Law School Academic Support Blog

I SHOULD HAVE COME LAST SEMESTER

Two of the most important workshops offered by our Academic Success Program (ASP) are consistently poorly attended. It may be because they are programs offered later in the semester or because students fail to recognize the value of the workshops until after exams. The first workshop is the Legal Analysis Workshop which addresses how to effectively issue spot, how to organize answers to essay questions, and how to develop effective analysis. Students with graded midterms seem to take the time to attend the Legal Analysis Workshop because they want to perform well on their exams or simply want to ensure that they can make positive adjustments prior to final exams. Most students are of the impression that they have a firm grasp of what is expected on exams and know how they will perform. However, for some, this is a false sense of confidence and students who really need this information to not seek it out.

The second workshop is an Exam Preparation Workshop which is presented in collaboration with our Student Affairs Office. This workshop is presented prior to Fall break to encourage students to make adjustments during the break. The workshop addresses various exam preparation skills such as memorization, resolving challenging concepts, developing a study plan given the time constraints, and applying information to multiple choice and essay questions. Once grades are posted, I am often visited by students who inquire about why we do not offer exam preparation support or help students learn how to take law school exams. I am often perplexed because the programs are advertised using a number of outlets. Students can also meet with the ASP directors individually, with Teaching Assistants who add these components to their sessions, and/or obtain information about exam preparation posted electronically. Once I inform them about all these opportunities and how to acquire the information; they either tell me that they were not paying attention or felt overwhelmed by other aspects of law school. They often say: “I should have come earlier” which always makes me smile. We leave the past behind and work on the tasks ahead, preparing for the next set of exams. 1Ls, please seek out academic support resources at your law school as it is never too late to receive help. (Goldie Pritchard)

Are You Procrastinating?

As exams and paper deadlines approach, it is easy to procrastinate. Here are some clues that you are not using your time wisely and missing out on oomph in your studies:

• You have alphabetized your casebooks and study aids on your bookshelf, sharpened three dozen pencils, hole-punched two hundred documents for pretty color-coded binders, made 1000 tabs for your code book, and straightened the drawers of your desk - but you have not actually studied yet.
• Your apartment is spotless after you have done spring cleaning (after all you did not do it in April): scrubbed all baseboards, dusted every nook and cranny, washed all drapes and throws, polished the wood floors, shampooed the carpets, cleaned out closets, and polished the porcelain surfaces to a gleaming finish.
• You have focused on Christmas shopping (Black Friday and Cyber Monday were just a start) and scoured every store for presents for family, friends, family pets, friends' pets, neighbors, neighbors' pets, distant relatives, the mailman, the cute barista at Starbucks, etc.
• You have decided to decorate and ready your apartment for the holidays: put up your tree, hung the wreaths, strung the outdoor lights, made popcorn or construction paper chains to festoon your evergreen, baked cookies, hung stockings with care by the chimney, and wrapped endless packages in perfectly coordinated ribbons and paper.
• You paint the living room, dining room, bedrooms, and kitchen, then redo the kitchen backsplash with an intricate mosaic that takes hours to finish, replace all countertops and the sink (you always wanted one of those farmhouse models), and decide to go shopping for new stainless steel appliances for the perfect look.
• You write actual letters to every high school and college friend you every had (after all what says happy holidays like a handwritten missive), talk for hours on the telephone with every relative, review the 2000 emails in your inbox to see what might need deleting, and read every piece of junk mail that lands in your real-world mailbox.
• You set a goal to study right after you watch every episode for all seasons of Downton Abbey or become world champion on your favorite gaming indulgence whether that is Pokémon Go, solitaire, or the latest really cool video game.

Do you think I am kidding? All of these scenarios reflect procrastinating law students I have known with very little exaggeration in the details. (Amy Jarmon) 

ABA Actions on Three Law Schools

An update on University of North Texas can be found here: UNT Second Chance. An update on Valparaiso and Charlotte can be found here: ABA Actions.

