Outcome-based Education (OBE) is an integrated educational approach, which has emerged from primary and secondary education in the US. OBE suggests that teachers should organize curricular activities around learning outcomes to achieve improved student learning. OBE places emphasis on teaching skills that students can perform long after the formal learning process is over. Because of its pedagogical appeal, regulators around the world are moving towards adopting OBE for the regulation of law schools according to a set of prescribed outcomes.
This paper is part of the thesis, ‘Outcome-based Education for Legal Education in Hong Kong: A Mixed-Method Study’. The thesis comprises an original empirical research, which aims to study the status of OBE implementation in legal education in Hong Kong. Of particular interest is awareness of OBE among law teachers in Hong Kong. The finding of the empirical research shows that law teachers have little or no awareness of OBE.
This paper begins with a terminological framework of OBE and underlying concepts. Then, it explains the design of the empirical research for the thesis focusing on law teachers’ awareness of OBE. The findings of the research show that law teachers in Hong Kong may not have sufficient OBE awareness. Finally, this paper examines the possible effects COVID 19 may have on law teachers’ awareness of OBE and makes recommendations for future research.