Implementing ict into language and law classroom to develop law students’ communicative competence

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Implementing ict into language and law classroom to develop law students' communicative competence

Yuliya V. Yulinetskaya

PhD in Linguistics, Assistant Professor and Head of Department of Foreign Languages National University `Odesa Law Academy', Odesa, Ukraine

Oksana Yu. Babii

Senior Teacher of Department of Foreign Languages National University `Odesa Law Academy', Odesa, Ukraine

Iryna V. Hloviuk

Doctor of Law, Professor,

Department of Criminal Law Disciplines,

Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv, Ukraine

Andriy S. Stepanenko

PhD in Law, Assistant Professor of Department of Criminal Procedure National

Abstract

The new context of changes in labour-market requirements calls for development of foreign language communication competence and use of technologies that promote professional life-long learning. Individual characteristics necessary for a professional to integrate into the international socio-cultural environment have recently been challenged particularly because of growing demands to the ability to communicate, be autonomous and responsible for the achieved learning outcomes. A switch of the European higher education content to the competence-based learning contributes to the development of the mentioned characteristics and competence. Further, the National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine (7 Level, Second cycle (Master)) envisages mastering foreign language communicative competence in professional activities.

This research addresses the issue of ICT tools application in the development of foreign language communicative competence of law students during individual study. We focus on blended learning model, which is combination of traditional and distance learning approaches. To conduct the research, focus groups were defined and examined; relevant authentic material (the VOTA, HUDOC database, and CURIA case-law database) analysed; and the most appropriate ICT tools established. The department of foreign languages of the National University "Odessa Academy of Law" designed, tested, piloted and uploaded the on-line dictionary "gLAWssary"; developed and recorded the video course "Legal English in Use" which is offered on the university website. The results indicate that the on-line dictionary and video course supplemented by the workbook are powerful tools to promote professional life-long learning and that individual study skills are central to this task. This finding suggests that a thoroughly elaborated course with the relevant ICT tools could be the basis for building foreign language communicative competence of future lawyers.

Keywords: blended learning model; ICT tools; competence-based approach; foreign language; individual study; law students.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ІКТ У НАВЧАННІ МОВИ І ПРАВА ДЛЯ РОЗВИТКУ КОМУНІКАТИВНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ СТУДЕНТІВ-ПРАВНИКІВ

Юлінецька Юлія Василівна

кандидат філологічних наук, доцент, завідувачка кафедри іноземних мов № 1 communication foreign language education

Національний університет «Одеська юридична академія», м. Одеса, Україна

Бабій Оксана Юріївна

старша викладачка кафедри іноземних мов № 1

Національний університет «Одеська юридична академія», м. Одеса, Україна

Гловюк Ірина Василівна

доктор юридичних наук, професор, кафедра кримінально-правових дисциплін,

Львівський державний університет внутрішніх справ, м. Львів, Україна

Степаненко Андрій Сергійович

кандидат юридичних наук, доцент кафедри кримінального процесу,

Національний університет «Одеська юридична академія», м. Одеса, Україна

Пашковський Микола Іванович

кандидатюридичних наук, науковий радник, адвокат, адвокатське об'єднання «Barristers», м. Одеса, Україна ORCID 0000-0002-9412-3727 mykola.pashkovsky@gmail. com

