Law School Academic Support Blog

Giant Pumpkin Growing Lesson #5: Be Passsionate

Last Thursday (October 26) was National Pumpkin Day and today is Halloween; it seems like a fitting day to conclude my “Giant Pumpkin Growing Lesson” series.

For the first four installments (read #1, #2, #3 and #4 here), I not only detailed my experience growing a giant pumpkin, but also tried to empathize with first-year law students.  For this final post, I’d like to focus on “passion,” which I believe is an essential element to successfully transition from novice to expert. 

You have to be truly passionate about the work in order to perform at a competitive level over a sustained period of time.

During the early morning hours on October 14, I officially entered my pumpkin in the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Grower’s annual weigh off.  At 516 pounds, my pumpkin took 35^th place out of 38 eligible entries. 

 

Many of the more experienced growers were impressed with her* shape and color, but commented that she was simply “too small” to be a real contender—even in the rookie category. These other growers would then immediately follow-up their statement with a question about my plans for next year.  Although each of their questions varied slightly (e.g. “What seed will you grow next year?” “Will you be performing a new soil test?”  “Do you think you can outgrow your husband?”), implicit in every question was the notion that I would undoubtedly be growing a pumpkin again next year.  I responded to each of their questions with a straightforward answer: “I’m not going to grow another pumpkin.  This was a one-time-thing for me.”  Then, almost universally, a sense of disbelief would appear on the questioner’s face for a brief moment before a Cheshire Cat grin would settle in across their lips.  The grinning grower would respond with something like “Oh, give it a few months.  You’ll be itching to plant a seed in the spring.”

After the third or fourth time, it dawned on me that the other growers simply did not (or perhaps more accurately, could not) believe me. Because these vegetable enthusiasts love growing pumpkins so much, they are unapologetically eager to get back in the patch and try something new.  The fact that I was not as equally eager seemed too confusing for them to accept.  But for me, most days in the patch were a chore that I could manage, not a task I wanted to master. 

I suspect that both the “can do” folks and “want to do” crowd exists in the law student population as well. The question then becomes what do we, as academic support professors, do to assist the “can do” students; that is, those students who are able to achieve the minimum benchmarks of success, but are likely disinclined to challenge themselves during their three years of school. Can we motivate someone to evolve from “can do” to “want to do”?  And, is the evolution really necessary? 

With regard to the latter question first: I submit that the evolution is imperative to long term success in the legal field. Extrapolating from my own experience trying something new and challenging, I feel comfortable asserting that in order to be content and fulfilled while working long hours, you have to be truly passionate about the project.  Therefore, if a law student possesses a can-do attitude, but doesn’t actually enjoy the work, he will eventually lose interest and the quality of the work will suffer.  In law school that translates to mediocre grades, but in legal practice poor quality work may result in the loss of a client or even malpractice.  In addition to producing lesser quality work, the student will be fundamentally discontent and unfulfilled.  Perhaps this helps explain the extraordinarily high rates of depression among law students.  The difference between me—the novice pumpkin grower—and the law student is that I have the luxury of walking away after one season.  Giant pumpkin growing is just a hobby, not a career path.  On the other hand, most law students—because of financial commitments, family pressure, or a lack of personal insight—are not in a position to just walk away from law school after one year.  Even if the student finds the entire first year a laborious chore, his can-do attitude will likely convince him to return for another year.

So, if we conclude that the can-do student is likely to persist through all three years of law school, even if he finds the entire process somewhat miserable, then what can we do to help transition his mindset from can-do into one of want-to-do?  How can we make him passionate about his project?  I suspect that identifying the student’s long-term career plan and then tying law school tasks directly to his individual goal(s) may prove useful in reframing his motivation.  A more defined end goal may motivate the student to engage beyond the basics and eventually spark a real passion.  Numerous ASP articles outline the benefits of curiosity, self-directed learning, and internal motivation in achieving academic success.  My own experience echoes these scholars' findings. 

Looking forward: next time I encounter a can-do student, I plan to spend a few extra minutes trying to identify his real passion, and (hopefully) tie that passion directly to his legal studies.  In short, I hope to spark a passion for the law which should better equip and inspire the novice to transition into an expert who is excited about facing new challenges and his own potential for exponential growth.