Grow a Forest While Avoiding Distractions

One of my law students has told me about an app that she is using to stay focused while she is studying:  Forest App. The app is free for Android phones (of course with ads) and modestly priced for others.

The app reminds me of Pomidoro (the tomato for those of you who visualize rather than have name recognition). You can choose the number of minutes that you want to stay focused: 10 minutes up to two hours.  

If you avoid distractions for 30 minutes, your animated sapling begins growing into a tree right before your eyes. Platitudes such as "What you plant now you will harvest later" and "You are almost there" pop up at intervals. 10 - 25 minutes grows a bush.

Keep planting trees through 30-minute sessions of focusing to get a woodland, and eventually a forest. You can track your daily progress and view your woodland.

If you get distracted away from your tree, the sapling or tree dies - in fact if you tap "give up," the app will remind you that you will kill your cute little tree. Definitely a visualization of the cost of losing focus!

Like many of these apps you can cheat - walk away from task and let the timer run or go to another screen before returning to task, for example. But, as long as you care about being more productive and stay honest, it works as a good focus timer.

The press kit and some reviews of the app talk about how users can earn virtual credits/gold coins that will result in real trees being planted in deforested areas through a tie-in with WeForest. I earned 9 gold coins for a 25-minute session and 3 gold coins for 10 minutes. It apparently takes 2500 gold coins to plant a real tree

For those of us who are environmentally friendly, the real-tree incentive can help us stay on task, so the earth benefits from our study or work efforts. (Amy Jarmon)

Is Exam Study Like Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Thanksgiving is over - except maybe the leftovers. Most folks end up with a surfeit of turkey, dressing (stuffing to some of you), sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, succotash, greens, biscuits, cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, etc. Your refrigerator's stock may look different depending on your region of the country, culinary tastes, and family traditions. However, leftovers are pretty universal everywhere after the big day.

Some people love the leftovers better than the initial feast! Others groan every time they look at all of the food still waiting to be eaten. Exam study strikes many law students the same way that leftovers are viewed.

For some students, exam study is better than the semester's courses. They are into pulling it all together (yes, you can use that fancy word "synthesizing" that law professors love) and finally understanding what the semester was about. They love the accomplishment of focusing on the main concepts and applying them (finally) to practice questions. For them exam study is a delightful feast of previously unrecognizable and half-baked concepts that now are fully learned and understood. A delicious culinary delight, rather than dreary leftovers! (They do not love exams, mind you;  but they love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with their exam review.)

For other students, exam study is a dreaded rehash of an already eaten meal. They have gotten the gist of the course all semester and were fully satisfied with just that - a gist. Now they are being forced to sit down and eat the meal a second time - leftovers that they did not consume the first time: nuances in the law, precise rule statements, specific methodologies to use. They just want the leftovers gone and may try to feed the sweet potato casserole under the table to the dog (messy to say the least). In an effort to avoid the leftovers they do not like, they may go straight for dessert and focus only on the parts they have already mastered or the topics they like most. Some of these students will get up from the table so often during the review process that they never really savor the meal at all.

Both of these types of exam studiers, although different in perspective on the process, are basically cramming the Thanksgiving meal at the end of the semester. Next fall semester, they will enjoy it more if they take small bites throughout the semester, savor it day by day, digest it slowly, and proclaim its tasty merits along the way. Then they will be truly well-fed all semester and be able to eat in moderation at the big meal. They will have the ability to pick and choose from leftovers rather than overeating because they did not get enough nourishment over the semester. They will avoid the heartburn of cramming all of it down at the very end. (Amy Jarmon)  

   

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Readers,

All of us at the Law School Academic Support Blog wish you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving Day.

We are thankful for all of you who read the blog!