Анотація. Зміни вимог ринку праці передбачають розвиток навичок комунікації іноземною мовою та використання технологій, що сприяють постійному професійному навчанню. Індивідуальні навички, що необхідні професіоналу для інтеграції в міжнародне соціально- культурне середовище, уже зазнали змін через постійне зростання попиту на людей, що вміють спілкуватися, бути незалежними та нести відповідальність за результати навчання. Зміна змісту європейської вищої освіти на навчання на базі компетентностей сприяє розвитку зазначених навичок та компетенцій. Більше того, Національні рамки кваліфікації України (7-ий рівень, другий (магістерський)) передбачають використання іноземних мов у професійній діяльності. Дослідження присвячене питанню застосування інструментів ІКТ (інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій) у розвитку компетенції спілкування іноземною мовою майбутніх юристів під час індивідуального навчання. Увага зосереджена на змішаній моделі навчання, що є комбінацією традиційного та дистанційного підходів до навчання. З метою проведення дослідження були вивчені фокус-групи, проаналізований відповідний автентичний матеріал (VOTA, база даних HUDOC та база судових рішень CURIA), визначені найбільш відповідні інструменти ІКТ. Кафедра іноземних мов Національного університету «Одеська юридична академія» розробила, протестувала, та завантажила онлайн словник «gLAWssary»; організувала та записала відеокурс«LegalEnglishin Use», що розміщений на вебсторінціуніверситету. Отримані результати свідчать про те, що індивідуальні навички навчання є центральними у досягненні вказаної мети, а онлайн словник та відеокурс разом з робочим зошитом виступають потужними інструментами для сприяння постійному професійному навчанню. Результати свідчать, що ретельно розроблений курс, разом з належними інструментами ІКТ, може бути базисом для побудови компетенції володіння іноземними мовами майбутніми юристами.

Ключові слова: змішана модель навчання; інструменти ІКТ; компетентнісний підхід; іноземна мова; індивідуальне навчання; майбутні юристи.



ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ИКТ В ОБУЧЕНИИ ЯЗЫКУ И ПРАВУ ДЛЯ РАЗВИТИЯ КОММУНИКАТИВНОЙ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТИ СТУДЕНТОВ-ЮРИСТОВ

Юлинецкая Юлия Васильевна

кандидат филологических наук, доцент, заведующая кафедрой иностранных языков № 1

Национальный университет «Одесская юридическая академия», г. Одесса, Украина

Бабий Оксана Юрьевна

старший преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков № 1

Национальный университет «Одесская юридическая академия», г. Одесса, Украина

Гловюк Ирина Васильевна

доктор юридических наук, профессор, кафедра уголовно-правовых дисциплин,

Львовский государственный университет внутренних дел, г. Львов, Украина

Степаненко Андрей Сергеевич

кандидат юридических наук, доцент кафедры уголовного процесса,

Национальный университет «Одесская юридическая академия», г. Одесса, Украина

Пашковский Николай Иванович

кандидат юридических наук, научный советник, адвокат, адвокатское объединение «Barristers», г. Одесса, Украина ORCID0000-0002-9412-3727 mykola.pashkovsky@gmail. com

Аннотация. Изменения требований рынка труда предусматривают развитие навыков коммуникации на иностранном языке и использование технологий, которые способствуют постоянному профессиональному обучению. Индивидуальные умения,которые необходимы профессионалу для интеграции в международную социально-экономическую среду, уже претерпели изменения, в частности, из-за стойкого роста спроса на людей, которые умеют общаться, быть независимыми и нести ответственность за результаты обучения. Переход содержания европейского высшего образования к обучению на базе компетентностей способствует развитию указанных умений и компетенций. Более того, Национальные рамки квалификации Украины (7-ой уровень, второй (магистерский)) предусматривают использование иностранных языков в профессиональной деятельности. Исследование посвящено вопросу использования инструментов ИКТ (информационнокоммуникационных технологий) в развитии компетентностей общения на иностранном языке будущих юристов при индивидуальноом обучении. Внимание сосредоточено на смешанной модели обучения, которая является комбинацией традиционного и дистанционного подходов к обучению. С целью проведения исследования были изучены фокус-группы, проанализирован соответствующий аутентичный материал (VOTA, база данных HUDOCи база судебных решений CURIA), а также определены наиболее соответствующие инструменты ИКТ. Кафедра иностранных языков Национального университета «Одесская юридическая академия» разработала, протестировала и загрузила онлайн словарь «gLAWssary»; организовала и записала видеокурс «LegalEnglishin Use», который размещен на веб-странице университета. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о том, что индивидуальные умения обучения являются центральными в достижении указанной цели, а онлайн словарь и видеокурс вместе с рабочей тетрадью являются мощными инструментами, которые способствуют постоянному профессиональному обучению. Результаты свидетельствуют о том, что тщательно разработанный курс вместе с надлежащими инструментами ИКТ могут выступать базисом для построения компетенции владения иностранными языками будущих юристов.

Ключевые слова: модель смешанного обучения; инструменты ИКТ; компетентностный подход; иностранный язык; индивидуальное обучение; будущие юристы.