*Like most sailing vessels, giant pumpkins are referred to using female pronouns.

Happy Halloween! (Kirsha Trychta)

Novice grower at 516 pounds on the left; expert grower at 1,337 pounds on the right. 

Outlining=A Better Understanding of the Doctrinal Materials

I mentioned last week that 1Ls are likely starting to think hard about outlining for their podium courses. With the end of October approaching, students need to focus some of their precious time on preparing for their final exams. It takes a while for some students to shift their focus. But, those students who take time to prepare for final exams may often feel more confident and less stressed come the end of the semester. And a more confident and less stressed student may be better able to focus and demonstrate to the professor what he/she knows about the doctrinal subject come December.

One way students can to start feeling more confident and less stressed is by organizing their class notes around big picture rules in an outline. Students can insert into the outline various hypotheticals that test these big picture rules. The professor in the Socratic class could have generated these hypotheticals. They could also be pulled from other sources, like law school study aids or from the casebooks’ Notes and Decisions. Or, better yet, students can try to generate the hypotheticals on their own.

An outline can take many shapes or forms. What’s important is that each student focuses on what helps him/her best understand the material. What’s also important is that students try to create their outlines on their own. It’s cliché—but, a huge part of the learning process is synthesizing all the materials that each student has available to him/her and putting it down in the outline. Working with the materials and thinking about how and why the materials fit into the doctrinal course can help solidify or create a better understanding of the material. And who doesn’t want a better understanding of the material before finals? (OJ Salinas)

How's Your Motivation?

We are at a time in the semester when students may be having motivation problems. Yet this is also the time in the semester when they need to stay motivated. Here are some tips to keep on track during the remainder of the semester when focusing on school work becomes difficult:

• Breaking large tasks into smaller tasks to make them less daunting can help motivate you to get your work done. It is easier to get motivated to read 5 pages than 30 pages or to outline one subtopic than an entire topic. On your to-do list, list 6 blocks of 5 pages rather than 30 pages together; list multiple subtopics rather than an outline topic. Cross off each smaller task as you complete it to see your progress.
• If you are having severe problems in your motivation to even get started on a small task on your to-do list, make the task even smaller. Tell yourself to read just one page or to outline just the first rule. Still problems? Then tell yourself one paragraph or one element of the rule. There is a point when you will realize it is ridiculous that you cannot complete a teeny task and thus might as well get started. Getting starting is usually the hardest part; most people can continue once they get started.
• Congratulate yourself each time you finish a task. Pat yourself on the back for your diligence. Set up a reward system: small rewards (cup of coffee, 5-minute meditation, snack) for small tasks; medium rewards (15-minute walk, short phone call with a friend, 2 short chapters in a fluff novel) for medium tasks; big rewards (a restaurant dinner, going to the cinema, an hour's play with a pet) for big tasks. Choose rewards that are meaningful for you.
• Avoid the moaners and groaners among your fellow law students. Hearing other people whine, complain, or spread doom and gloom affects your own mood. Wish your pessimistic classmate luck and walk away before you get infected with negativity.
• Find places to study away from the law school if necessary to stay motivated and positive: the main university library, other academic buildings, your apartment complex business center, the public library.
• Stop comparing yourself to others. Yes, there are a lot of bright people here in law school. But remember that you were admitted because you also are one of those bright people. Besides, you are comparing yourself to the facades that others are projecting. This point in the semester causes a lot of false bravado that may not be backed up with as many study hours, as much exam preparedness, and as much confidence in reality. 
• If you are not good at staying positive and motivated, ask a family member or friend to become Chief Encourager. Call or meet with that person for a pep talk each day. In addition, read positive scriptures, quotes, or sayings each morning and each evening to keep you motivated - maybe even post them around your apartment.
• An accountability partner may also be needed in addition to an encourager. Meet another law student at a certain time at the library. Each of you will do your own work, but having to meet gets you where you need to be to start studying. It stops you from spending another hour watching TV or playing video games at home.
• Watch out for de-motivating blood sugar drops in the afternoon. If you start to drag mid-afternoon, have a healthy snack: apple, granola bar, handful of nuts, yogurt, etc. Keep snacks in your backpack or carrel to provide a quick energy boost.
• Sunlight affects your mood. To combat the fall blahs, take a few minutes each afternoon to get outside the law building or your apartment and into the sun. Walk around the outside of the law building two times. Sit on your patio in the sun.
• Get enough sleep. Eat nutritious meals. Get some exercise. All of these lifestyle factors affect motivation. It is hard to stay focused on your studies if you are tired, hungry, wired on sugar and caffeine, or imitating a slug.

