Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Law
Creating Lightbulb Moments: Developing Higher-Order Thinking In Family Law Classrooms Through Court Observations, Sonia Gipson Rankin
Creating Lightbulb Moments: Developing Higher-Order Thinking In Family Law Classrooms Through Court Observations, Sonia Gipson Rankin
Faculty Scholarship
This article fills a critical gap in the family law literature by arguing that teaching doctrinal family law in conjunction with the application of established learning theory and pedagogy yields a deeper engagement with the subject matter and leads to more practice-ready lawyers. ABA Standards 301, 303, and 304 do not clearly articulate the distinction between experiential education and experiential learning; doctrinal law classrooms are often bereft of experiential learning activities. By incorporating active learning and inclusive pedagogy in the doctrinal classroom and following recommendations from the MacCrate Report and Family Law Education Reform Project, students will be better prepared …
Access To Law Or Access To Lawyers? Master's Programs In The Public Educational Mission Of Law Schools, Mark Burge
Access To Law Or Access To Lawyers? Master's Programs In The Public Educational Mission Of Law Schools, Mark Burge
Faculty Scholarship
The general decline in juris doctor (“J.D.”) law school applicants and enrollment over the last decade has coincided with the rise of a new breed of law degree. Whether known as a master of jurisprudence, juris master, master of legal studies, or other names, these graduate degrees all have a target audience in common: adult professionals who neither are nor seek to become practicing attorneys. Inside legal academia and among the practicing bar, these degrees have been accompanied by expressed concerns that they detract from the traditional core public mission of law schools—educating lawyers. This Article argues that non-lawyer master’s …
Teaching And Assessing Professional Communication Skills In Law School, Denitsa R. Mavrova Heinrich
Teaching And Assessing Professional Communication Skills In Law School, Denitsa R. Mavrova Heinrich
Faculty Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Prepared For Practice? Developing A Comprehensive Assessment Plan For A Law School Professional Skills Program, Anthony Niedwiecki
Prepared For Practice? Developing A Comprehensive Assessment Plan For A Law School Professional Skills Program, Anthony Niedwiecki
Faculty Scholarship
With the challenges facing law schools because of declining enrollment and lower job placement rates, there has been an increased push for more practical training in law school. In fact, a number of law schools are now using the phrase "practice-ready" to promote the practical training provided to their students. Additionally, the new accreditation standards from the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar ("ABA Section on Legal Education") focus more on teaching students professional skills. The most significant changes to the standards require law schools to integrate learning outcomes and assessment into their curriculum, with the …
Reflective Practice In Legal Education: The Stages Of Reflection, Timothy Casey
Reflective Practice In Legal Education: The Stages Of Reflection, Timothy Casey
Faculty Scholarship
Experiential legal education programs include reflection as an explicit learning outcome. Although many teachers and students have seen the value of reflection, few have studied the process of reflection. Drawing from research in the fields of cognitive development, reflective judgment, and moral reasoning, this article presents an organizational model for teaching reflection in six stages. The Stages of Reflection model provides teachers and students with a deeper understanding of the process of reflection, and creates a pathway for the development of reflective practice.
Infusing Technology Skills Into The Law School Curriculum, Simon Canick
Infusing Technology Skills Into The Law School Curriculum, Simon Canick
Faculty Scholarship
Legal education has never considered technological proficiency to be a key outcome. Law professors may debate the merits of audiovisual teaching tools: do they work when they should?; do they facilitate learning objectives or are they just toys?; whom should they call when something breaks?; and so on. Teachers use course management sites like TWEN and Blackboard to share information and manage basic course functions. Many fear that laptops and other devices distract students in class, and some institute outright bans. Among many law teachers, technology is warily accepted, but only for the purpose of achieving traditional educational objectives.
What …
Professional Learning Communities And Collaborative Teams: Tools To Jump-Start The Learning Outcomes Assessment Process, Sharon Sandeen
Professional Learning Communities And Collaborative Teams: Tools To Jump-Start The Learning Outcomes Assessment Process, Sharon Sandeen
Faculty Scholarship
The legal community has talked for years about proposed changes to the American Bar Association's (ABA) standards for the accreditation of law schools to include some form of learning outcomes assessment (LOA).' Although it is still unclear if and when comprehensive new standards will take effect and, more importantly, when law schools will be required to fully implement LOA processes, it is never too early to help law students meet their full potential since the essential purpose of LOA is to improve student learning. Moreover, current ABA Standard 203 (Strategic Planning and Assessment) requires law schools to regularly assess their …