Traditional notions of assessment in legal education have limited our capacity to truly measure whether law students are receiving the education and training they need to enter the profession. Rather than using assessment as a sorting mechanism, assessment can and should be used as a powerful educational tool to serve a critical role in lawyer preparation and in improving legal education.
This conference demonstrated how assessment can be used for teaching, for learning, and as support for law schools and educators when developing new or innovative models.
Registration was complimentary for three faculty members from each Consortium school and for all Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers Fellows. Other participants joined the discussion on a limited basis. Contact Caitlin Anderson, Legal Assistant to Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, for details.
The conference planning committee included:
- Roberto Corrada, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
- Andrea Curcio, Georgia State University College of Law
- Alli Gerkman, Director of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers
- Mary Lynch, Albany Law School
- Michael Hunter Schwartz, University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law
- Bill Sullivan, lead author of Educating Lawyers
- David Thomson, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Conference generously sponsored by:
Gregory J. Brandes, Learning from Online Assessment:
Andrea A. Curcio, Measuring Learning Workshop:
Neil Hamilton, Assessing the “Roadmap for Employment” Experiment:
- Slides not available
Mary Lynch, Roadblocks to Assessment:
Michael Madison, Writing to Learn in Doctrinal Courses:
- Presentation - Classroom-Based Experiential Teaching: An Intellectual Property Illustration
- Copyright Law - Assignment
- Copyright Law - Memo One
- Copyright Law - Memo Two
- Copyright Law - Memo Three
- Trademark Law - Assignment
- Trademark Law - Memo One
- Trademark Law - Memo Two
Paul Maharg, Assessment Around the World:
Jeffrey Pokorak and Kathryn Linder, Vertical Assessments in the Law School Context:
- Presentation - Vertical Assessments in the Law School Context
- Assessment Paradigms
- Assessment Resources
- New ABA Standards for Accreditation
Joseph A. Rosenberg, Law School Curriculum and the Bar Exam: An Assessment Failure:
Melissa Swain and JoNel Newman, Using Student Narrative to Assess Professional Development:
- Presentation - Using Student Narrative to Assess Professional Development
- Learning Goals
- Health Rights Clinic Self-Evaluation: Fall 2013
- Health Rights Clinic Self-Evaluation: Spring 2014
- Reflection on Law Clinic Activity
Aaron N. Taylor, Making Sense of Assessment Data: Using Existing Data:
Sarah Valentine, Implementing ABA-Mandated Outcomes and Assessment: Obstacles and Opportunities:
Monica Hof Wallace and Christine Cerniglia Brown, Are Experiential Models Really Better? Qualitative Assessment for Student Learning:
- Presentation: Are Experiential Models Really Better?
- Civil Law of Persons - Syllabus: Fall 2014
- Civil Law of Persons - Assignments: Fall 2014
- Civil Law of Persons - Experiential Module 1: Client Interview
- Civil Law of Persons - Experiential Module 2: After the Client Interview, Drafting the Petition for Divorce
- Civil Law of Persons - Experiential Module 3: After Filing the Petition for Divorce, Child Custody Hearing and Child Support Worksheet A
- Assessment for Experiential Modules
Please contact Professor Wallace directly if you are interested in grading rubrics and other confidential materials from this course.
Conference Takeways
Thursday, September 18
11:00 a.m. Registration Opens
1:45 p.m. Welcome — Introduction — Updates from ETL
Alli Gerkman, Director of Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers
2:15 p.m. Show, Tell, and Learn — Round One
Multiple Presenters, Ignite Format (30 minutes, 5 presenters from Consortium schools)
Group Discussions (30 minutes) — small group tables
3:15 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Show, Tell, and Learn — Round Two
Multiple Presenters, Ignite Format (30 minutes, 5 presenters from Consortium schools)
Group Discussions (30 minutes) — small group tables
4:30 p.m. Break
4:45 p.m. Show, Tell, and Learn — Round Three
Multiple Presenters, Ignite Format (30 minutes, 5 presenters from Consortium schools)
Group Discussions (30 minutes) — small group tables
5:45 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Dinner
8:15 p.m. Adjourn
Friday, September 19
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Roadblocks to Assessment
Professor Mary Lynch, Albany Law School, Albany, NY
Using role play and breakout groups, this session will identify and address common roadblocks to assessment and propose ways to break them down.
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. Vertical Assessments in the Law School Context
Professor Jeffrey Pokorak, Vice Provost for Faculty and Curriculum, Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA
Dr. Kathryn Linder, Director of Center for Teaching and Scholarship Excellence, Suffolk University, Boston, MA
11:15 a.m. Measuring Learning Workshop
Professor Andrea A. Curcio, Georgia State University College of Law, Atlanta, GA
This session will help conference attendees identify particular course or curricular learning objectives and/or outcomes they want to measure and will explore how to design and implement assessments to determine whether students have, in fact, achieved those learning outcomes or objectives.
