Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation: Supporting Problem-based Learning in Legal Education

According to the American Bar Association (ABA), legal reasoning (also referred to as legal argument) is one of the ‘fundamental lawyering skills’; listed among those skills the ABA task force deems most important (Blasi, 1995). However, there is much debate over how best to teach legal argumentation. This study examines the effectiveness of using a computer-supported collaborative argumentation (CSCA) tool, QuestmapTM, to support the development of argumentation skills in second-year law students. 76 secondyear law students were divided into two groups: the treatment group received access to QuestmapTM to help construct arguments throughout the semester while the control group did not receive access. Results provide preliminary indication that CSCA may not support the development of argumentation skills in second-year law students. Using QuestmapTM, students would begin constructing an argument, see another counter-argument appear, and then begin discussing the counter-argument with its creator outside the software. Since not all of the argumentative dialogue is captured within the software, QuestmapTM then becomes a support for the process of argumentation, rather than a representation of it.