Becoming an Expert on Your Professors' Courses

We are now in our fourth week of classes. Professors have gone beyond introductions and have picked up the pace. When talking with my students, I find that those who have not become savvy about their individual courses and professors are much more anxious about the semester than their colleagues.

Each professor and course needs to be evaluated for information that can help the student prepare for class and approach the course with more confidence. Here are some tips for students who want to become "experts" on their professors' courses:

1. Read your syllabus again for more information about the course than you may have noticed on the first reading. The information gleaned can help you construct a framework for your learning. Your professor may not include all of these items, but many of them will likely be there:

• Does the professor indicate a particular approach or perspective that will be taken on the material?
• What are the learning outcomes or objectives for the course?
• What does the grading rubric tell you about emphases if there are multiple assignments or tests?
• What information is provided about specific assignments or tests you may have in the course so you can anticipate methods of preparation, time commitments, and expectations?
• What study aids or supplements are recommended by the professor for the course?

2. Consider your professor's classroom format carefully. Understanding how the class will unfold each time will help you prepare better for the classes.

• Does your professor format the class the same each time so that you can anticipate the coverage?: Example, starts with context from the last class, proceeds through each case separately, asks policy questions, discusses how the cases work together, asks hypotheticals.
• Does your professor have a template of questions used for each case discussion?
• Does your professor have other types of questions that are always asked? Example, policy, trends in the law, tracking justices' votes.
• Does the professor emphasize common law, restatements, codes, model rules, your own jurisdiction's law, or a combination of these?
• Does your professor emphasize notes and comments, questions at the end of cases/chapters, hypotheticals or problem sets in the casebook?
• Does your professor use Socratic Method, take volunteers, or some combination?

3. Consider your professor's teaching style carefully. Understanding the teaching style will assist you in preparing for class and using your learning styles appropriately for what you are responsible to learn outside of class.

• Does your professor preview material when you begin a new topic or summarize material at the end of topic - neither or both?
• Does your professor focus on individual cases at depth or discuss cases more broadly?
• Does your professor provide clear statements of law for you or expect you to extract them from the cases?
• Does your professor synthesize material across cases or subtopics or expect you to do so?
• Does your professor want you to understand the policies behind cases/statutes and the evolution of the law?
• Does your professor use PowerPoint slides, handouts, worksheets, visual organizers, video/audio clips, or other techniques to supplement the class?
• Is your professor willing to give feedback on your course outline or several practice questions?

You will be able to take more control over your studying as you gain greater understanding of your course and your professor's expectations. By being an expert on the professor's course, you build a framework within which to learn the material. (Amy Jarmon)