INTRODUCTION

The problem statement. Current trends in interdisciplinary projects and the continued development of technologies lead to changes in labour-market requirements and the very nature of professional activities, in the legal sphere in particular. A switch of the higher education content to the competence-based learning contributes to the development of individual characteristics necessary for a professional to integrate into the international sociocultural environment, particularly, the ability to communicate, be autonomous and responsible for the achieved learning outcomes.

The Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” provides the following definition: “competence shall mean a dynamic combination of knowledge, abilities and practical skills, thinking patterns, professional, world-conceptualizing and civic qualities, moral and ethical values that defines an individual's capability to successfully engage in professional activity and further learning and is a result of learning at a particular level of higher education (Art. 1.1.13) [1].

Consecutively, the National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine defines communicative competence as necessary and integral for all higher education levels.

In particular, 7 Level, Second cycle (Master) envisages using foreign languages in professional activities, which goes in line with the recommendations and standards of European Higher Education Area on ensuring the quality of higher education [2; 3].

The use of a foreign language in professional activities expands access to information and communication in the European environment. Today it is especially important considering the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the obligation of the Parties to the Agreement to ensure a structured process of approximation of Ukraine's legislation to that of the EU (acquis communautaire) and to effectively implement it. The mandatory implementation of the European Court of Human Rights practice as the source of law in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On implementation of decisions and application of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights" is also considered to be among the important prerequisites that encourage foreign language study by law students [4; 5].

The analysis of recent research and publications. Knowledge of English amidst modern and constantly changing world has become an essential component of any law professional. It is rather a necessary skill than an advantage, lack of which would result in uncompetitiveness in the legal labor market. The issue of the foreign language communicative training of law students at universities is becoming multidimensional and multidirectional as evidenced by the ongoing scientific research. The use of various types of training and approaches in the formation of foreign language communicative competence is considered by Celce-Murcia, T. P. Popova, S. E. Grigorenko, O. P. Ryadinska, the role of a foreign language for the development of professional communicative competence is substantiated by N. M. Tymoschuk, L. I. Dovgan, the psychological and pedagogical conditions of the formation of professional foreign language competence of law students in higher education are investigated by J. Dunlosky, Zh. V. Glotova.

According to A. Dina and S. Ciornei, there are several reasons for using technologies in language teaching. In addition to the fact that technologies modernize the educational / learning process they can be motivating and offer the possibility to work autonomously [6, pp. 248-252]. S. Зelik states that “students benefit from ICTs to regulate different aspects of their language learning experience” [7, p.112].

As the educational process corresponds to the current trends and moves towards student-oriented approach, conditions are becoming more favourable for students to steer their own course of learning. But it is vital to stimulate their autonomy, awareness, and responsibility for the achieved learning outcomes. The respective syllabus for the ESP course for law students was elaborated on the basis of topical legal issues, recommendations of legal professionals, and the students' own preferences expressed in questionnaires. We suggest that effective use of ICT tools in the ESP course through individual work (video lessons supplemented by workbook, on-line dictionary with authentic and motivating materials directly usable from the Internet (e.g the VOTA, HUDOC database, CURIA case-law database)) can promote mastering professional foreign language communicative competence.

The purpose of the article. The aim of the research is to prove the effectiveness of individual E-learning (blended learning approach) in the formation of foreign language communicative competence of law students and to introduce the pedagogical practices used at the National University “Odesa Academy of Law” (NU “OAL”) to didactically integrate the online dictionary, video content, and workbook into the ESP course, resulting in building the relevant professional foreign language communicative competence.

THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Foreign language proficiency at B2 level (CEFR) is defined by the standards of higher education in Ukraine among the learning outcomes of a successfully completed Bachelor program.

However, having analyzed the students' foreign language performance at the NU “OAL”, we found out that, in fact, law students' level of English does not meet the above- mentioned requirement.

Figure 1. Compared expected to actual CEFR levels upon successful completion of the university language study

It is necessary to determine the reasons that led to non-compliance with the required standards.

