Definition of "theory-based" []

• Based in theory rather than experiment (adjective)

WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.

• "Most law schools' offerings cover a wide range of topics, but clinical placements—often students' first chance for a taste of real law work—are usually optional and far fewer in number than theory-based courses."
• "Should law school be a professional faculty designed to produce legal technicians, or a theory-based approach designed to give students a conceptual understanding of the law?"
• "Yes, it is important to use carefully developed, well standardized, theory-based tests of intellectual development."