Posted on March 14, 2008 by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez
The University of Denver, Sturm College of Law is using some of the sessions in its faculty lunch series to think about and talk about the Carnegie Report and Best Practices. I spoke at a faculty lunch on March 13 about Best Practices. I asked the organizer, Laura Rovner, in advance of the presentation about whether I should assume that faculty members were familiar with the book. She said no, it would be handed out after my presentation. I decided to focus on curricular development, assessment and professionalism. So I discussed the basic principles about developing a coherent curriculum, the basic need for students to receive formative and interim assessment based on clear articulation of learning goals and I posed the question about what professionalism education might look like at their law school.
I quickly realized that Continue reading →
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Posted on March 7, 2008 by Peter Joy
Washington and Lee University School of Law is dramatically changing its curriculum by creating a new third year curriculum devoted to professional development through simulated and real-client practice experiential learning. Influenced by the Carnegie Report, Educating Lawyers, and Best Practices for Legal Education, the new third year curriculum integrates legal theory, doctrine and the development of professional, ethical judgment necessary to the development of professional identity. This is one of the most comprehensive reforms in legal education undertaken by any law school. Continue reading →
Filed under: Best Practices & Curriculum, Best Practices & Externships, Who is Using the Best Practices Book? | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 6, 2008 by Kevin Ramakrishna
Maybe this is already well-known, but (without conceding that paper-and-pencil exams of any sort necessarily constitute useful assessment of integrated legal skills and knowledge), I thought it was a slightly encouraging example of movement on the assessment front.
I’ve learned from postings on other list-servs that both Loyola L.A. and University of St. Thomas have started to require midterms in certain sections of required first year courses (e.g., Property, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Torts). Continue reading →
Filed under: Best Practices, Outcomes & Assessment Techniques, First Year Law School Innovations | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 28, 2008 by Steven Friedland
After recently having numerous discussions with teachers and students about the value of students outlining a course, one thing is clear — the age-old practice of outling is thriving. One thing that is not as clear is the value of a practice that does not involve any teacher-student interaction. So, I thought it would be fun and interesting to ask, “What if….?” As an experiment, I have started an interactive outline on my class Blackboard site. Students can post their outlines on this Web platform — anonymously if they want — and I can post comments. This type of mutual access might allow information to flow in different directions — to the student who posted, to the prof as formative feedback, and to other students who read the posts. The site is intended to help visual students, give profs an understanding of how students are learning and permit mid-course corrections and fill-ins. Will this idea crash and burn? I will keep you posted.
Filed under: Who is Using the Best Practices Book? | 6 Comments »
Posted on February 27, 2008 by Peter Joy
The International Conference on the Future of Legal Education was held recently, Feb. 20-23, and it was the most comprehensive look to date concerning new initiatives in legal education around the world. The materials from the conference are available at http://law.gsu.edu/FutureOfLegalEducationConference/index.php, and this post will briefly mention just a few of the highlights. Continue reading →
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Posted on February 22, 2008 by Darlene
If you were uable to attend this conference, you can view the PowerPoint slides from a Presentation by Paul Maharq and Liz Li:
Here’s more about the conference:
Filed under: Teaching Methodology, Technology | Tagged: legal education best practices simulations conference | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 20, 2008 by paulmaharg
This posting is a belated answer to a question Mary Lynch posed in her comment on a posting here at http://tinyurl.com/2r7fgo. Mary was asking about examples of ‘successful “in role” learning environments/exercises which work in non-clinical, larger classroom settings’. With regard to in-role learning environments, folk might be interested in what we do with simulation on our Diploma in Legal Practice in the Glasgow Graduate School of Law. Continue reading →
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Posted on February 20, 2008 by Steven Friedland
I was asked in a comment to my last post on formative feedback, How are we going to motivate teachers to do the extra work required to give such feedback? The answer is to show how learning increases if formative feedback is a regular part of the educational process. Change often is incremental. While institutions won’t simply give credit for such feedback, grass roots changes are possible. Why not have a formative feedback day, where across America, law teachers everywhere can incorporate some form of formative feedback (even a single multiple choice question) in their classes? How about March 4th? We have to start somewhere.
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Posted on February 20, 2008 by Steven Friedland
The theme of the CALI conference this year is transforming legal education, picking up on the Best Practices theme and the Carnegie Foundation Report, Educating Lawyers. One area where the horse already has left the barn involves learning environments. In the 20th Century, the environment was entirely linear: teachers taught, students learned, students studied in the library and then returned to class to learn some more. In the 21st Century, that linearity has disappeared and a multidimensional set of environments has taken its place. Learning is not so much a function of place anymore. Students learn on the go — have laptop or Ipod, will travel. Law school should adapt to the portability of learning in the 21st Century, encouraging TWEN, CALI, laptops and Ipod learning — because while these adaptive environments may be uncomfortable for us 20th Century dinosaurs, 21st Century students learn in this fashion.