If you need help getting organized and motivated, visit with the Academic Support Professionals at your law school to get some assistance. I guarantee you that you will not be the first law student they have seen struggling with motivation. (Amy Jarmon)

The Grapevine Has Some Good Advice and Some Bad Advice

Our last day of classes is the Thursday after Thanksgiving. Students have been telling me some of the things that the law school grapevine is full of right now. There is some good advice being passed around, but it is often mixed with misguided or downright detrimental information about successful exam study and exam performance.

Good advice: Outlines are important to exam success. Outlines whittle down your mountain of briefs and class notes into the a manageable summary of the course. As you make your outlines, you process and synthesize the material for deeper understanding with the goal of using what you learn to solve new legal scenarios on your exam.

Bad advice: Wait until Thanksgiving to outline so information will be fresh. The outline information may be fresh this close to exams, but you will not have time to commit that information to long-term memory for easy, in-depth recall during exams. This problem will be especially pervasive if you are outlining multiple courses over the break. Students who wait this late to outline often tell me later that they could remember the gist of their outlines but none of the details during the exams.

Good advice: Complete any practice questions offered by your professors. These opportunities allow you to see an example of how your professor tests, to check your understanding of the course material, and to monitor your ability to apply the law to facts in a coherent manner. Most professors will review the practice question in class, provide a rubric, or distribute examples of good/mediocre/bad answers.

Bad advice: You can wait until exam period to complete many practice questions. You can never do too many practice questions. Start with somewhat easy practice questions after you have outlined a topic. Review the topic in more depth and graduate to harder practice questions. During the reading/exam periods, you will want to complete even harder questions and do some questions under timed, exam conditions. Practice, practice, practice! It may not make you perfect, but it will make you proficient.

Good advice: Make strategic decisions about how to use your materials in an open-book exam. Each professor has a specific definition of "open-book." Make sure you know the specifics so you avoid an honor violation. Once you know the definition of the allowed materials and what you are allowed to do to those materials, consider which of the following strategies could assist you during the exam: tabbing, margin notes, highlighting keywords in statutes/rules, attack outlines written into the blank pages, notes on code/rule cross-references for certain topics.

Bad advice: You do not have to study as hard for open-book exams. This advice is leftover undergraduate thinking. You will have very little time in law school exams to look anything up. Study as hard as you would for a closed-book exam. Then think strategically about how you will use your open-book materials during the exam when you do have to look something up.

Do not abandon your common sense when you hear something on the grapevine. Think through whether the advice seems sound or has flaws. If you are not sure about the advice, ask the Academic Support Professionals at your law school to help you evaluate the advice. (Amy Jarmon)

 

 

 

 

Legal Writing and Bar Prep Position at Willamette

WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW (Salem, Oregon) is currently accepting applications for the position of Instructor of Legal Research & Writing and Bar Preparation.  The position will begin in August 2018.

Full details of the position and application instructions can be found here.

Contact: Additional information regarding the position can be obtained from the search committee chairperson, Professor Keith Cunningham-Parmeter, who may be reached at [email protected] .

Please share this listing with any colleagues who might be potential candidates. Thank you!

WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY, founded in 1842, is a nationally recognized liberal arts school with graduate programs in business and law. WU has earned a national reputation for its academic standards and exemplary citizenship, values that have defined the culture of this campus for more than 160 years. Willamette University's motto, “Not unto ourselves alone are we born,” captures the essence of our distinguished university. It speaks to our commitment to community service, to the extraordinary collaboration between faculty and students, and to the tradition of service and civic engagement that is typical of our alumni.

