Beyond the Prompt: Cultivating Student Engagement and Criticality in AI-Integrated Legal Education

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Abstract

The integration of advanced generative AI tools in legal practice demands a critical and urgent evaluation of our teaching methodologies. This 15-minute talk will examine the central pedagogical tension: how do we utilize AI as a powerful supplementary resource—for tasks like initial research, drafting documents, or summarizing complex case law—without allowing it to erode the fundamental student drive for active knowledge acquisition and deep critical reasoning? Crucially, we will also look at the necessary limits and boundaries for AI usage within the classroom setting and for specific assignments, clarifying when AI becomes a tool versus when it becomes a replacement for essential student work.

We will explore three practical pedagogical frameworks (Authenticity, Scaffolding, and Assessment Redesign) designed to maximize student motivation and engagement. The presentation will include specific, brief examples of how legal educators can implement these frameworks in doctrinal and skills courses, ensuring students remain the primary architects of legal analysis. The goal is to move the conversation past prohibition and toward intentional integration, safeguarding core learning outcomes while preparing future lawyers for a profession inextricably linked with technology.

About the speaker

JUDr. Mgr. Michal Urban, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of Charles University. He is specialized in legal education, didactics of law and sociology of law. He is graduated of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Education at Charles University, and he is currently the Head of the Department of Legal Skills at the Faculty of Law, a member of the Dean’s College of the Faculty of Law and the Head of the Prague Street Law Programme.

Language

English.

This is a free event. Registration is mandatory.