The table depicts that school-leavers' low level of foreign language proficiency is the main challenge. Most students in their first semester of university study do not demonstrate basic foreign language skills at phonetic, morphological, lexical, syntactic, and stylistic levels. Unfortunately, this can be seen as a tendency for non-linguistic higher education institutions.

The table also shows that significant difference was found between the work hours needed by a student to achieve the learning outcomes specified in the CEFR (international experience of language training) and the real work hours specified in the curriculum at the NU “OAL” under the higher education reform.

Therefore, in classroom training across 1-4 semesters of the university language study students focus on their level of general English through improving such skills as reading, listening, writing, and speaking. In their 5-8 semesters students gain their confidence, improve strategies and skills through preparation for the Common Entrance Examination on Foreign Languages for Master's Degree.

In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the higher education system. Meeting the today's requirements, institutions design the students' workload with the emphasis on individual study enhancing the teaching methods that will develop students' cognitive independence. Individual study is a key means of mastering the study material out of class. The time spent on individual study is defined by the curriculum and must be between 1/3 and 2/3 of the total amount of study time assigned for a particular discipline. The University curriculum divides the student workload according to Credit Hour System into classroom language training (about 270 hours) and individual study (about 340 hours).

Year	Faculty	1-2 sem	3-4 sem	5-6 sem	7-8 sem	Total
2010 2015		Hours of classroom training/individual study
	Administrative Law	140/-	140/-	-	-	280/-
	Civil Law	140/-	140/-	-	-	280/-
	Criminal Law	140/-	140/-	-	-	280/-
	International Law	140/-	140/-	-	-	280/-
2016	Administrative Law	74/76	94/101	30/60	90/90	288/327
	Civil Law	74/76	104/106	30/60	44/106	252/348
	Criminal Law	82/83	90/90	30/58	60/105	262/336
	International Law	82/83	68/112	44/46	90/114	284/355

Figure 2. Summary of annual workload hours in 1-8 semesters

The table represents annual foreign language workload hours as studied by students across 1-8 semesters at different faculties of the University and emphasizes that individual language study has been given more attention to since 2016. The hours planned for classroom training are devoted to developing general language skills and familiarizing students with the Master's Degree entrance examination format. Consequently, students' chances to master legal terminology, academic writing, academic reading, and professional communicative competences are open to question.

The department of foreign languages explores the ways to overcome the mentioned problems and seeks effective strategies and tools for ESP teaching and learning with the minimum workload provided for the discipline. Thus, individual study appears to be the only way for students to acquire professional foreign language communicative competences and therefore must be a carefully planned cognitive activity.

It is clear that the allocation of student individual workload at the NU “OAL” should be student-oriented rather than teacher-centered and teachers should follow up-to-date methods in their teaching practices.

Thus, the use of information technologies in a higher educational institution of law is seen as one of the effective solutions that enables students to gain foreign language communication competence. Moreover, it is confirmed by the State policy of Ukraine aimed at building the information society and consolidating the concept of "formation and development of the information society and the introduction of the latest information and communication technologies (ICT) in all spheres of life, in particular in the system of education” [8]. ECTS Users' Guide 2015 also provides that “a flexible organisation of learning, teaching and assessment activities, including flexibility in the timetable and more opportunities for independent learning is essential for accommodating different learning styles. The integration of digital technologies in higher education provision is having a significant impact on learning and teaching approaches” [9].

As such, the idea of blended learning helps find “the most effective and efficient combination of the two modes of learning (traditional and distant) for the individual learning subjects, contexts and objectives” [10, pp. 163-178]. Moreover, T. Bates states that “[...] while the proportion of online learning compared to face-to-face teaching is increasing, and will vary according to context, online learning is becoming increasingly an integral part of teaching and learning. Thus, in the future, online learning will not be a separate activity, but one component within a wide range of decisions about teaching and learning” [11].

Taking into account the above mentioned, our department has elaborated the Legal English syllabus focusing on the English language communication skills, information literacy, and professional competences. The syllabus combines traditional and distance E-learning approaches, namely is based on a blended learning model. As the use of the tools and teaching approaches should reflect the needs of students, the needs of the subject area, and the learning goals relevant to the digital age, several steps were taken.

Firstly, a questionnaire was provided for the 1-4-year students of different faculties (2160 respondents) to find out their opinion on the most suitable approaches to individual study organization.

