1. Background: Legal Education in South Africa
Legal education in South Africa often begins with a seemingly tedious exercise for first-year law students studying the Roman tradition of classifying law into various disciplines. Initially, this classification appears as a mere academic overview. However, as students advance, they realise that understanding these interconnected branches is crucial. Legal issues, especially under South Africa’s constitutional democracy, are inherently multifaceted, often spanning multiple fields, necessitating a holistic approach to legal analysis and representation. Another challenge faced in legal education is demonstrating the relevance of legal content and its constitutional impact on everyday lives. This challenge is particularly pronounced in South Africa, where the legacy of apartheid still influences perceptions of the law as biased and prejudicial.
Additionally, the advancements in recent technologies for teaching and learning such as artificial intelligence in education, virtual reality technology and educational gaming platforms have triggered the thinking: what is next for the legal education in the fourth industrial revolution?
2. Background: VR Courtroom Game
In this context, the need for an immersive, innovative and integrative approach to teaching law was realised with the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Law and JBS Innovation Lab partnership to create a virtual reality, immersive gaming experience. Through these collaborative efforts, the “VR Courtroom” game was developed.
The VR Courtroom Game is unique and presents complex legal scenarios that cut across various disciplines, which not only enables students to analyse and engage in real-life scenarios but also improves their understanding of the overlap of legal principles, thereby preparing students for practicing law. The VR Courtroom Game Project aims at making legal education enjoyable and exciting, leveraging modern day technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, underpinned by the pedagogy of educational gaming or game-based learning.
Creating the VR Courtroom Game involved extensive brainstorming to develop authentic scenarios encompassing multiple areas of law. The project required careful planning to ensure it was inclusive of students at various levels of legal knowledge and experience. The resulting immersive virtual reality experience not only thrilled participants but also highlighted the potential of VR and AI in education.
3. The VR Courtroom Game: How does it work?
The immersive nature of VR significantly enhances student engagement and retention of information. In the VR Game students can virtually explore courtrooms and participate in simulated events, applying their knowledge in a realistic, interactive environment. This experiential learning approach bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making the learning process more effective and enjoyable.
As one observer noted, “The integration of the VR game into our discipline could potentially bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making learning more effective and enjoyable for students.” Incorporating VR technology into legal education offers a transformative approach that not only enhances students’ analytical skills but also better prepares them for real-world practice. By providing a comprehensive and engaging learning experience, VR can help students develop a deeper understanding of the law’s interconnected nature and equip them to tackle complex legal issues effectively.
4. Students’ Involvement in Developing VR Courtroom
Speaking about work-integrated learning in action, theVR Courtroom was developed by Prof. Abejide Ade-Ibijola (Technical Lead) and his undergraduate students at the JBS Innovation Lab, Johannesburg Business School (JBS), University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The students involved went through this as a work-integrated learning scheme, while they studied different courses towards bachelor’s degrees at the University of Johannesburg. These students are: Sabelo Zindela (CBE), Andile Thabethe (CBE), Cebolenkosi Gumpo (CBE), Shawn van der Merwe (CBE), Jackie Musakwa (Faculty of Science), Ruan Bezuidenhout (Faculty of Science) and Jose Hyman (CBE).
They were trained in the technical skills of software development/game design, and discipline at the JBS Innovation Lab as a part of the JBS GRIT Lab training programme. This future skills development programme is a subsidiary of the pan-African effort to train African youths across several countries in grit and programming, known as the GRIT Lab Africa social project (www.gritlabafrica.org).
5. Technical Design Specification of VR Courtroom
The VR Courtroom was developed using Unity3D, a game development engine that facilitated the creation of an immersive environment and interactive elements. AI scripts were integrated to enhance character behaviour (such as way-pointing for cars on the streets and non-player characters to move around different scenes). We also utilised programming languages such as C# for scripting tasks such as the randomisation of options for different scenarios in the game, so that players can find them unpredictable, and replayable. Blender was employed for designing and animating the game characters, providing high-quality 3D models and animations.
6. Composition of Project Team
The VR Courtroom Project is directed by the overall Project Leader: Prof. Michele van Eck and supported by the Lead VR Game Developer: Prof. Abejide Ade-Ibijola (a professor of Artificial Intelligence and Applications at the JBS).
Other team members who are from the UJ’s Faculty of Law and are subject and knowledge experts are as follows: Prof Puseletso Letete, Ms Natasha Naidoo, Mr Elton Hart, Ms Felicia Zuba, Mr Louis Koen, Dr Werner Nel, Dr Yvette Joubert and Dr Whitney Rosenberg. These experts developed the storyline, content (scenarios and questions) for the game. The experts also tested and validated the game.
7. Launch: Pioneer Immersive Experience in Africa’s Legal Education
The VR Courtroom Game launches on 19 July 2024 at the University of Johannesburg as a first of its kind in South Africa, and arguably in Africa (as such application in legal education in Africa has not been seen).
Main Image: Virtual Reality Game for Legal Education
