About the University of Law
The University of Law (ULaw), founded in 1876, is one of the leading providers of legal education. With an extensive global presence, ULaw operates across 20 locations worldwide, serving thousands of students annually.
In response to significant changes in the examination format for assessing law students, ULaw actively sought an innovative online assessment platform for a strategic partnership. This case study explores how ULaw has successfully adapted to the evolving assessment landscape by leveraging a customised online testing solution, developed in collaboration with Synap.
The challenge: Adapting to new standardised testing requirements
In the field of law, a significant change is underway as the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) replaces the longstanding Legal Practice Course (LPC), completely reshaping the traditional route to qualification. This posed a formidable challenge for all law universities, including ULaw, which required:
- Quick adaptation to the curriculum to integrate the new educational and assessment landscape.
- Supporting students to pass their exams first time, given the high fees of legal education and frequent sponsorship by law firms.
- Reaching a broader student demographic, as the new SQE format removes the requirement to attend university to qualify as a solicitor, opening doors to global access.
Recognising these challenges, ULaw sought an online assessment partner to maximise student assessment success.
“The University is delighted to announce Synap as our exclusive partner in providing the online learning platform for the SQE 1 assessment and our new BPC programme.”
The implementation: Partnering with Synap
ULaw wasn’t simply seeking an online tool; they were looking for a true partner - one with the expertise to deliver online assessments securely and effectively, with the flexibility to customise the platform to meet their unique requirements.
The partnership between ULaw and Synap began with a pilot programme in 2021, involving a small cohort of students. This initial phase allowed both teams to test the platform in a real-world setting and gather valuable feedback from students and staff alike.
To ensure the platform met ULaw’s specific requirements, the Synap team established regular meetings with ULaw’s staff - a practice that continues to this day. This ongoing collaboration allows the Synap team to gather valuable feedback, understand the rationale behind ULaw’s requests, and strategise the most effective approaches for feature design and implementation. This close partnership ensures that ULaw’s goals are consistently met within the desired timelines.
“Innovation for the improvement of learning is central to ULaw’s ethos and our students expect the best and latest tools, such as Synap, to enable them to achieve their goals.”
Delivering a range of assessments types for students
From day one and throughout the student journey, ULaw’s partnership with Synap has enabled the seamless delivery of a variety of assessment types. This holistic approach not only supports students in building their knowledge progressively, but also equips tutors with advanced tools to provide high-quality feedback, ensuring students are thoroughly prepared for their final exams.
“We approached Synap to help deliver a new suite of online assessments - encompassing everything from daily ‘quizzes’, to formative and summative assessments, under one cohesive system.”
1. Pre-enrolment exam
Before beginning their studies, students are required to take the Academic Legal Knowledge Quiz (ALKQ) to assess their baseline legal knowledge. This pre-enrolment exam provides tutors with valuable insights into each student's starting point, enabling them to tailor their teaching strategies accordingly.
2. Weekly practice tests
Throughout the academic year, students complete a rigorous series of 42 weekly practice tests using Synap's Collections feature. These tests consist of multiple-choice questions and are designed to progressively prepare students for their final SQE exams.
The automated grading feature significantly reduces the administrative burden on tutors, saving hours of time each week, while the immediate feedback provided to students delves into the theory behind each question. This approach not only helps students to correct misunderstandings but also encourages deeper learning.
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3. Formal mock exams
To further support students’ preparation, ULaw schedules two formal mock exam periods during the academic year. These exams, delivered via Synap’s Exams feature, are designed to simulate the real exam environment, with timed conditions and three exams administered over two days.
These realistic conditions help students build confidence and fine-tune their exam strategies. After the mock exams, tutors provide live feedback sessions, offering personalised insights into each student’s strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring they are well-prepared for their formal assessments.
Custom features for predicting and elevating exam success
Synap has worked in close collaboration with the ULaw team to develop a range of custom features and reports, tailored to the unique needs of ULaw’s students and staff. These bespoke innovations have transformed how ULaw administers assessments, significantly enhancing student engagement and success in their exams.
Heat maps to track student engagement and performance
The Synap team developed a custom heat map report to monitor and analyse student engagement and performance across the 42 weekly practice tests. This innovative feature simplifies extensive data into a clear, colour-coordinated format, making it easy for tutors to interpret.