Best regards,

The Editor and Contributing Editors

 

Fall Break Considerations

As my students left for fall break, my advice to them was plan for a healthy balance between rest and academic productivity.  Catching up on sleep and recharging for the exam preparation period and for exams is imperative.  My students had a significant assignment due prior to fall break so this is a much-needed opportunity to reclaim some Zzz’s.  I also encouraged students to accomplish some of the heavy lifting they need to achieve prior to exams.  By heavy lifting, I do not mean taking on ambitious feats such as starting and completing outlines for every single course.  Yearly, students boast these plans but seldom, if ever, do they accomplish them.  The focus should be on smaller goals that students would not have time to otherwise accomplish while balancing classes during the semester.  Goals such as simply identifying concepts they do not understand and dissection those concepts or making a list of items to discuss with professors during office hours.  Goals such as reviewing or completing outlines for one or two courses are also effective. Quality over quantity is very important.  Doing what is best for you rather than simply mimicking what others are doing.

As an ASPer, I experience the same challenges my students face. How do I find the perfect balance between maximizing student free days and rest?  When students are away, meetings and other administrative demands seem to increase.   I also like to address a few things on my to-do list that I have neglected throughout the semester.  This year, I had an unrealistic laundry list of things to do but only managed to complete a few tasks and I have to be okay with this.  This was a unique semester which put significant demands on my time and included a number of early mornings and late night meetings.  I have neglected my family so I have to reconnect with them and unplug from work for a little bit.  This is a necessary challenge because like the students, I am a human being too and should take care of myself.  Happy Holiday Season to all and PLEASE get some rest.  (Goldie Pritchard)

Congratulations to Goldie Pritchard on a Top Ten Honor

Congratulations to Goldie Pritchard for being chosen for a Top Ten Blog Posts by Texas Bar Today for her post Hidden Duties of Aspers.

Making Wise Decisions Regarding Study for Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Wow, the semester went by fast. As you go into Thanksgiving Break and exam study mode, here are some suggestions:

 

·         Add any new material to your outlines on the last class day before Thanksgiving Break so that your master documents for exam study are ready to use during the break.

·         If you are travelling during the break, consider whether you could get some studying done while on your journey:

o   Could you listen to study aid audio CDs to review material in a course during your drive?

o   Could you read through an outline while sitting in the airport?

o   Could you work through flashcards during that layover?

o   If travelling with another law student, could you discuss class material or quiz each other?

·         Remember that each study day has three parts to it: morning (8 a.m. – noon); afternoon (1 – 5 p.m.); evening (6 – 10 p.m.). Determine which parts of the day are your optimal study times.

o   When are you most alert and productive?

o   When can you schedule study time around family activities if you are going home?

·         On the morning of your first study day during the break, read all of your outlines through once. This read-through will accomplish several things:

o   It will refresh your memory on everything you covered this semester in each course.

o   It will give you a change to identify areas that you know well, need some work on, and need a great deal of work on before the exam in the course.

·         If you will have trouble studying while out of town, consider leaving town later or coming back earlier to optimize your study time here.

·         If studying at your family’s home will not work because of distractions, consider going to the local public or college library, the business center of your family’s apartment complex, or some other place to study.

·        Take Thanksgiving Day off if you can afford to do so with your exam study. You will feel better for having a holiday. And if you are with family, they will be happier with you for joining them for the day’s festivities and traditions.

·        Finish class preparation for the last class days after the break (if that is your law school's schedule) over the Thanksgiving Break if possible to open up more study time during the last class week.

o   Then you will need to review the material to refresh your memory before you go to class each day.

o   If you are flying home, photocopy the pages you have to read rather than take all of your casebooks with you.

·         If you have papers or projects due the week you come back, try to finish a final draft by Sunday night of the break so that the remaining time can be devoted just to editing, citation checks, and printing the paper.

·         Do a final update of your outlines for new material on the last class day after the break for each course. You want to be ready to study on the first reading day and not play catch up.

 

Have safe travels and a happy holiday this week. (Amy Jarmon)

 

Reaching Students through Facebook and Twitter

This semester I decided to add Facebook and Twitter to our outreach efforts with law students to provide information about study and life skills as well as announcements. I try to write two or three Facebook posts each week that are a bit "meaty" but not too long. We always tweet a quote of the week and study tip on Twitter as well as links to the Facebook posts. I could not have tried this new marketing method without the able assistance of my Sr. Business Assistant, Emily Rapp, who takes care of all the technical aspects.

