The aim of this course is to give students an appreciation of issues involved in administering legislative rules and to teach students ways of preventing these issues during the legislative drafting phase. The course specifically explores how technology can be used throughout the legislative lifecycle.

Students will be introduced to a methodology and technologies which emphasise the importance of precise and structured legal expression and offer many options to analyse and represent the structure of complex legal material.

Throughout the course, students will be required to learn and apply new technology to the problems at hand.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. identify, with reference to a given legislative instrument, the drafting office responsible, the drafting style used and critically evaluate the appropriateness of that drafting style to the subject matter of the instrument.
2. Identify and analyse the different types of provisions found in the Australian legislation and the purpose and context in which the provisions are used.
3. explain and analyse the role technology can play in drafting, evaluating draft legislation and administering legislation, including limitations of various approaches.
4. Create a simple legislative rulebase to automate a select piece of legislation.
5. Select and apply a range of approaches to written and oral communication, and apply the critical thinking required to bring about solutions concerning the ways in which technology could support legislative drafting and administration in the future.
6. Undertake a research project, with intellectual independence.

Required Resources

A reading guide will be made available through the course Wattle site.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Extensions late submission and penalties - https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/extensions-late-submission-and-penalties

Deferred examination: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations

Special consideration: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/special-assessment-consideration

Penalties for excess word length: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/word-length-and-excess-word-penalties

Distribution of Grades Policy: Effective from Winter Session and Second Semester 2018 (and until further notice), the interim scaling guideline applies to all courses in the LLB (Hons) and JD programs. Please see: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/grading

Further Information about the Course: is available from the course WATTLE page. Students are required to access the WATTLE site regularly throughout the course for details on weekly classes and any announcements relating to the course.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Overview and Administration. The Evolution of Legislative Drafting in Australia
2	Identifying Structure and Meaning in Australian Legislation
3	Context: the Legislative Process. Digital Advances in Drafting and Publishing Techniques
4	Administering Legislation: Introduction to Automating Legislation for Decision Support
5	Future Technologies: Machine Learning and AI
6	Creating a Legislative Rulebase: Introduction and Basic Rules
7	Creating a Legislative Rulebase: Basic Rules (continued)
8	Creating a Legislative Rulebase: Calculations
9	Creating a Legislative Rulebase: Calculations (continued)
10	Creating a Legislative Rulebase: Testing
11	Assistance with completion of Legislative Rulebase Projects
12	Re-Cap. Legislative Drafting and Tomorrow's Technology

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Research Essay	50 %	13/09/2019	14/10/2019	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Legislative Rulebase	50 %	12/11/2019	29/11/2019	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Optional Quiz	0 %	26/08/2019	26/08/2019	1,3,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Research Essay

Brief Details: Students will write a research essay on a topic in an area agreed with the course convenor. Set topics will be provided; if a student wants to do their own topic, this must be discussed and approved by the course convenor via email by the end of week 5.

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Failure to complete this task will result in a 0 for this task.

Weighting: 50%

Word limit: 2,000 words

Release: Suggested topics will be released on WATTLE by 2 August 2019.

Due date: 11:59 pm Friday 13th September 2019 via Turnitin. Late submission (without an extension) are accepted, however they are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Estimated return date: Results will be available by 14 October 2019 via Turnitin.

Assessment Criteria:

• Understanding and discussion of relevant material.
• Critical evaluation of doctrine.
• Critical evaluation of material.
• Creative and originality of approach.
• Structure including logical development of content/material.
• Research of primary legal (case law and legislation) and scholarly secondary sources.

Assessment Task 2

Legislative Rulebase

Brief Details: Students will be assessed on their ability to use the provided software to produce a working system accurately modelling a select piece of legislation. Accompanying this, students will supply a written report describing the work they have done and the overall operation of the model created. Each student must agree to the area for their rulebase with the course convenor via email by the end of Week 10.

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Failure to complete this task will result in a 0 for this task.

Weighting: 50%

Word limit: 2,500 words

Release: You may start work on this at any point, although it is best to wait until the practical training part of the course has been started in Week 7.

Due date: 5pm Tuesday 12th November, via Turnitin. Late submission (without an extension) are accepted, however they are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Estimated return date: Results will be available after the release of Results via Turnitin.

Assessment Criteria:

• Accuracy - faithfulness to the source material.
• Rule construction - ease of reading and understanding.
• Interview flow.
• Calculations and other advanced features.
• Testing.
• [Report] Description of the work.
• [Report] Overall operation of the model created.

Assessment Task 3

Optional Quiz

Details of Task: This is a non-graded and optional item of assessment. It comprises an online quiz. The quiz may be attempted more than once. Where a student enters an incorrect answer, the student automatically receives feedback on why the answer selected is not correct. The assessment is intended to give students an opportunity, mid-way through the course, to check their understanding of the subject, and to obtain some feedback.

Nature of Task: Non-graded and optional.

Weighting: 0%

Release: 12 noon 19 August 2019 (Week 5) on Wattle.

Due date: 9 pm 26 August 2019 (Week 5) on Wattle. Given the nature of this task, late submission is not accepted.

Estimated return date: The student automatically receives feedback upon submitting the answer to each question.

Assessment Criteria: N/A

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students