The visual representation empowers tutors to quickly identify students who are either not actively engaging or consistently underperforming, without having to sift through complex reports. This real-time insight is a game-changer for proactive support, as tutors can help struggling students improve their performance earlier on.
Predictive exam algorithm achieving 98% accuracy
Synap’s data scientist worked closely with ULaw’s Course Co-ordinator and Head of Learning Technology and Analytics to develop a powerful predictive algorithm system. By leveraging student engagement metrics and historical data, the algorithm classifies students into five categories, ranging from 'very unlikely' to 'highly likely' to pass the SQE exam.
With an impressive 98% accuracy in predicting student exam success, Synap’s predictive algorithm has transformed the way tutors approach student performance. Instead of manually analysing extensive datasets, tutors now have access to a clear and actionable snapshot of each student’s likelihood of success.
This streamlined approach has been invaluable for enabling targeted tutor interventions, particularly for students identified as ‘very unlikely’, ‘unlikely’ or ‘borderline’ to pass. By providing timely and personalised academic support, tutors can proactively address challenges, enhancing student outcomes and fostering success.
Progress tracking: Combining student data from different systems
Recognising that students were unable to track their course completion progress in Blackboard, ULaw asked Synap to develop a custom reporting solution that integrates data from two separate platforms into a unified progress-tracking tool on Synap.
This innovating reported tool, integrated into Synap’s Student Insights page, evaluates both the breadth and depth of student engagement with SQE course materials on Blackboard while simultaneously tracking their assessment activity on Synap. Students benefit from a visual representation of their progress, highlighting the extent of completed content and providing a holistic view of their advancement throughout the course.
Custom PDF reports: A transformative tool for tutors and external partners
The custom PDF tutor report developed by Synap is an integral part of ULaw's assessment strategy, providing in-depth insights into student performance, engagement, and progression within specific tests. By analysing data such as how many students answered each question correctly or incorrectly, these reports offer a granular understanding of the cohort's mastery of test material.
One of the standout features of these reports is their advanced filtering capability. Tutors can easily filter data from an entire cohort to a specific campus or class, or even down to an individual student. They can also compare individual or group performance against the entire cohort, offering valuable benchmarking insights.
The positive impact of these reports is reflected in their widespread adoption by tutors and law firms alike. Tutors use the reports in one-to-one student meetings, enabling targeted discussions about areas of struggle and the creation of personalised action plans to support student success.
For external partners, such as law firms that sponsor students, the reports offer transparent tracking of student progress, providing clear insights into performance and areas needing support, ensuring a strong return on their investment in legal education.
Custom weekly email reminders to encourage engagement
To help students stay on track with the 42 weekly practice tests, Synap introduced an automation that monitors test completion. If a student has not completed their assessment, the system triggers an automatic reminder email with a direct link to the test, encouraging them to complete it before the deadline.
This proactive approach ensures that students remain engaged and actively participate in their weekly assessments. By providing timely and targeted reminders, Synap helps reduce missed deadlines and fosters consistent interaction, even for students who might occasionally overlook their assessment schedules.
Single-Sign On for seamless access
Synap supports Single Sign-On (SSO), allowing ULaw students to use their existing login credentials to access the Synap platform. This eliminates the need for students to create additional accounts or remember extra passwords, significantly reducing support requests and simplifying the user experience.
With just a single click, students can authenticate their accounts and automatically log in to Synap. By using the same credentials they use for systems such as Blackboard, the SSO feature provides a straightforward and streamlined login process, enabling students to focus on their exam preparation without unnecessary barriers.
The future: Seamless integration for enhanced user enrolment
Feedback from both students and tutors has been overwhelmingly positive, with ULaw highlighting how integral Synap has become to the student daily learning experience:
“Our students find that Synap is a central part of their journey with us and most use it on a daily basis.”
Building on the success of Synap's automation features and advanced reporting tools, ULaw is now looking to implement a direct integration between its student management system and Synap. This initiative aims to enhance administrative efficiency by streamlining the student enrolment process. This planned integration reflects ULaw’s ongoing commitment to innovation and providing a top-tier assessment experience for students.