The most essential commentaries were as follows: 1) individual study should be performed across the whole period of university study using online didactic materials prepared beforehand; 2) it should be well-planned and provide students with practical knowledge.

Thus, the aim was to design the syllabus where online learning is not a separate activity, but integrated into the overall learning process.

Secondly, the employers of the leading national law firms defined the professional context in which the syllabus is to be delivered, and determined the learners' needs in line with the requirements of professional bodies. All of the above provided a basis for specifying the aims and learning outcomes of the course.

Thirdly, the key topics for the syllabus were agreed on and the relevant study material was selected. It was significantly important because modeling of the context of the future professional activities in the content of individual study has a positive effect on the students' cognitive motivation.

While selecting authentic texts, the emphasis was placed on EUacquis, ECHR judgments available in the HUDOC database, CURIA documents as being an important source for teaching legal English and providing the possibility to master both professional and language skills.

Finally, three elements were identified as contributing to the effective ESP syllabus for law students. They are as follows:

- Online video course “Legal English in Use”;

- Workbook “Legal English for individual study”;

- Online “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary”.

Video course “Legal English in Use”

The increased use of video as a teaching tool has an influence on higher education, challenging the way we teach, learn, and communicate. It is transforming the traditional face- to-face delivery of the course content.

Figure 3. Production style used in video course “Legal English in Use ”

The appropriate production style was selected: talking head and slides with text overlay and voice over that supplements the content of the slides. The slides are clear and visually engaging, the text is properly sized for mobile device viewing.

40 mini lectures on a number of topics for the 1st-4th semesters were recorded and made available to students on the University's web-site onua.edu.ua. The content for the 1st and 2nd semesters of the university language study covers four topics aiming at introducing and practicing the “Legal profession” and “Legal education” vocabulary. The 3rd and 4th semester video lessons are more specific as they provide four units based on authentic texts from the ECHR judgments available in the HUDOC database and CURIA documents. Each video lesson has supplemental external to the course content from already existing online video fragments via YouTube. Each element of the video content is linked to reach a specific didactic goal within the course.

Video lessons content was carefully planned and segmented into manageable sections. “Delivery of content through various technological formats must fit into the human capacity for learning and the cognitive hard-wiring of the brain” [12, pp. 295-312]. Thus, we took into consideration the aspects of human cognition in learning, emphasizing that there is only so much information as a student can acquire for the specific learning goal via audio/visual channels.

When designing the video content and considering its educational effect, we wanted to ensure that each student is assisted in taking an active role while constructing the relevant language competence. Because by its nature video viewing is often passive, we activated the students' learning process in order to stimulate them to construct language knowledge from what is introduced on the screen: the lesson content is presented as audio accompanied by the essential visual text.

While introducing new legal terms in the video lessons, we consider it necessary to present up to 20 new words per lesson, depending on their difficulty and the stage of training.

Upon introduction of a new word, a student has to be able to listen, read, pronounce, and write the word both in isolation and in the context, as well as eventually define it in the speech. At the end of each lesson, there is a video fragment on the topic of the lesson presented by a native speaker.

Figure 4. Sample task from video course “Legal English in Use ”

The amount of views on the University website (more than 1000) provides sufficient evidence to support implementation of this educational format. Video lessons can be considered effective as they are connected to the learning objectives of the course and are aligned with the course content. The 500 examined students studying International Law from 2017-2018 considered using video lessons in their individual work as a time effective and enjoyable way of study. They mentioned the following benefits of learning from video: access to the content at any time, across multiple devices, the ability to pause, to interact with and review the material many times.

Currently, video lessons are being recorded for the 5th-8th semesters of university study. Undoubtedly, working on this course, the department of foreign languages closely collaborates with different law departments. It particularly concerns discussing the relevance of the vocabulary selected and the specific learning context to meet the students' learning needs.

Workbook “Legal English for individual study”

The importance of the contact between lecturer and student within a learning context should not be lost through the sometimes overwhelming promises of the benefits of technology.

Students need to be supported in learning how to learn with technology.

Workbook “Legal English for individual study” includes specific strategies to learn effectively through video.