Please visit us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TexasTechLawAcademicSuccess) and Twitter ( https://twitter.com/TTULawOASP). I would welcome suggestions from those of you who have been using these tools for longer! (Amy Jarmon)

Call for Proposals for NALSAP's First Conference (June 1-3)

The NALSAP Conference Committee is now accepting program proposals! The Call for Proposals document (PDF) is available by clicking here. Because we all wear many hats, presentation proposals will be accepted on a wide variety of topics. An example is included with the Call for Proposals document.

Proposals should be submitted no later than Friday, February 3, 2017. If you have any questions, please email the Conference Committee Co-Chairs Rebekah Grodsky and Emily Scivoletto at [email protected]

Call for Proposals for ILTL Summer Conference

CALL FOR PRESENTATION PROPOSALS

Institute for Law Teaching and Learning—Summer 2017 Conference

Teaching Cultural Competency and Other Professional Skills Suggested by ABA Standard 302

July 7-8, 2017

University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law

 

ABA Standard 302 requires all law schools to establish learning outcomes in certain areas, such as knowledge of substantive and procedural law, legal analysis and reasoning, and the exercise of professional and ethical responsibilities.  While requiring outcomes in these areas, however, the ABA also has given law schools discretion under Standard 302(d) to individualize their programs by establishing learning outcomes related to “other professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession.”  These other professional skills “are determined by the law school and may include skills such as  interviewing, counseling, negotiation, fact development and analysis, trial practice, document drafting, conflict resolution, organization and management of legal work, collaboration, cultural competency and self-evaluation.”  This language encourages law schools to be innovative and to differentiate themselves by creating learning outcomes that are consistent with their own unique values and particular educational mission. 

The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning invites proposals for conference workshops addressing the many ways that law schools are establishing learning outcomes related to “other professional skills,” particularly the skills of cultural competency, conflict resolution, collaboration, self-evaluation, and other relational skills.  Which, if any, of the outcomes suggested in Standard 302(d) have law schools established for themselves, and why did they select those outcomes?  How are law professors teaching and assessing skills such as cultural competency, conflict resolution, collaboration, and self-evaluation?  Have law schools established outcomes related to professional skills other than those suggested in Standard 302(d)?  If so, what are those skills, and how are professors teaching and assessing them?

The Institute welcomes proposals for workshops on the teaching and assessment of such skills in doctrinal, clinical, externship, writing, seminar, hybrid, and interdisciplinary courses.  Workshops can address the teaching or assessment of such skills in first-year courses, upper-level courses, required courses, electives, academic support teaching, or extracurricular programs.  Workshops can present innovative teaching materials, teaching methods, course designs, assessment methods, curricular, or program designs.  Each workshop should include materials that participants can use during the workshop and also when they return to their campuses.  Presenters should model best practices in teaching methods by actively engaging the workshop participants. 

The Institute invites proposals for 60-minute workshops consistent with a broad interpretation of the conference theme.  To be considered for the conference, proposals should be one single-spaced page (maximum) and should include the following information:

• the title of the workshop;
• the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the presenter(s);
• a summary of the contents of the workshop, including its goals and methods; and
• an explanation of the interactive teaching methods the presenter(s) will use to engage the audience.

The Institute must receive proposals by February 1, 2017.  Submit proposals via email to Kelly Terry, Co-Director, Institute for Law Teaching and Learning, at [email protected].

Conference Details

Schedule of Events:

The UALR Bowen School of Law will host a welcome reception on the evening of Thursday, July 6.  The conference will consist of concurrent workshop sessions that will take place at the law school all day on Friday, July 7 and until the early afternoon on Saturday, July 8. 

Travel and Lodging:

A block of hotel rooms for conference attendees has been reserved at the Little Rock Marriot Hotel, 3 Statehouse Plaza, Little Rock, AR 72201.  The discounted rate will be available until June 5, 2017.  Reservations may be made online by using this link: Group rate for UALR School of Law Room Block July 2017.  Reservations also may be made by calling the hotel’s reservations department at 877-759-6290 and referencing the UALR Bowen School of Law/ ILTL Conference Room Block.

