ICCA Course Designer

The Council of the Inns of Court and the Inns of Court College of Advocacy

The Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) is a charity with the object of advancing education in the administration and practice of the law, by promoting high standards of advocacy and by enforcing professional standards of conduct amongst barristers. COIC advances the former through the activities of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (the ICCA) and the latter through the work of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS). The role of the ICCA now includes the initial vocational training of barristers.

The ICCA Bar Course

The ICCA course is a flexible and blended programme that utilises both online and face-to-face components with a strong focus on high standards in both parts of the course. The course is delivered by way of 2 cycles in each academic year.

The Role

The ICCA is seeking to recruit a Course Designer to work with an online learning team of experienced practitioners, academics and developers in the design and production of its online materials. The Course Designer will be a member of the Bar with experience of either criminal or civil practice or both, or an academic with significant teaching or course design experience in the field of professional legal education.

Knowledge of criminal and/or civil procedure is essential. The ICCA is keen to recruit an individual with the ability to think about how material can be delivered effectively to an online audience and how current materials can be improved. We are looking for someone with a creative mindset and enthusiasm to design high quality eLearning resources for Bar Students, Pupils and the Bar in general.

The Course Designer will work with and report to the Directors of Online Learning to ensure that materials are developed to the highest standard and with the learner’s experience at the heart of the design and development process. The Course Designer will work across the full breadth of the ICCA's Bar Course and other online courses.

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Directors of Online Learning, the Course Designer will have responsibility for:

• Developing new online learning materials to refresh the ICCA’s Part One Bar Course.
• Keeping current online materials up to date and error free.
• Answering students’ written questions in online forums.
• Advising and supporting Part One Students who are making decisions about when to take their Bar Exams.
• Providing pastoral support to online students.
• Developing and updating both the ICCA’s online Professional Ethics course and the Professional Ethics Pupillage materials.
• Supporting the Dean of the ICCA and the Directors of Online Learning in the design and development of post qualification training courses and materials.
• Undertaking such other tasks, appropriate to the role, as required by the Directors of Online Learning.

Person Specification:

The successful candidate, in addition to being a qualified barrister, will have:

• A lively interest in legal education and its development in the online sphere. N.B. previous knowledge or experience of developing online materials is NOT a pre-requisite.
• Current and thorough knowledge of Criminal and/or Civil Litigation and the rules of professional conduct. Recent experience in practice would be advantageous.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. The ability to listen and respond constructively to other team members' ideas. A willingness to be open about concerns and the ability to express disagreement appropriately.
• A high degree of competence when using MS Office, particularly MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• The ability to work alone and manage own workload, including the ability to manage deadlines effectively.
• A collaborative approach to work and a willingness to support other team members.

The Contract

COIC is seeking to appoint the Course Designer on a permanent full-time contract. There will be a six-month probationary period. A flexible working policy is available. The ICCA will consider applications for a part-time appointment where the candidate has experience of either criminal or civil practice/course design/teaching, but not both.

• Salary £61,000 per annum.
• 25 days paid holiday plus bank holidays.
• 15% Defined Pension Contribution by the employer.
• Death in Service Benefit.
• Private Health Insurance.

Location: The ICCA is currently based at 33 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1EN and will soon be relocating to 14 South Square, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5JJ.