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Reporting Out: Measuring Learning
1:30 p.m. Assessment Around the World
Professor Paul Maharg, Australian National University College of Law, Canberra, AU
2:15 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. Making Sense of Assessment Data
Learning from Online Assessment
Professor and Executive Director Gregory J. Brandes, Concord Law School of Kaplan University, Los Angeles, CA
Using Existing Data
Professor Aaron N. Taylor, Saint Louis University School of Law, Saint Louis, MO
Director, Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE)
3:30 p.m. Breakout Groups
4:00 p.m. External Influences
The Law School Curriculum and the Bar Exam: An Assessment Failure
Professor Joseph A. Rosenberg, CUNY School of Law, Long Island City, NY
Implementing ABA-Mandated Outcomes and Assessment: Obstacles and Opportunities
Professor Sarah Valentine, CUNY School of Law, Long Island City, NY
5:00 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Adjourn
Dinner on your own
Saturday, September, 20
8:00 a.m. Breakfast Buffet
9:00 a.m. Assessment Throughout the ETL Consortium
Are Experiential Modules Really Better? Qualitative Assessment for Student Learning (15 min)
Christine Cerniglia Brown, Coordinator of Skills and Experiential Learning, Assistant Clinical Professor, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans, LA
Professor Monica Hof Wallace, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans, LA
Assessing the “Roadmap for Employment” Experiment (15 min)
Professor Neil Hamilton, University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN
Writing to Learn in Doctrinal Courses (15 min)
Professor Michael Madison, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA
Using Student Narrative to Assess Professional Development (15 min)
Melissa Swain, Associate Director and Clinical Instructor, Health Rights Clinic, University of Miami School of Law, Miami, FL
JoNel Newman, Associate Professor of Clinical Legal Education, University of Miami School of Law, Miami, FL
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. Table Topics
In a small group format, attendees will choose to explore one of the following topics with the topic presenter(s).
- The Law School Curriculum and the Bar Exam: An Assessment Failure
- Implementing ABA-Mandated Outcomes and Assessment: Obstacles and Opportunities
- Are Experiential Modules Really Better? Qualitative Assessment for Student Learning
- Assessing the “Roadmap for Employment” Experiment
- Writing to Learn in Doctrinal Courses
- Using Student Narrative to Assess Professional Development
11:15 a.m. Measuring Learning: Takeaways
Facilitated Session
12:00 p.m. Adjourn
For questions or information about the agenda or program of the conference please contact Caitlin Anderson, Legal Assistant, Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers, caitlin.anderson@du.edu or 303-871-6624.
For more information or assistance with the logistics of this conference (hotel, travel, special needs, etc.), please contact Amy Downing, IAALS Special Events Coordinator, amy.downing@du.edu or 303-871-6649.
Gregory J. Brandes
Executive Director and Professor of Law
Concord Law School of Kaplan University
Christine Cerniglia Brown
Coordinator of Skills and Experiential Learning
Assistant Clinical Professor
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Andrea A. Curcio
Professor of Law
Georgia State University College of Law
Neil Hamilton
Professor and Director, Holloran Center
University of St. Thomas School of Law
Dr. Kathryn Linder
Director, Center for Teaching and Scholarship Excellence
Suffolk University
C. Benjie Louis
Visiting Associate Clinical Professor of Law
Attorney-in-Charge, Disaster Recovery Clinic
Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law
Mary Lynch
Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Center for Excellence in Law Teaching
Director, Domestic Violence Prosecution Hybrid Clinic
Albany Law School
Michael Madison
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, Innovation Practice Institute
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Paul Maharg
Professor of Law
Australian National University College of Law
Nottingham Law School
JoNel Newman
Associate Professor of Clinical Legal Education
University of Miami School of Law
Jeffrey Pokorak
Professor of Law
Vice Provost for Faculty and Curriculum
Suffolk University
Jayesh Rathod
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Immigrant Justice Clinic
American University Washington College of Law
Joseph A. Rosenberg
Professor of Law
Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Programs
The City University of New York School of Law
Melissa Gibson Swain
Associate Director and Clinical Instructor, Health Rights Clinic
University of Miami School of Law
Aaron N. Taylor
Assistant Professor
Director, Law School Survey of Student Engagement
St. Louis University School of Law
Sarah Valentine
Professor of Law
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
The City University of New York School of Law
Monica Hof Wallace
Dean Marcel Garsaud, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
The Curtis Hotel
1405 Curtis Street
Denver, CO 80202
thecurtis.com
info@thecurtis.com
Contemporary design meets good old-fashioned fun at this unique hotel in downtown Denver. Discover a vast array of arts, entertainment, and sports venues near Curtis Denver – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Be welcomed with a warm chocolate chip cookie on arrival. Play a game of rock-paper-scissors, and then browse our Denver hotel’s library. The Five & Dime store brims with treats from the past. Each guest floor is designed to reflect a pop theme from TV to music to art or sports and beyond.
Rooms at The Curtis Hotel are now SOLD OUT for the nights of September 17, 18, and 19. If you are attending the conference and have not yet made your hotel reservation, please try The Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown or Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown – both only a few blocks away from The Curtis.
Privacy Statement
The University of Denver maintains Privacy Guidelines at http://www.du.edu/privacy and endeavors to take reasonable precautions to maintain privacy and security within the sphere of its operations.
Questions
For more information or assistance with the logistics of this conference (hotel, travel, special needs, etc.), please contact Amy Downing, IAALS Special Events Coordinator,amy.downing@du.edu or 303-871-6649.
For questions or information about the agenda or program of the conference please contact Caitlin Anderson, Legal Assistant, Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers, caitlin.anderson@du.eduor 303-871-6624.