Fees:

The conference fee for participants is $400, which includes materials, meals during the conference (two breakfasts and two lunches), and the welcome reception on Thursday evening, July 6.  The conference fee for presenters is $300. 

For more information:

Please visit our website (http://lawteaching.org/conferences/2017/) or contact one of the ILTL Co-Directors:

Professor Kelly Terry

[email protected]; 501-324-9946

Professor Emily Grant

[email protected]; 785-670-1677

Associate Dean Sandra Simpson

[email protected]; 509-313-3809

Exam Prep Tips...from Surgeons?

Wow; do I ever get distracted...with emails...incoming snapchats....Facebook posts....and just the overall buzz of the omnipresent internet.  There is so much NOISE that takes up so much of my TIME that I seem to get so LITTLE done.  That's particularly true for me in preparing for exams because, to be honest, I am a big-time procrastinator...with a CAPITAL P!

In fact, I was just fretting about how much I had to do today (which, of course, is related to my procrastination issues) when I came across an article by Lucette Lugando describing how surgeons stay focused during organ transplants. Hum...That's what I need.  To Focus. To Stay on Task.  To Just Get Something Meaningful Done Today!   http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-surgeons-stay-focused-for-hours-1479310052  

So, here are a few thoughts that I gleaned from Lugando's article that might be especially handy as law students (and myself) begin to prepare for final exams.

1.  First, put away my cellphone.  Turn it off.  Hide it.  Ditch it.  As detailed in Lugando's article, "Transplant surgeons, whose work includes stitching minuscule blood vessels together, minimize their distractions. No one checks cellphones in the operating room during surgery."  No one checks their phones?  Really?  Are you kidding?  Of course not, at least not during surgery.  And, exam preparation requires us to do surgery, so to speak, on our study tools and on loads of practice exams.  Thus, as I create study tools or as I learn by taking practice exams, I can help myself mightily by placing my focus on my work at hand... rather than the cellphone that is so often in my hand...by removing the "cellphone temptation" out of my grasp.  Who knows?  It might even lower my anxiety to stop looking at it constantly.

2.  Second, sharpen my field of vision to the bare essentials (working on my study tools, practicing lots of exam questions, and looping the lessons learned from my practice problems back into my study tools) by creating an environment that is free of my own personal distractions...so that I focus on learning rather than the noise that is so often around me.  As Lugando points out, "The surgeons often wear loupes mounted on eye glasses to magnify their work, which limits their field of vision to a few inches."  In other words, with respect to final exam preparation, maybe I need to limit my field of vision to the "few" essentials, namely, creating study tools, testing my study tools out through practice exams, and then editing my study tools to incorporate what I learned about problem-solving through the practice exams.  Practically speaking, that means that I need to remove all the other objects of distraction within my field of vision, first, by scheduling my study tasks (and not just my study hours) and, second, by setting up a place where I will not be distracted by the environment around me.  

There's a saying, apparently by Winston Churchill, that says: "You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks."  Or, as Bruce Lee put it, "The successful warrior is the average [person] with a laser-like focus."  So, instead of having the cellphone bark at you constantly, you might just try out what surgeons do...and turn your focus into a laser for several hours a day by getting rid of distractions during your study periods as you create your study tools and practice final exam problems.  (Scott Johns).

Hidden Duties of ASPers

When I accepted a position as an academic support professional, I had an idea of what my duties and responsibilities would entail. As a law student, I was a teaching assistant and ultimately supervised teaching assistants hired through the academic support office.  I worked closely with the director of the academic support program and I saw her daily interactions with students and the various programs she developed.  I worked with her for most of my law school career and thought I knew all there was to know about academic support work.  One thing I did not realize was that your personality and the culture of the law school dictate the various duties one might undertake.  I have a student affairs background so many of the things I do are rooted in student development theory.  I try to be aware of the needs of students who are also parents and have early morning, evening, and weekend meeting options for them.  I try to recognize when it is important to have personal discussions rather than focus on the planned academic task.  I try to attend various programs put on by student groups to support my students as they take on leadership roles.  I meet with students on weekends and away from the law school building to help them regroup and begin their journey to sit for the bar exam a second time.  There are a number of other things that most don’t know I do.  I do these things because my students inspire me and I am personally invested in their success.  Others invested in me and I hope that my students believe I invest in them.  Imagine a world without teachers?

