Strengthening Curriculum Design and Evaluation for Judicial Training in Laos

Strengthening Curriculum Design and Evaluation for Judicial Training in Laos

The JuSTICE Project organised a three-day workshop on curriculum design and evaluation from 11 to 13 March 2025, bringing together about 30 participants from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor (OSPP), the People’s Supreme Court (PSC), and the Lao Bar Association (LBA). The workshop focused on curriculum design and evaluation to enhance the quality and effectiveness of judicial training.

This initiative aims to support the NIJ and its partners in modernising the one-year judicial training programme, which prepares future judges, prosecutors, and lawyers by equipping them with the legal knowledge and practical skills needed for professional practice.

Mr. Sirixay, Vice Director of the National Institute of Justice, and Dr. Perrine Simon, Lead International Technical Assistant of the JuSTICE Project | ©Photo by JuSTICE Project.

Led by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin and Dr. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc (Jenny), international curriculum experts, the workshop introduced the ADDIE framework – a model that guides the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of training programmes.

Throughout the sessions, participants explored stakeholder engagement, competency-based learning outcomes, course syllabus development, and assessment strategies. Hands-on activities focused on applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to define learning objectives, designing structured lesson plans, and developing transparent marking schemes. A significant outcome was the agreement on the need to develop key templates, including course syllabi, lesson plans, assessment rubrics, and a marking scheme to ensure consistency and objectivity in judicial training.

Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, international curriculum experts, introduced the ADDIE framework to the trainees | ©Photo by JuSTICE Project

As a next step, participants shall finalise a course syllabus template, develop some standard assessment criteria and marking rubrics to align with competency-based training. NIJ and its partners – the PSC, OSPP and LBA, will also establish a curriculum committee responsible for the evaluation mechanism in order to strengthen collaboration among judicial trainers and ensure a modernised, structured, and practice-oriented judicial training programme.

This workshop marks the beginning of a broader curriculum reform effort. Upcoming workshops will focus on curriculum implementation, piloting selected modules, and developing monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure ongoing improvements. By strengthening curriculum design and evaluation, the JuSTICE Project is reinforcing its commitment to enhancing legal education and ensuring that future judicial professionals are well-prepared to uphold the rule of law in Laos.