 

Willamette University is situated in the heart of the Willamette Valley and Oregon Wine Country, Salem is Oregon’s capital city, boasting a mild climate and high quality of life. Our prime location affords us ready access to the Oregon Coast, the Cascade Mountains and a wide range of recreational opportunities. Salem’s local attractions are complemented by those of nearby urban, cultural and academic centers in Portland, Corvallis, and Eugene – all within an hour’s drive of the of our beautiful campus. ​Oregon is home to great food and wine and some of the nation’s most beautiful scenery.​ Salem is the perfect community in which to live and raise a family.

 

Willamette University Values Diversity:

Employment at Willamette University means being part of a community that values education and its impact on the world is friendly, supportive, and increasingly diverse. Believing that diversity contributes to academic excellence and to rich and rewarding communities, WU is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty, staff and student body. We seek candidates, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups, whose work furthers diversity and who bring to campus varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.

 

Job Posting Disclosure Form for the Dircon and LRWPROF-L Listservs

 1.  The position advertised may lead only to successive short-term contracts of one to four years.

After two years in the position of Instructor of Legal Writing, Instructors may apply for voting rights and a longer-term contract.  Upon approval, the candidate will receive the title of “Professor of Legal Writing,” will be granted a longer-term contract of at least three years, and can vote at faculty meetings on all matters except tenure-related hiring, tenure, promotion, dismissal, termination, and changes to personnel policies.  

 

 2.  The professor hired will not be permitted to vote in faculty meetings.  However, after two years in the position of Instructor of Legal Writing, Instructors may apply for voting rights and a longer-term contract.  Upon approval, the candidate will receive the title of “Professor of Legal Writing,” will be granted a longer-term contract of at least three years, and can vote at faculty meetings on all matters except tenure-related hiring, tenure, promotion, dismissal, termination, and changes to personnel policies.

 

3.  The school anticipates paying an annual academic year base salary in the range of $50,000 to $69,999.   Salary will be determined commensurate with qualifications and experience.

 

4.  The number of students enrolled in each semester of the courses taught by the legal research & writing professor will be:

      _x_   a.   30 or fewer

     _x_   b.   31 - 35

     _x_   c.   36 - 40

 

Typical sections of Legal Research and Writing contain 30 or fewer students.  Typical sections of Legal Analysis for the Bar contain 40 or fewer students.

 

A Decision for Now: California Supreme Court Maintains Current Bar Cut Score

Hat tip to Professor Mainero at Chapman...

In a recent new release from the California Supreme Court, the Court set out its reasons for not adjusting that state's current minimum passing bar exam score of 144 (1440 or 72 percent):  

https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/supreme-court-issues-letter-relating-to-in-re-california-bar-exam

In the release, the Court discusses the following major points.

1. The California Bar Exam has seen wide fluctuations in first-time pass rates since the state first begin using the current cut score of 144 (1440 or 72 percent) in 1987, and that more recent bar exam pass rate declines mirror bar exam pass rate declines across the nation based on published NCBE research findings.
2. The Court acknowledged that the current cut score was "not established through a standard setting study," i.e., whether the bar exam's cut score measures minimum competency, and that most if not many states similarly lack such research studies.
3. Thus, using July 2016 answers and scores with a panel of court-appointed subject matter experts, an independent psychometrician largely concluded that the a score of 139 (1390) [69.5%] was the baseline value for measuring minimum competency (though the study was questioned by two independent researchers and by many in the legal education community).
4. Based on largely on the lack of data, the Court at this point in time is not convinced that the cut score needs adjustment based on either the independent psychometrician's research nor based on the numerous amicus letters the Court received.
5. The Court will revisit the issue based on any "appropriate recommendation."

For those of us in the ASP community, we were hopeful.  But, even though at least for now the Court did not amend the cut score, perhaps there is still a glimmer of sun shining through this news release right into our domain of expertise.  

That's because the Court then goes on to "encourage[]  the State Bar and all California law schools to work cooperatively together and with others in examining (1) whether student metrics, law school curricula and teaching techniques, and other factors might account for the recent decline in bar exam pass rates; (2) how such data might inform efforts to improve academic instruction for the benefit of law students preparing for licensure and practice; and (3) whether and to what extent changes implemented for the first time during administration of the July 2017 exam — that is, adoption of a two-day exam and equal weighting of the written and multiple choice portions of the exam — might bear on possible adjustment of the pass score. 