 

Meet Scott Johns, Contributing Editor

Scott Johns serves of Law as a Professor of the Practice of Law and Director of the Bar Passage Program at the University of Denver Sturm College.  Twice per year during the bar exam seasons, Scott runs a post-graduate Bar Success Program helping graduates develop the confidence and the competence to pass the bar exam.  The program’s focus is on active learning through substantive problem-solving workshops and mock bar exams to include individual feedback for numerous writing projects.  During the academic terms, Scott teaches primarily in the field of Legal Analysis Strategies with additional periodic courses on Constitutional Law Individual Rights, the First Amendment Religion Clauses, and Immigration and Asylum Law. Previous to the University of Denver, Scott got his start in academic support in Southern California teaching first at Whittier Law School as an Associate Professor and Interim Director of Academic Support and Bar Passage and then at Chapman School of Law as Director of Academic Achievement. 

Prior to academics, Scott served as a law clerk in federal court and then worked as an immigration litigator and national security attorney within the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.  Prior to law school, Scott served as a pilot and flight safety officer in both the U.S. Air Force and the airline industry.  Surprisingly, Scott’s formal pedagogical training about active learning occurred in preparation for his assignment as a military instructor pilot teaching undergraduate pilot training for aspiring Air Force aviators with coursework in educational psychology, curriculum and design. 

Outside teaching, Scott has dabbled in empirical scholarship with a recent article evaluating whether bar passage interventions were statistically beneficial and a second article examining whether the bar examiner’s claim, namely, that bar exam rates are historically down, was in fact empirically due to declines in LSAT scores.  Empirical Reflections: A Statistical Evaluation of Bar Exam Program Interventions, available at http://louisvillelawreview.org/printcontent/54/1/35/scott_johns-empirical_reflections_statistical_evaluation_bar_exam_program_interventions; Testing the Testers: The National Conference of Bar Examiner’s Claim and a Roller Coaster Bar Exam Ride, available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=284241 

Outside law school activities, Scott enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and participating in church activities with his family.

Associate Director of Bar Services Position at Duquesne

Associate Director of Bar Services

Faculty Posting Date: November 2, 2016

To Apply: apply.interfolio.com/39174

Duquesne University School of Law invites applications for the position of Associate Director of Bar Services, a hybrid academic support and bar preparation position. The successful candidate will be appointed to a 12-month, renewable, 405(c), non-tenure-track, assistant clinical professor position. The Associate Director's primary responsibilities will be to teach a section of the Law School's Bar Preparation course and to help the Director of Bar Support to prepare graduating and recent graduates to sit for the bar. As a member of the Law School Faculty, the Associate Director may be assigned other duties consistent with that role and the overall goals of the Law School and the Bar Preparation and Academic Support Programs, including, but not limited to, helping the Director of Bar Services and the Director of Academic Support to implement programming to enhance the professional development of second- and third-year students as they make curricular choices, sharpen their academic skill, and prepare to take the bar examination and helping upper-level students improve their academic and professional skills.

Catholic in its mission and ecumenical in spirit, Duquesne University values equality of opportunity as an educational institution and as an employer. We aspire to attract and sustain a diverse faculty that reflects contemporary society, serves our academic goals and enriches our campus community. We particularly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups and support dual-career couples through our charter membership in this region's HERC (http://www.hercjobs.org/oh-western-pa-wv/).