The Workbook “Legal English for individual study” was compiled with regard to Bloom's Taxonomy which is considered to be an authentic tool for planning, instructional delivery and assessment. It provides a reliable scheme to follow while determining what visible evidence the students will produce to demonstrate their mastery of professional English in their individual study by the end of the course.

Thus, the tasks are performed in the framework of cognitive levels of complexity: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

Figure 5. Sample tasks from Workbook “Legal English for individual study”

The tasks are aimed at developing the respective competences: list the new words to remember the previously learned spelling and pronunciation; translate the sentences to demonstrate understanding of the context; produce your own sentences to apply knowledge of the new words; compare the statements to the information in the text to find evidence to support generalizations; write a summary using the new words; evaluate yourself through self-control exercises.

The Workbook is available in both printed and e-formats, thus it can be downloaded on students' mobile devices.

Accessibility of the workbook content and authentic materials organized in an appealing and logical manner allow students to see their step by step progress and contribute to their language confidence.

A higher level of the development of foreign language communicative competence suggests translation skills. Following the introduction of legal terms in the video course and a number of practices in the workbook students are encouraged to translate authentic texts (ECHR documents) working independently with the online “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary”.

Online “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary”

Innovations particularly concerned with the Internet had a great impact on modern lexicography [13]. As Rundell claimed, “a dictionary accessed on a computer or mobile device has great advantages over its analogue predecessors” [14, pp. 5-7]. Among the advantages of e-dictionaries one can emphasize unlimited capacity of database, automatized procedures of organization, possibilities of information rearrangement and verification, and use of hypertext. The user benefits include speed, flexibility, and convenience.

The need for compiling an online caselaw dictionary arises as legal terminology poses a serious problem, with regard to foreign language learners. The difficulties in choosing appropriate translation of terms are clearly evident among law students. As it was mentionedabove, translation is an integral part of the development of foreign language communicative competence, in that sense, an online learner's caselaw dictionary focused on specific practical goals may be of great help and can be considered as a tool scaffolding language learning outside of the classroom. Thus, following lexicographic research in the field of legal terminology and comparative jurisprudence, the department of foreign languages has compiled “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary”.

Figure 6. Sample online “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary”page

Terminologists and lexicographers point out that the process of terminological linguistic dictionaries compilation should include at least four stages [15, p. 75].

Consequently, at the first stage the type, reader audience and key characteristics were determined. Making authentic texts comprehensible to learners is a key object in English teaching, in ESP classes in particular. As the research revealed, the legal terminology needed for NU “OAL” students mostly lies within the materials of European Commission for Democracy through Law, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice. Thus, it was logical to use documents of these bodies as a source for compiling the dictionary.

As for the macro structure, the alphabetical, that is, formal arrangement of lexical units has been chosen. The micro structure includes an entry, the part of speech, and etymology if the lemma is of Latin origin. The examples provide actual use of lemmas in authentic documents of the mentioned above bodies.

The second stage suggested the selection of lexical units and the compilation of a dictionary consistent with the principles determined. The selection of units was based on their frequency value. However, the significance of frequency-based principle was not exaggerated. It was complemented with the words' stylistic reference, derivational ability, semantic structure approach. More than 400 documents of the above-mentioned European judicial and expert bodies were analyzed. The dictionary provides about 2,000 entries containing Ukrainian equivalents of English legal terminology and phrases.

Direct analysis and selection of the relevant translation were conducted at the third stage. The order of arrangement of meanings was empiric, that is, proceeding from the main meaning to minor ones. Finally, the Ukrainian-English index was formed.

The fourth stage was proofreading, revising, and editing the examples which are hyperlinks to the documents (Curia, Hudoc, Venice Commission).

The dictionary is actively used by students and teachers at law classes in English at the National University `Odesa Academy of Law', particularly for the courses held by the Department of Criminal Procedure, as these classes are seen as an integral part of modern educational system. The activity allows killing two birds with one stone: study of law categories and rules as well as enhancing the English language skills. However, many students encounter difficulties while studying law in English. Legal vocabulary is intrinsically vague and has plenty of complicated concepts that might be misunderstood by students and literal translation might be at least inappropriate. This is especially so when it comes to case- law analysis such as the case-law of European Court of Human Rights (`ECHR') which is an integral part in the study of the courses in `Application of ECHR case-law in criminal proceedings' and `Criminal Procedure of Ukraine'.