Speaking plainly, the Court is reaching out to each of us in the field to provide the evidence as to what have actually been the factors in the most recent declines in bar pass rates (and how to improve legal education and the licensure exam).  At least based on our own research study, it's not due to LSAT declines.  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2842415.  That's because we have seen dramatic swings in bar passage rates with very little fluctuation in LSAT scores at the 25 percentile and the mean.  In other words, it seems like LSAT scores have, at least in our case, played very little (to no) role.  If not LSAT, then what?

Well, here's a possible list of some of the factors:

1. Increases in student debt loads.
2. Increases in the numbers of bar takers studying largely or solely through online bar review learning platforms despite years of experience primarily as classroom learners.
3. Changes in the bar exam subjects matter scope or format.
4. Changes in the way(s) that we teach students to learn (and perhaps changes in the way students learn).

That's just a few possible other factors.  But, without evidence, at this point in time the California Supreme Court will not adjust its bar exam cut score.  

So, the time is ripe (or, to use a bit of contrast law terminology, "time is of the essence") in providing the Court, legal educators, the bar, and the public with what might be the appropriate cut score to measure minimum competency and whether the bar exam itself is actually up to the task.  So, make your voice known today; share your thoughts and inspirations.  Put it down perhaps in a draft SSRN article or essay or your own blog.  But, make a record of what you know because what you know might make a real difference down the line in empowering people to succeed on the bar exam and as professional attorneys too!  Simply put, there's no time to waste.  (Scott Johns)

 

Thank You for Helping My Daughter

On an average day in my office critiquing a student’s essay, the phone rang and I picked it up saying hello. The caller identified himself but I was unsure about who he was. I asked him to kindly repeat the name. He repeated his name and qualified it by saying I am the parent of law student XYZ. I then immediately recognized who the person on the other end of the phone was. I had met this parent and his daughter prior to the start of the semester. At that time, we had an interesting conversation and he asked me to “look out” for his daughter as she began her law school journey. Once I recalled the earlier conversation, we proceeded to have a fruitful phone conversation during which the parent highlighted information from recent conversations with his daughter. He said that his daughter mentioned that I was very helpful to her, the various programs offered by my office were of great assistance and significantly contributed to her smooth transition to law school. The parent further indicated that the phone call was to thank me for all I had done thus far for his daughter. I was shocked and equally touched probably because I have never before had such a conversation with the parent of a student other than at graduation when the law school journey is over. This very brief conversation with the parent reconfirmed a fundamental reason for enjoying what I get to do.

I have heard the many conversations about undergraduate “helicopter parents” and how they are progressively becoming graduate and professional school “helicopter parents” but as an academic support professional, I have not yet fully experienced this phenomenon. Moreover, I would not characterize my interaction with this parent as “helicopter parent” in nature. I do not see how a parent’s expression of gratitude is comparable to a parent who might have excessive and overprotective interest in their child’s life. If I were interacting with a helicopter parent, I would expect to receive regular phone calls or email messages and would be peppered with questions, suggestions, and expectations.

We do not always reflect on the impact we have on the students we interact with. I must admit that I do get into the groove of the semester and perform certain tasks on autopilot as I manage each and every task, situation, or challenge. I may be on autopilot but I am well aware of the unique needs of individual students. I must admit that I can be quite demanding of certain students, especially when I see their potential and communicate it to them, as some students require a more tactful approach and a few more words of encouragement. How I engage with students may vary based on what I know about the student, what motivates them, what keeps them going, and what they need to be redirected and/or re-energized. Appreciation, recognition, and gratitude are all motivating factors that are of immense value to students we interact with. (Goldie Pritchard)

Tracking Bar Exam Passage

The ABA should implement a national database for tracking bar examination results. 

Bar passage reporting, in its current iteration, is (a) inconsistent across agencies due to a lack of common vocabulary; (b) increasingly time consuming for law schools to complete, especially when tasked with tracking graduates for several years; and (c) largely dependent upon state courts' willingness to share information.  A unified, national database would alleviate many of these issues. 

A. Adopt the ABA's definition of first-time takers.  

Is this the first time that you’ve sat for the bar exam? Seems like an easy question with a straightforward answer … but not so fast. The correct answer all depends on who is asking the question.