Qualifications:

Minimum requirements include a J.D. degree and admission to the practice of law, preferably within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ideal candidates will have teaching experience in bar preparation or academic services, preferably as a full-time member of a bar preparation or academic support program, or, failing that, in legal research and writing or in some other capacity that required an emphasis on analyzing and applying the law. Substantive knowledge and experience regarding Pennsylvania law and the Pennsylvania bar exam is helpful. The successful candidate must have excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work with a wide range of constituents.

Application Instructions:

Duquesne University uses Interfolio to collect all Division of Academic Affairs faculty and administrative job applications electronically. The application consists of a detailed letter of application, a current CV, and contact information for three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will close no later than March 10, 2017. Apply at http://apply.interfolio.com/39174. To learn more about Duquesne University School of Law, please visit: http://law.duq.edu/.

Duquesne University was founded in 1878 by its sponsoring religious community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Duquesne University is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. Motivated by its Catholic identity, Duquesne values equality of opportunity both as an educational institution and as an employer.

Director of Academic Support for the Part-Time Program at CUNY

The Director of Academic Support for the Part-time Program at CUNY School of Law will work with the Academic Dean, the Director of the Professional Skills Center, and the Director of Academic Support Programs in designing and implementing all aspects of the Law School's Academic Support Program. The Director will be assigned teaching duties as part of her/his regular 35-hour per week assignment.

The Director may work with first-, second-, and third-year students, primarily in the part-time evening program, as they develop the doctrinal, academic, study, and other skills they will need to succeed in law school, on the bar exam, and in practice. The Director may teach weekly skills sessions; teach academic support sections of required doctrinal courses; work with students individually or in small groups; and train and supervise teaching assistants.

The Professional Skills Center also designs and administers the Summer Law Institute and the Pre-Law Orientation Program. The Director will be involved in planning and teaching in those programs. In keeping with CUNY's integrated approach to academic support, the Director will also help develop faculty workshops on pedagogy and serve as a resource to faculty in areas of skills-based teaching and testing.

The Director may have additional responsibilities as determined in consultation with the Academic Dean and other Skills Center staff.

This job will include evening, day, and weekend duties.

For more information about the position including how to apply please click here: http://cuny.jobs/queens-ny/director-of-academic-support-part-time-program-academic-resource-center-dir/BD9BC5373E99426EA9672FDBB137FF30/job/   

Please note that you will have to create a username and password to apply for the position.

Posting - ASP Job Opportunity
Where appropriate, more than one option may be checked when responding to the below listed
questions. Checking all options, for example in regard to salary, in an effort to avoid specifying
a legitimate range is discouraged. You may provide additional textual explanations after each
item. The completed form must appear within the body of an E-mail posting about a posting,
and the completed form must be included within the text of any file attachment.
1. The position advertised:
___ a. is a tenure-track appointment.
__√_ b. may lead to successive long-term contracts of five or more years.
___ c. may lead only to successive short-term contracts of one to four years. (Full Time
Position)
___ d. has an upper-limit on the number of years a teacher may be appointed.
___ e. is part of a fellowship program for one or two years.
___ f. is a part-time appointment, or a year-to-year adjunct appointment. (One-Year
Visitorship only)
___ g. is for at will employment.
2. The professor hired:
__√_ a. will be permitted to vote on all matters at faculty meetings.
___ b. will be permitted to vote in faculty meetings on matters except those pertaining to hiring,
tenure, and promotion.
___ c. will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.
3. The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base salary in the range checked
below. (A base salary does not include stipends for coaching moot court teams, teaching other
courses, or teaching in summer school; a base salary does not include conference travel or other
professional development funds.)
___ over $120,000
___ $110,000 - $119,999
__√_ $100,000 - $109,999
__√_ $90,000 - $99,999
_√__ $80,000 - $89,999
__√_ $70,000 - $79,999
___ $60,000 - $69,999
___ $50,000 - $59,999
___ $40, 000-49,999
___ this is a part-time appointment paying less than $30,000
___ this is an adjunct appointment paying less than $10,000
4. The person hired will have the title of:
___ a. Associate Dean (including Dean of Students).
__√_ b. Director.
___ c. Professor (tenure track).
___ d. Professor (clinical tenure track or its equivalent).
___ e. Professor (neither tenure track nor clinical tenure track).
___ f. no title.
5. Job responsibilities include:
_√__ a. working with students whose predicators (LSAT and University GPA) suggest
they will struggle to excel in law school.
_√__ b. working with students who performed relatively poorly on their law school
examinations or other assessments.
_√__ c. working with diverse students.
__√_ d. managing orientation.
__√_ e. teaching ASP-related classes (case briefing, synthesis, analysis, etc.).
__√_ f. teaching bar-exam related classes.
__√_ g. working with students on an individual basis.
_√__ h. teaching other law school courses.
6. The person hired will be present in the office and work regularly during the summer months
(June – August).
__√_ a. Yes.
___ b. No.
7. The person hired is required to publish, in some form, in order to maintain employment.
___ a. Yes.
_√__ b. No.
Note: The Association of Academic Support Educators strongly recommends that this disclosure
form accompany all E-mail postings for academic support positions sent to subscribers of the
ASP listserv ([email protected]).

