General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3178 |
| Course name: | Online Dispute Resolution |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | First |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Not applicable |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
| Cap on student numbers: | 30 |
1.2 Course description
This course will introduce to the students how to use information technology to facilitate the resolution of disputes between parties. Despite the prevalent impression that online dispute resolution (ODR) is simply the online equivalent of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), the course will demonstrate to the students that ODR can augment the traditional means of resolving disputes by applying innovative techniques and online technologies to the process. Although the course will focus on the technological application in those out-of-court alternative dispute resolutions, it by no means ignores the potential that all these technologies may be applied directly in the litigation system. The course will examine online negotiation, mediation, arbitration, their combinations or other alternatives. The course has both theoretical and practical value to practitioners and academics.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Yun Zhao | zhaoy@hku.hk | CCT 1014 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Understand the importance of information technology in facilitating dispute resolution.
CLO 2 Analyze online dispute resolution platforms that already exist.
CLO 3 Conduct online negotiations and mediations.
CLO 4 Identify the issues involved in online arbitration.
CLO 5 Critically examine the domain name dispute resolution mechanism.
CLO 6 Draw implications for future development of online dispute resolution.
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Class participation (moot court practice and class discussions) | TBC | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | |
| Research paper | TBC | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor(s).
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar: | 3-hour seminars in an intensive mode in September 2022 |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/