along the street and entering the premises of Harold W. Joseph Solicitor & Notary, followed by some shots of Amanda working at a computer in their office.
Includes background musical soundtrack. |
Voiceover: The knowledge Amanda gained using Ardcalloch on her Diploma has meant that she feels more comfortable with the real issues now facing her on her traineeship. |
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A series of shots of Amanda working on a computer in the office of Harold W. Joseph, including two close-up shots of Amanda sitting in an empty classroom.
Includes background musical soundtrack, fading out as Amanda begins to speak and fading back in as she finishes talking. |
Amanda Benstock: I came to law as a mature student. People sort of go ‘well, oh, that’s great’, and you can feel them thinking, ‘you’re mad, you’ve got quite a good job and you’re giving it up to go back to university’. But having done it, it’s a very, very good feeling. |
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The learner’s voice logo fades in with musical soundtrack and video closing screen made up of the Xube® logo and HEFCE copyright statement. Fades out to black screen. |
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