The teaching practice shows that the main obstacle students encounter while studying Criminal Procedure of Ukraine is virtually complete absence of any materials on the subject in English (except for a few handbooks, articles, and laws, for instance, translation of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine [16], though it is outdated), let alone a textbook on Ukrainian criminal procedure. The issue is especially acute during completion of assignments, essays particularly. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that while almost all legislature and court decisions are performed in the Ukrainian language, students have to spend a considerable amount of time on merely translating rather than apprehending the core ideas and rules that lie behind the topic in question.

Such a conclusion is also backed by the results of the survey conducted among the students. Thus, when asked `What are the main difficulties you experience in studying Criminal Procedure of Ukraine in English' the majority of students responded it was the absence of learning materials in English; lack of access to specialized dictionaries; poor knowledge of English legal vocabulary.

The situation is quite different when students begin studying the above-mentioned course in `Application of ECHR case-law in criminal proceedings', as the vast majority of ECHR judgments and decisions are rendered in English, whereas official translation in Ukrainian is available only for judgments and decisions rendered against Ukraine.

In order to deal with the issues, students were invited to use the dictionary in their preparation for the classes and during the classes as well. The main advantage of the dictionary over ordinary online-translators lies in the fact that it is a specialized English- Ukrainian and Ukrainian-English translator of legal terminology. Besides, when translating a separate word, the dictionary provides several translations with the examples of the use of such words. Those examples are interactive, which allows, if necessary, to click the example that redirects a user to the website page displaying it in an appropriate professional context.

For instance, while studying `Criminal Procedure of Ukraine' and `Application of ECHR case-law in criminal proceedings' courses we frequently come across different legal collocations such as `порушення прав'.Let us consider the translation of the phrase using the dictionary as shown in Figure 7, Figure 8, Figure 9.



Figure 7. Word translation

Figure 8. Translation with interactive examples

Figure 9.Example in the context (the source) [15].

Li Xueping claims that “dictionary work is the indispensable support in reading, since information resource from dictionaries contributes to better comprehension as a kind of comprehensible input for learners” [13]. While reading authentic documents, students check the meaning of a word mainly when it can hardly be inferred from the context. However, at first it is important to guide students, because in most cases they will scan through the beginning of the dictionary entry and choose one of the first meanings instead of examining all the senses.

The access to the source via links provides students with a useful way to better grasp the meaning of the word/phrase.

Moreover, studying the `Criminal Procedure of Ukraine' and `Application of ECtHR case-law in criminal proceedings' courses in English, students face the problem of translating specific phrases, where `подати клопотання', `розпочати кримінальне провадження', `винести ухвалу, and `проведення слідчих (розшукових) дійare among many others. The translation for all these phrases could be found in the dictionary. For example, in order to find the translation for `подати клопотання' phrase, at first one finds the translation for the word `клопотання' and at that website page the translations for different phrases using the word `клопотання'are displayed right below the examples section.

Figure 10.Phrase translation

As we indicated above, the study of the `Application of ECtHR case-law in criminal proceedings' course entails other challenges for students. Besides the huge amount of ECtHR case-law, these decisions are rich in very specific legal terminology. Given these obstacles, using the dictionary is especially effective as it provides students with the examples of using a particular word or phrase in the authentic materials.

For instance, while studying Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights there are a number of key cases that must be covered during the course, some of them are Al- Khawaja and Tahery v. the United Kingdom [18], Engel and Others v. the Netherlands [19], Ibrahim and others v. The United Kingdom [20], Idalov v. Russia [21], Murtazaliyeva v. Russia [22], Ramanauskas v. Lithuania [23], Schatschaschwili v. Germany [24], etc. These constitute only a small fraction of them. Among the mentioned above, there are no decisions translated into Ukrainian officially. As to the unofficial translations, there exist exclusively the translations of legal summaries for some of the decisions (for instance Schatschaschwili v. Germany), which does not meet the learning needs to the fullest extent.