Filed under: Catalysts For Change, Teaching Methodology, Technology, Who is Using the Best Practices Book? | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 20, 2008 by nancymaurer
I just returned from an excellent conference: Externships 4 – A Bridge to Practice. This was the fourth in a series of national conferences by and for law school externship program faculty. The theme of this conference was “challenging faculty and administrators to consider the role of externships in the curriculum in light of the Carnegie Report and the general call for increased skills-based, experiential learning.” Thanks to Susan McClellan, Director, Externship Program, Seattle University School of Law and Rosanna Peterson, Director of the Externship Program at Gonzaga University School of Law for organizing and hosting this event.
I was struck by a couple of things that I thought were worth overcoming my fear of blogging to share:
- First, was the ways in which properly run externship programs provide just the opportunities to learn about, reflect upon, and practice the responsibilities of the legal profession that the Carnegie Report recommends. It is important for externship faculty to share information and join the conversation about Educating Lawyers and Best Practices for Legal Education.
- Second, was the troubling fact that some externship faculty feel marginalized, not only by the Carnegie Report which barely mentions “externships” (although it does refer to “clinics”), but by their law schools and even their own Clinics. Some faculty see themselves, the courses they teach, and programs they run as completely separate from clinical education. I always considered myself Clinical Faculty, having taught in-house clinics, as well as skills courses, and now field placements. I am interested in hearing from others. Continue reading →
Filed under: Best Practices & Externships | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 20, 2008 by michaelhunterschwartz
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – DEADLINE MAY 15, 2008
Legal Education at the Crossroads
Ideas to Accomplishments: Sharing New Ideas for an Integrated Curriculum
Friday, September 5, 5-9 p.m.
Saturday, September 6, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, September 7, 9 a.m. – noon
University of Washington School of Law, William H. Gates Hall
Seattle, Washington
The University of Washington School of Law requests proposals to participate in a working conference on transforming legal education based on the suggestions in the Carnegie Report, Sullivan, et al., Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law (2007) and supported by the recent study, Stuckey et al., Best Practices for Legal Education (2007). While we will be championing existing transformative efforts, our principal goal is to help participants develop, expand, and assess projects anywhere along the spectrum between ideas and recently-initiated innovations. Consequently, while participants in the conference will gain a sense of what law schools are already doing to implement the Carnegie and CLEA Reports, participants’ primary benefit will be the opportunity to develop their own ideas as they share and explore those ideas in facilitated groups. Continue reading →
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Posted on February 19, 2008 by Steven Friedland
Imagine taking a piano lesson with a teacher who asks questions, but gives little on-the-spot feedback. Imagine the teacher returning week after week, stating after each lesson, “I will give you feedback after our big, end of the session recital.” Imagine the recital occurring and the teacher taking notes and walking away. One month later, in the mail, you receive your feedback, a single letter grade, B.
That is the way we traditionally do feedback in legal education, including only a single summative final examination as the sole evaluation and feedback mechanism. Is it not time to formally include formative feedback measures within our educational process? Why not include in each course: 1. a single multiple choice question, once a week; 2. an “all-write” after a question, (asking all students to write out brief answers to a question posed in class), so everyone is participating and can evaluate their responses against what the teacher says; 3. a note break during class to allow all students to check with others and see if they are answering correctly; 4. posting a sample old exam question followed by a “model” answer or answers; or 5. a threaded discussion problem to allow students to apply their knowledge. Other academic fora understand the importance of formative feedback. Somehow, we in legal education need to get the message.
Filed under: Best Practices & Curriculum, Best Practices, Outcomes & Assessment Techniques | 4 Comments »
Posted on February 19, 2008 by Darlene
Theme: Transforming Legal Education
“This year’s conference is all about change – transformational change. It is time to put the divisiveness of laptops in the classroom behind us. It is time to face our fears. Fear of USNews ranks, fear of the student debt implosion, fear of technology and change itself. It’s time to consider the ideas of Carnegie and decide how technology impacts professionalism and ethics in legal education. What does transformation mean to you and your institution and does technology have a central or supporting role in accomplishing our goals?” – John Mayer
Keynote Speaker is Paul Maharq
For info on the conference: http://www2.cali.org/index.php?fuseaction=conference.home
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Posted on February 19, 2008 by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez
Rob Schwartz, my colleague and renowned health law professor at the University of Mexico has been getting medical school students and law students together for years. He has regularly organizes a Medical Legal Ethics day where students get together to discuss medical and legal problems. These fact patterns are always cutting edge and very timely. The groups of medical school educators, ethicists and law professors who facilitated these sessions always have very interesting discussions. And, we usually learn how different lawyers and doctors are on their perspective. Lawyers tend to value autonomy in trying to resolve the problems posed and doctors tended to value beneficence over patient autonomy. This exercise is always enjoyed greatly by the participants and it gives medical students and law students some insights into the other’s profession. Continue reading →
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Posted on February 15, 2008 by ssparrow
As others have noted, identifying student learning outcomes is hard work.
First, you have to identify student learning outcomes. Then you have to figure out how to measure them. Then you have to go back and revise … few of us get it “right” the first time.
Take, for example, the following direction often given on an exam: Using law, facts and policy, identify the strongest arguments for the plaintiff and defendant. This looks like basic analysis. But what do the students actually need to do?
– Identify the fundamental and relevant legal principles
– Identify the more sophisticated and nuanced legal issues
– Identify and show how the legal principles apply to facts
– Show how policy arguments support the arguments. Continue reading →
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Best Practices for Legal Education 