Transcript How to effectively evaluate judicial training?

How to effectively evaluate
judicial training
Professor Cheryl Thomas
Director, UCL Judicial Institute
University College London
Assessment Tool for
Evaluating Judicial Training
Purpose of the Assessment Tool:
• Help each country identify the key
factors that need to be considered in
assessing their current judicial training
programme and future needs
For a detailed description of Assessment
Tool that can be read with this
presentation see:http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/judicialinstitute/docs/Judicial_Ed_Assess_Tool_2007.pdf
Approach to Evaluating
Judicial Training
Evaluation Tool
• does not assess judicial training in Europe on
a hierarchical basis
• does not rank European countries according
to quality of training
• recognises that no one country has an ideal
training programme
Each country’s training must be evaluated
based on its history, needs and institutional
structures.
Issue-based Approach to
Evaluating Judicial Training
Assessment Tool establishes a framework
for monitoring and evaluating judicial
training in Europe
Using the Assessment Tool building blocks
each country can develop training and
evaluation programme suited to its needs
But the Tool provides a common European
methodology for assessing judicial training
4 Stages of
Training Evaluation
STAGE 1: SCOPE
STAGE 2: GAPS
STAGE 3: BARRIERS
STAGE 4: ASSESSMENT
Stage 1: SCOPE
What are Your Jurisdiction’s
Training Approaches?
• Background factors
• Types of training structure
• Scope of training programme
• Training methods
Stage 1: SCOPE - explained
What are your Background Factors (1A)
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Judicial recruitment methods
Recent areas of scrutiny (eg, diversity, media
attention, politicisation, major reviews or reforms)
Established or recent transitional judiciaries
What is your Type of Training Structure
(1B)
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Who delivers and who controls judicial training and
education
Which judges receive training: requirements versus
targets
Stage 1: SCOPE - explained
What is Scope of Training Programme
(1C)
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Substantive law
Legal skills
Judicial ethics
Modern judicial skills
Social context
Personal welfare
Stage 1: SCOPE - explained
What are Training Methods used (1D)
Centralised, face-to-face programmes
Decentralised, court-based programmes
IT and web-based distance learning
Modules
Streamed programmes for individual judicial
ranks
• Integrated programmes for judges and court
personnel
• Bespoke programmes for individual courts
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Stage 2: GAPS
How to Identify Skills Needs
Consider the following:
• Responsibility for evaluating training
• Course assessments
• Surveys of judicial training needs
• Surveys of perceptions of the
judiciary
• Reports on judicial recruitment,
evaluation & quality control of courts
Stage 2: Identifying Gaps
Who evaluates judicial training and how
often is it done? (2A)
Conducting “Training Needs Assessment”
Feedback questionnaires (2B)
Surveys of Judges (2C)
• Training committees/coordinators
Surveys of external perceptions (2D)
Other sources of information (2E)
• Evaluation of judges & courts
• Large-scale reviews of the judiciary
• Research
Stage 3: BARRIERS
To Improved Training
• Funds
• Time
• Geography
• Lack of skilled trainers
• Lack of study of judiciary
• Internal resistance
• Lack of comprehensive evaluation
Stage 4: Assessment
How to achieve
comprehensive evaluation
What is rarely done: Integrating effective training
evaluation into programme development
Requires Evaluation to be linked to Outcomes
Two things are required:
1. Sharing Information widely
2. Assessing Outcomes Periodically
Sharing Evaluation Info
Need to provide info from Stage 2 & Stage 3 to:
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Each level of the judiciary
Court administration
Those responsible for funding judicial training
Those responsible for quality control of courts
and judicial appointments
Can be sensitive and controversial
Conducting Periodic Surveys
Of the Judiciary - on their training needs
Also of:
• Court Users
• Public
on their perceptions of judiciary
Can also be sensitive and controversial –
especially deciding what to ask & sharing
results
Judicial Education & Training
Assessment Tool
You can conduct a Self-Assessment of how
comprehensive your country’s approach is to
judicial training through a specially-designed
Questionnaire
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This is designed to help each country identify specific
areas to work on to develop a more integrated and
effective judicial training programme
Available to download at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/judicialinstitute/docs/Judicial_Ed_Assess_Tool_2007.pdf