Assistant Dean for Academic Success Programs Position at Akron U

Assistant Dean for Academic Success Programs

The University of Akron School of Law seeks applicants for the position of Assistant Dean for Academic Success Programs (ASP). This is a 12-month salaried contract professional staff position.  The Assistant Dean for ASP will be responsible for oversight and coordination of academic success programs (working with other ASP staff and student assistants).  These responsibilities encompass programs providing support for law students throughout the law school curriculum, from pre-Orientation workshops through Bar passage, and include programs such as group workshops, online modules, one-on-one tutoring, supervising peer tutoring, and designing and supplying formative feedback for basic analytical, reasoning, study, writing, and time management skills.

Required Qualifications:

Juris Doctorate; law license; demonstrated record of successful teaching; effective verbal and written communication skills; ability to successfully supervise others.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with design and implementation of academic success programs in a law school context; ability to assist student learning in a variety of modes; ability to identify methods to enhance learning for multiple learning styles; ability to build rapport with a variety of students (including those at-risk); ability to work well with a variety of constituencies (including faculty and staff); demonstrated record of effective self-starting and follow-through; experience in organizing and coordinating multiple projects simultaneously; ability to effectively manage workload priorities. 

Interested applicants must fill out an online application and submit a cover letter, resume, and references online.  For complete details and to apply please visit: http://www.uakron.edu/jobs. Job ID# 9824.

While all candidates are required to submit their applications via this centralized system, please feel free to direct any inquiries to Assistant Dean Brian Fuller, Chair of the search committee, at [email protected]. Review of applications will begin immediately.    The University of Akron is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity and to the principles of affirmative action in accordance with state and federal laws.

Registration Open for NECASP Conference

I am pleased to announce that we are now accepting registrations for the 2016 NECASP Conference at Western New England University School of Law in Springfield, MA on Monday, December 5, 2016. 

ASP Tackles new ABA Standards: ASP's Indispensable Role  will be our focus this year.  This one day conference is open to all and is FREE!  Come learn about the various new ABA standards, implementation at the law schools and how our colleagues are using teaching strategies and guiding students' success in compliance with these standards.  

To register please email  your name, email address, and institution to Joe Brennan at [email protected].  Deadline for registration is Monday, November 21, 2016. 

We do have hotel rooms reserved for people who wish to come early and/or stay late.  Just let Joe or me know and we will forward the information to you.

Hope to see you.

Kandace

Kandace J. Kukas

Assistant Dean & Director of Bar Admission Programs

Western New England University School of Law

(o) 413-782-1751

(c) 978-210-0497

Registration Open for the LWI One-Day Workshops

Registration is now open for the LWI One Day Workshops in December! You can register for the site of your choice here. If you have any questions about registration, please contact Renee Allen.  

We look forward to seeing you – either in person or virtually – in December!

The LWI One Day Workshop Committee Co-Chairs

Renee Allen, Cindy Archer, and Meredith Stange