Experience has shown that students are more eager to learn when they study materials presented in both English and Ukrainian versions.

Application of the dictionary has proven to be effective, which is supported by the results of the survey with 60 students examined. The survey covered two questions: 1) How much time allocated for preparation for `Criminal Procedure of Ukraine' and `Application of ECtHR case-law in criminal proceedings' courses did you spend on translation of unknown words without using the dictionary? and 2) How much time allocated for preparation for `Criminal Procedure of Ukraine' and `Application of ECtHR case-law in criminal proceedings' courses did you spend on translation of unknown words with the help of the dictionary? The results of the survey are presented in Diagrams 1 and 2 (Figures 11 and 12) respectively.

Figures 11 and 12. Results of the survey

It should be noted that 39 students indicated that they actively applied examples section during their preparation for the courses.

Thus, the number of students who spent 30 to 50 percent of the time on translation has decreased considerably.

The results of the survey are also backed by the results of the students' performance, which has increased by 25% after introducing the above-mentioned dictionary. Though we acknowledge that such growth may be driven by other factors, however, the experience of introducing the dictionary in the learning process by the faculty within other courses has also indicated relatively the same gain in performance among the students.

The other advantage of the dictionary is its availability on the Internet. Due to this fact, students use it both in class and at home, preparing for the classes. For instance, during the discussions on some ECHR judgments and decisions or law-enforcing practice of Ukrainian courts students can find a missing word or phrase relatively fast and without causing any delays to the learning process. The dictionary has proven its effectiveness during group work when students check assignments or write legal briefs. While performing a summary writing task, students consult the dictionary for the spelling, grammatical guidance (part of speech), set expressions, appropriateness of word use in a certain context. The tool covers the legal language needed and corresponds to the task of developing foreign language communicative competence.

Online “English-Ukrainian International Case Law dictionary” is a first attempt, it cannot be considered as being complete. The compiled dictionary has a significant potential for development by expanding the lexemic spectra of existing metaconcepts. In other words, it should be seen as a `living' document that needs to be revised and upgraded in line with the developments in the field.

Bates states that “technologies are merely tools that can be used in a variety of ways. What matters more is how technologies are applied. The same technology can be applied in different ways, even or especially in education” [25, p. 208]. Thus, it should be emphasized that integrating E-learning into the syllabus (video course, workbook, online specialized learner's dictionary) enables students to acquire foreign language communicative competence independently and actively.



CONCLUSIONS AND PROSPECTS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Today's law graduates face new requirements of the labour market which include the ability to operate new technologies, to effectively communicate in professional sphere, and to learn independently throughout life. This was reflected in the shift of education paradigm towards competence based approach. Foreign language communicative competence is seen among the vital ones to be developed as recommended by the standards of higher education in Ukraine. However, the curricula in the institutions of higher education do not provide the relevant amount of hours to build the mentioned competence while training future lawyers. Individual study through ICT tools is supposed to be an effective solution.

It is often emphasized that implementation of the technologies may be challenging, concerning, for instance, necessity for software, programming and design expertise as well as selection of the material that fits the teaching and learning interests. Therefore, when developing our ESP course we ensured that the students would access the content and view the course using available software (mobile devices); we engaged programmers to integrate legal terminology translations, examples, and links to the authentic documents into the on-line dictionary “gLAWssary”; we involved the University's production facilities to record video lessons “Legal English”. Considering the pedagogical practices and expertise, we clearly understood what material is necessary for students to master both professional and language skills. The emphasis was placed on the authentic material such as the VOTA, HUDOC database, CURIA case-law database being an important source for learning legal English.

Communicative foreign language competence developed through ICT tools defines students' capability to successfully engage in future professional activities.

As a result of students' learning they

- apply the language knowledge, practical skills, and thinking patterns to perform different tasks;

- build the communicative strategy demonstrating world-conceptualizing and civic qualities as well as ethical values;

- improve their academic performance at a particular level of their education;

- understand their own learning style (as proved by the survey and the video course views statistics), become more autonomous and responsible for their learning outcomes.

However, it would be fruitful to pursue further research and evaluate students' level of foreign language communicative competence upon their completion of eight semesters of the ESP course with ICT tools integrated through individual study.



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