I teach in a legal environment type  course which we call Introduction to
Legal Principles. All first year Commerce or Business students must take
this course and we have  a large number of overseas students for whom
English is a second or third language. For many of them the Common Law
system is something completely different. The assessment  includes a court
report and two written assignments ( one Contracts problem and one torts
problem.) For many students this proved daunting and of course it is a real
misery for both student and academic if the written work is a disaster.

For a couple of years I have been inviting students to submit drafts of
their work, and now make this subject to the protocols set out below. If
the assignments are to be learning experiences then allowing submission of
drafts is part of that learning. It encourages students to start early and
requires them to WRITE. I constantly tell students that it is almost
impossible for me to advise them on an assignment without seeing at least a
rough draft of their thoughts.

I use coloured text to highlight problem areas and usually add my own
comments in blue italics. I have found that only about 5-10% of students
will bother to submit a draft but for those who do it is a very rewarding
experience as problems and misunderstandings can be caught early. I do not
rewrite their work but I do add suggestions, corrections etc. In one case
last year we actually solved a plagiarism problem where both students
claimed to have done the work by asking them to come to my office with
their assignment notes. When I checked my records I also found that one (
who had notes) had submitted a draft three weeks earlier- problem of
authorship solved.

The protocols have been developed to save me the work of renaming or losing
files- so many of the 400 used to call their attachmnents "law" or
"Assignment" that it drove me nuts. The "once per assignment" rule is
really to try to limit the work involved.
Anne Maureen


DRAFT SUBMISSION PROTOCOLS
You are encouraged to commence work on your assignments well in advance of
the due date. You are welcome to show your tutor a draft of your work, and
the tutor will advise if you are "on the right track". If you wish you may
send a draft to the course co-ordinator, as an e-mail attachment, subject
to the following rules:
1. You MUST call the attached file by your surname e.g. scarff.doc
2. You may only send  a draft ONCE FOR EACH written assignment.
3. A final date for draft submissions will be posted on the web site.
4. Drafts received after the final date, or which do not comply with the
protocols will not be considered or returned.

Anne Maureen Scarff
Lecturer in Law
School of Economics and Finance
University of Western Sydney, Nepean
P.O. Box 10, Kingswood 2747
Australia
Phone (61) 02 9852 5630
Fax (61) 02 9852 5644
" You should never be afraid to try something new:
amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic"