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Professor Stephen Colbran

Stephen Colbran

Professor, School of Law, Faculty of Economics Business and Law

Qualifications

BCom (Hons) (UQ), LLB (Hons) (UQ), LLM (Hons) (QUT), PhD (UQ), GradCertEd (Higher Ed) (QUT)

Contact

Email:
Fax: 02 6773 2580
Mobile: 0439 089 190

Details

Professor Stephen Colbran joined the School of Law in July 2003 and was the Head of School from 2004 to early 2007. Professor Colbran’s teaching interests include Information Technology Law, Legal Ethics, Trust Accounting and Professional Responsibility, and Civil Procedure.

Professor Colbran’s research interests include: Software development, Software licensing, Web 2.0 Teaching methodologies, Civil Procedure, The Judiciary, Information Technology Law, the use of information technology in teaching law, and applying social science research methodologies to legal issues.

Professor Colbran is the creator of the Australian Law Postgraduate Network (ALPN) www.alpn.edu.au, a major legal networking website linking academics, researchers and students.

Present Position

Professor, School of Law, University of New England

Director of Learning and Teaching Quality

Past Positions

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Acting)
Professor, Head of School of Law, University of New England

Major Grants

  1. 2011 Commercialisation Australian Point of Commercialisation Grant $213,412
  2. 2009 ALTC Special projects grant $275,000
  3. 2006 Carrick Special projects grant $250,000
  4. 2005 Carrick Leadership Grant $250,000

Professional Affiliations

  1. AUQA auditor
  2. Australian Institute of Judicial Administration
  3. Ascilite
  4. Herdsa
  5. Solicitor (Supreme Court of QLD)

Teaching: LS111, LS377

  1. Legal Ethics
  2. Trust Accounting and Professional Responsibility
  3. Information Technology Law
  4. Electronic Commerce
  5. Evidence
  6. Civil Procedure

Research Interests

  1. Civil Procedure
  2. The Judiciary
  3. Information Technology Law, the use of information technology in teaching law
  4. Applying social science research methodologies to legal issues
  5. Judicial Performance Evaluation
  6. Teaching technology

Current Research

  1. 'The role of information technology in supporting quality teaching and learning' submitted to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education for inclusion in a book entitled Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Characteristics and Trends, to be published by Springer [in press].
  2. ‘Evaluation of alternative feedback mechanisms on student engagement with assessment feedback’ submitted to ascilite 2011 [4 pages].
  3. 'Student perceptions of technology supporting quality teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia' – data collected - article in progress
  4. Quantitative Data Analysis: A Guide for Legal Researchers. This book is currently half complete [219 pages] and is to be published by Thomson Reuters.

Publications

Link to UNE's e-Publications for Stephen Colbran's publications list.

Research Report

  1. Judicial Performance Evaluation, Report for the Turkish Ministry of Justice, 2010.

Books (Sole author)

  1. Security for Costs (1993) Longman Professional [325 pages].

Books (Joint author)

  1. Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (4th ed, 2009) Butterworths with Sheryl Jackson (QUT), Peta Spender (ANU), Roger Douglas (LaTrobe), and Greg Reinhardt (Uni Melb) [1307 pages].  Stephen also acted as general editor of this project. This text is used in 15 Australian Universities as the standard Australian teaching text in civil litigation.
  2. Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (3rd ed, 2005) Butterworths with Sheryl Jackson (QUT), Peta Spender (ANU), Roger Douglas (LaTrobe), and Greg Reinhardt (Uni Melb) [1200 pages]. Stephen also acted as general editor of this project. This text is used in 14 Australian Universities as the standard Australian teaching text in civil litigation. The 4th edition has been commissioned by Butterworths for 2009.
  3. Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (2nd ed, 2002) Butterworths with Sheryl Jackson (QUT), Peta Spender (ANU), Roger Douglas (LaTrobe), and Greg Reinhardt (Uni Melb) [1200 pages]. Stephen also acted as general editor of this project.
  4. Family Court Rules 2004 Annotated Exposure Draft with Justice Barblett AO (Rtd) and Lesleigh Mayes (Registrar), December 2002, Family Court Publication [324 pages].
  5. Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (1st ed, 1999) Butterworths with Sheryl Jackson, Peta Spender (ANU), Roger Douglas (LaTrobe), and Greg Reinhardt (Uni Melb) [1080 pages]. Stephen also acted as general editor of this project.
  6. Caveats (1996) Financial Times Press with Sheryl Jackson [744 pages] .

Book Chapters

  1. 2011 'The role of information technology in supporting quality teaching and learning' submitted to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education for inclusion in a book entitled Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Characteristics and Trends, to be published by Springer [in press].
  2. Litigation Update in Annual Law Review 1991, Queensland Law Society [4 pages].

Books in progress

  1. Colbran, S., Jackson, S., Spender, P., Douglas, R. Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (5th ed, 2012) Butterworths with Sheryl Jackson (QUT), Peta Spender (ANU), Roger Douglas (LaTrobe) due for delivery on 30 March 2012.
  2. Quantitative Data Analysis: A Guide for Legal Researchers. This book is currently half complete [219 pages].

Manuals

  1. ReMarksXML Manual 2010 [80 pages]
  2. ReMarksPDF Manual 210 [302 pages]
  3. ReMarksXML Manual 2009
  4. ReMarksPDF Manual 2009

Articles (Sole author):

  1. ‘Evaluation of alternative feedback mechanisms on student engagement with assessment feedback’ submitted to ascilite 2011 [4 pages]– submitted for publication
  2. ‘Collaborative Supervision of legal doctoral theses through E-learning’ (2004) 1 University of New England Law Journal 1 [29 pages].
  3. ‘A comparative analysis of judicial performance evaluation programmes’ (Spring 2006) Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education 35-67 [32 pages].
  4. ‘Legal liability as a criterion for judicial performance evaluation’ (2003) 7 (1) The Newcastle Law Review 15-34 [20 pages].
  5. ‘Independence and integrity as a criterion for judicial performance evaluation’ (2003) 5 University of Notre dame Law Review 15-36 [22 pages].
  6. ‘The limits of Judicial Accountability: The Role of Judicial Performance Evaluation’ (2003) 6(1) Legal Ethics 55 [19 pages].
  7. ‘Management skills as a criterion for judicial performance evaluation’ (2002) University of Western Sydney Law Review 191 [18 pages].
  8. ‘Temperament as a criterion for judicial performance evaluation’ (2002) 21(1) University of Tasmania Law Review 62 [17 pages].
  9. ‘Judicial performance evaluation and settlement skills’ (2002) 11 Journal of Judicial Administration 4 [24 pages].
  10. ‘Judicial Performance Evaluation: Accountability without compliance’ (2002) 76 Australian Law Journal 235-249 [15 pages].
  11. ‘Diligence as a criterion for judicial performance evaluation’ (2002) Griffith Law Review 198 [23 pages].
  12. ‘Judicial performance evaluation, promotion and salary packaging’ (2002) 5 The Judicial Review 48 - 70 [22 pages].
  13. ‘An overview of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules’ (1999) 20 The Queensland Lawyer 85 [19 pages].
  14. ‘The Service and Execution of Process Act 1992’ (1995) 15(4) Queensland Lawyer 130 [5 Pages].
  15. ‘Security for Costs against Corporations - Section 1335 of the Corporations Law’(1993) Company and Securities Law Journal 85 [32 pages].
  16. ‘The Origin of Security for Costs’ (1993) 14 The Queensland Lawyer 44 [6 pages]’An application for Security for Costs’ (1993) 10 Australian Bar Review 11 [31pages].
  17. ‘Security for costs of arbitration proceedings’ (1993) Arbitration International 85 [10 Pages].
  18. ‘Residence out of the jurisdiction and orders for security for costs’ (1992) 15 New Zealand Universities Law Review 178 [27 pages].
  19. ‘Security for costs from nominal plaintiffs’ (1992) Civil Justice Quarterly 384 [18pages].
  20. ‘A proposal for reform of the Queensland Supreme Court Rules concerning Security for Costs’ (1992) Queensland Law Society Journal 456 [25 pages].
  21. ‘Next Friends, lunacy and the equitable rules of discovery’ (1989) Australian Bar Review 68 [10 pages].
  22. ‘Security for costs: A fettered discretion’ (1989) Australian Bar Review 102 [8 pages] ‘A series of offences of a similar nature’ (1988) Australian Bar Review 178 [16 pages].

Articles (Joint author)

  1. ‘Podcasting, Student learning and expectations’ accepted for presentation at the 2006 ASCILITE Conference [9 pages, refereed E1, 50%, with Dr Belinda Tynan].
  2. ‘Australian Law Postgraduate Network ALPN’ (2006) 16 Legal Education Review [in press, refereed C1, 80% with Dr Belinda Tynan].
  3. Multimedia teaching in Australian Law Schools (1996) Journal of law and Information Science [10 pages] with Ian Wilson.
  4. ‘Project Neleus: Multimedia Computer Based Education for Law Schools in the 1990’s’ (With Ian Wilson) (1993) 2 Journal of Law and Information Science 19 [5 pages].

Book reviews (Sole author)

  1. Review of ‘Butterworths Australian Legal Dictionary’ (1st ed, 1997) 16 Australian Bar Review 92.
  2. Review of ‘Marcus Bowles, Relearning to E-Learn: Strategies for Electronic Learning and Knowledge’ (2004) University of New England Law Journal 7.

Electronic media

  1. Multimedia client presentations for Phillips Fox Solicitors (Brisbane) 1994.

Conference papers

  1. Colbran, S. ‘e-Grading feedback methodology and practice’, Association of Law Teachers, 47th Annual Conference, Oxford, 2012. E1 refereed conference paper.
  2. Colbran, S. ‘The ethics of delinquent and guilty clients – using animation as a formative assessment tool’, Association of Law Teachers, 47th Annual Conference, Oxford, 2012. E1 refereed conference paper.
  3. Colbran, S. ‘Evaluation of alternative feedback mechanisms on student engagement with assessment feedback’. In G. Williams, N. Brown, M. Pittard, B. Cleland (Eds.) changing Demands, Changing Directions. Proceedings Ascilite Hobart 2011,  http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferneces/hobart11/procs/filename.pdf
  4. ‘Evaluation of alternative feedback mechanisms on student engagement with assessment feedback’. In G. Williams, N. Brown, M. Pittard, B. Cleland (Eds.) Changing Demands, Changing Directions. Proceedings Ascilite Hobart 2011. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferneces/hobart11/procs/filename.pdf
  5. ‘Evaluation of the usefulness of self-assessment, peer assessment and academic feedback mechanisms”, ATN Assessment Conference 2011.
  6. Garner, M., Colbran, S., ‘Online Assignment Submission, Allocation, Marking, Moderation and Return in Blackboard – A Fresh Approach’, Bb Summit 2011 Australasia.
  7. ‘Performance Evaluation in Turkey’, Performance Assessment of Judges and prosecutors Summit, Ankara, Turkey 2010.
  8. ‘Judicial Performance methodology and Data Sources’, Performance Assessment of Judges and prosecutors Summit, Ankara, Turkey 2010.
  9. ‘Court and judicial performance evaluation – Comparative examples, objective criteria and methodology’, Identifying new objective criteria for performance assessment of judges and prosecutors project, International seminar on Review of Performance Assessment Systems for Judges and prosecutors, 19/7/2010, Turkish Ministry of Justice, Kizilcahamam, Ankara, Turkey [21 pages]
  10. ‘The role of legal education in the regulatory process’, Conference of Regulatory Officers (CORO), 10/11/06, Plenary Session, Sydney [7 pages].
  11. ‘Philosophy and development of the Family Law Rules 2004’, Civil Litigation: Teaching and Research Symposium, Flinders University, 15/4/05 [31 pages].
  12. ‘Tribunals and performance criteria’, Council of Administrative Tribunals (COAT) Conference, 14/2/03 [18 pages].
  13. ‘Deeper Learning Through Formative Assessment of Multimedia Courseware’, Evaluations and Assessments Conference 2002, QUT, 14/11/02 [11 pages].
  14. ‘A Flashlight Assessment of Multimedia Courseware Designed to Improve Student-Centred Learning in Professional Responsibility for Lawyers’, Pearl Session: Effective Teaching and Learning Conference, QUT, 13/11/02 [16 pages].
  15. ‘Performance Based E-learning – Why Not a Flashlight Analysis?’, OLT.
  16. Interactions Conference, QUT, 30/10/02 [21 pages].
  17. ‘Separation of powers and the spectre of judicial performance evaluation, 20th Annual Law and Society Conference, 10/12/02, Wollongong [13 pages].
  18. ‘Queensland Magistrates’ Judicial Development Project’, 2nd Annual AIJA Magistrates’ Conference, 13-14/9/02 [17 pages].
  19. ‘The limits of judicial accountability: the role of judicial performance evaluation’ accepted for presentation at the Biennial International Institute for Public Ethics (IIPE) Conference, 4-7/10/02, Brisbane [refereed, 18 pages].
  20. ‘Evaluating Australian Judicial performance’ presented at the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Conference, 5-8/5/02, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada [20 pages - refereed].
  21. ‘Professional Development – learning from others’ presented at the Queensland Magistrates Court Conference, 18/3/02 [18 pages].
  22. ‘Towards an Australian model of Judicial Performance Evaluation’, UQ PhD Colloquium 1999 [45 pages].
  23. ‘Introduction to legislative analysis’, Queensland Society of librarians 1996 [8 pages].
  24. ‘A proposal for reform of the rules governing security for costs’, 1992, ALTA Conference: Australian Law Teachers Association. Conference (QUT Law School) Interest Group address [15 pages].
  25. ‘New Commencement and Service procedures’, Litigation Update the new Queensland Uniform Civil Procedure Rules Conference, Park Royal Hotel, 5/11/97 [20 pages].
  26. ‘Developing Interactive Multimedia Lessons’ Business Educators Association.
    19th Annual Conference, Brisbane, 26/7/97 [6 pages].
  27. Development and Presentation of a Case Study, ‘Flexibility Through Independence’ in Flexible Modes of Delivery, Technology and Academics’.
  28. Practices Symposium, Griffith University, 10/3/96 [5 pages].
  29. ‘Writs of Non-Party Discovery’, Litigation Update: The New Pleading and Summary Judgment Rules plus an update on Practice Direction No 15 of 1996, and The Choice of Law (Limitation Periods) Act 1996’ Conference, Park Royal Hotel, 8 October 1996 [15 pages].
  30. ‘Adducing evidence under the Commonwealth Evidence Act 1995’ Litigation Update: The New Evidence Act No 2 of 1995 (Cth)’, Conference, Park Royal Hotel, 4 May 1995 [12 pages].
  31. ‘An introduction to Order 35’ Litigation Update: The New Supreme Court Rules on Discovery, Interrogatories and Inspection’, Conference, Park Royal Hotel, 29/3/ 94 [21 pages].
  32. ‘School, Multimedia and the law’ Business Educators Association 17th International Conference QUT 27/9/95 with Tony Conaghan (Partner Phillips Fox Solicitors) [4 pages].
  33. Keynote address: ‘Project Neleus: Multimedia CBE for Law Schools in the 1990’s’, British and Irish Legal Education Technology Association (BILETA), 8th Annual Conference (Liverpool John Moors University) [6 pages] co-written by Ian Wilson, but presented solely by me, as Ian Wilson did not attend the conference.

Workshops

  1. Colbran, S. ‘E-Assessment workflows’ Association of Law Teachers, 47th Annual Conference, Oxford, 2012. N Workshop.
  2. Garner, M., Colbran, S., Shapland, N. 'Efficient e-assessment workflows’ Ascilite Conference 2011 (3hrs). N Workshop
  3. Garner, M., Colbran, S., Shapland, N. 'Efficient e-assessment workflows’ Ascilite Conference 2011
  4. Zhang, F., Colbran, S. 'Quality E-Assessment Workflows Workshop', ATN Assessment Conference 2011
  5. Garner, M., Colbran, S. 'ReMarksPDF - Efficient e-assessment workflows for Blackboard 9.1 and Moodle 2.1', ATN Assessment Conference 2011
  6. Nulty, D., Colbran S. 'Accountability and Transparency - applying technology to marking team moderation', ATN Assessment Conference 2011

Posters

  1. Colbran, S. ‘Calibration and consensus moderation of assessment’ Association of Law Teachers, 47th Annual Conference, Oxford, 2012, E3 Poster.
  2. Colbran, S. ‘ReMarksPDF – Advanced Electronic Assessment Feedback’. Ascilite Conference, Hobart 2011. E3 Poster
  3. Colbran, S. ‘Animation – Formative assessment of the ethics of delinquent and guilty clients’ Association of Law Teachers, 47th Annual Conference, Oxford, 2012, E3 Poster.
  4. Colbran, S., ' ReMarksPDF - A new approach to moderation involving multiple assessors', ATN Assessment Conference 2011
  5. Colbran, S., ‘ReMarksPDF – Advanced Electronic Assessment Feedback’. Ascilite Conference, 2011

Roundtables

  1. ‘Empirical Research into Courts and Judicial Officers – Roundtable’, Law and Society Conference, 10/12/02, Wollongong.

Research Interest Group Seminars

  1. ‘A programme of research in judicial performance evaluation’- a discussion of the thesis topic and related grants, 23/04/02.

Commissioned research/submissions

  1. Performance Assessment of Judges and Prosecutors Summit Report, Turkish Ministry of Justice 2011
  2. Performance Management of Judges and prosecutors in Turkey, Turkish Ministry of Justice 2011
  3. Judicial Performance methodology and Data Sources, Performance Assessment of Judges and prosecutors Summit, Ankara, Turkey 2011
  4. Judicial and Administrative Performance Assessment of Judges and Prosecutors in Turkey has been completed and submitted to the British Embassy Ankara and the Turkish Judicial Inspectorate, 2011.
  5. Judicial Performance Evaluation, Report for the Turkish Ministry of Justice, 2010.
  6. The role of information technology in supporting quality teaching and learning, Ministry of Higher Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2010
  7. Migration Institute of Australia, ‘Education and Training Options for the Migration Advice Industry’ 2003 [30 pages].
  8. Family Court of Australia Rules Working Party – member of a three person committee completely redrafting the Family Court Rules of Court.
  9. Australian Judicial Development Project: A proposal for a pilot project in Western Australia, joint submission with J Doyle CJ (SA) to the Western Australian Supreme Court.
  10. Queensland Magistrates Judicial Development Project: A proposal for a pilot judicial performance evaluation project in Queensland 10/3/02.
  11. South Australian Judicial Development Project: A proposal for a pilot project in South Australia seminar presented to Supreme and District Court Judges 12/12/01.
  12. Australian Law Reform Commission Report 89, Managing Justice - 2 - Education, Training and Accountability – submission 309 cited therein.
  13. Chairman of a Queensland State Government Committee, which developed Uniform Civil Procedure Court forms, 1998.
  14. Electronic Lodgement Rules submitted to Department of Justice Qld, 1998.
  15. Security for costs rules submitted to Department of Justice - incorporated in the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1997 (Qld).

Grants

Project leader in all of the following grants:

2011

Commercialisation Australia Skills and Knowledge Grant

$26,676

2011

Commercialisation Australian Point of Commercialisation Grant

$213,412

2010

ALTC Priority Grant – ReMarks Stage 3

$275,000

2009

ALTC Priority Grant - ReMarks Stage 2

$275,000

2007

Carrick Priority Grant - ReMarks Stage 1

$250,000

2006

LearningScape development grant (UNE)

50, 000

2006

A qualitative analysis of the impact of podcasting on law student study patterns (UNE)

$2, 801

2006

Carrick Leadership for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Program – Australian Law Postgraduate Network www.alpn.edu.au

$192,216

2004/5

Migration Institute of Australia

$7,500

2004

UNE Teaching and Learning Centre On-line LLM Project

$40, 000

2001

Australian Institute of Judicial Administration

$5,000

2000

UQ PhD grant

$2,000

1999

Australian Law Council Foundation

$6,000

1997

Department of Justice (Queensland) for a conference

$5,000

1997

Corrs Chambers Westgarth for a conference

$1,000

1996

Apill Insurance for a computer program

$500

Reviewer

  1. The Queensland Lawyer Journal and Reports
  2. University of Melbourne Law Review
  3. QUT Law Review
  4. University of New South Wales Law Journal
  5. DICTUM-Victoria Law School Journal

Memberships

  1. Legal Practitioners Admission Board NSW
  2. Former Executive member Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD)
  3. Australian I nstitute of Judicial Administration
  4. Golden Key Society International Honorary member
  5. ASCILITE
  6. Austin College Fellow (UNE)