The American Bar Association says that you are a first-time taker if this is the very first time you are taking any bar exam in any jurisdiction.  The ABA's common sense definition gives bar exam takers just one shot (feel free to hum Hamilton lyrics now) at being a "first-time taker."  

Meanwhile, the National Conference of Bar Examiners defines first-time takers as “examinees taking the bar examination for the first time in the reporting jurisdiction.”  The NCBE’s (arguably illogical) definition allows me—a professor who prepares law school students to sit for the bar exam—to be counted as a first-time taker at least 48 more times, if I am so inclined. Incidentally, the U.S. News & World Report follows the NCBE’s definition when computing a school’s national rankings.

On the other hand, other accrediting bodies (such as a state's Higher Education Policy Commission) make no meaningful distinction between first-time takers and repeat takers when calculating institutional pass rates on professional licensing exams, resulting in a third, different pass rate statistic for the same school.

The two primary definitions of “first time taker” employed by the ABA and NCBE are further complicated by examinees who sit for the bar exam in one UBE jurisdictions and then seek to transfer their score to another UBE jurisdiction with a different cut score.  The lack of a common vocabulary defining "takers" and "passers" is just the tip of the reporting iceberg, however. 

B. Adopt an academic calendar based reporting period of reasonable duration.

Agencies also cannot agree on how long law schools should be tracking their graduates.  Most agencies require law school's to report bar passage based on a calendar year (e.g. February 2017 and July 2017), not an academic year.  The calendar year model frequently has the effect of blending two distinct graduating classes into one report, e.g. the Class of 2016 and the Class of 2017, respectively, in my earlier example.  Reporting difficulties are poised to become even more complex if law schools are tasked with tracking their graduates for up to 24 months after graduation, as has been proposed by the ABA.

C. Require state courts to release comprehensive examination results.

The ability of a law school to produce an accurate bar passage report can be substantially impacted by the manner in which their home and neighboring jurisdictions elect to release its results.  Currently, there is no acceptable template or formula across the more than 50 U.S. jurisdictions.  Some jurisdictions release the names of those who passed the exam on a publically viewable website, while others only list anonymous seat numbers.  Some states will voluntarily mail a law school a results notification, while others require that the law school affirmatively request the results for individual applicants each time they sit for an exam (which presupposes that a law school is aware that one of its applicants sat in that jurisdiction at that time.)

D. Establish a national database that implements the ABA's definition of first-time taker, employs an academic calendar reporting model, and serves as a single repository for every state courts' examination results.

With both accreditation and national rankings at stake for law schools, a unified and comprehensive bar passage reporting system is imperative. The Conference of Chief Justices recognized the need for collaboration across the various agencies ten years ago when it passed a resolution urging the Law School Admissions Council, the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to establish a national system for tracking bar examination test results. Then five years later, the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar passed a virtually identical resolution. Yet, despite apparent support from at least two of the key stakeholders (namely the ABA and the state courts), no national database exists. The various agencies cannot even reach a consensus on who constitutes a “first time taker." 

A national database should no longer just be an aspirational goal. Rather the database needs to be created, and fast—especially in light of the growing popularity of the UBE and proposed changes to bar passage reporting requirements. A national database housing bar passage data for all law school graduates would alleviate a substantial administrative burden on every law school. For example, each state court system could report their state’s bar passage data to one agency—likely the ABA given their primary role in accreditation. Then the ABA could code the information in such a way that law school administrators and ASP’ers would be able to access the results for just those graduates who are affiliated with their particular school. The information could be searchable, such that any ASP’er could query: “2107 graduates + West Virginia + July 2017 + first time taker.”  With a few simple clicks, accurate bar passage reporting could be achieved by the masses.  Oh, the possibilities! 

I look forward to watching this issue develop in the coming months and years, with hope that the justices’ decade old dream of a national database becomes a reality.   (Kirsha Trychta)

The End of October is Approaching

It’s hard to believe that we are already heading towards the end of October. It seems like the Fall semester just started.

As the end of October approaches, many students are trying to figure out what they plan to wear for their Halloween parties. They are also trying to figure out what they need to do for the rest of the semester as well.

By now, 1Ls have heard of this “outlining” word. But, they may not fully understand what it means. They have read and briefed most of their cases, but they may not have a good grasp of how these cases link up with one another in their doctrinal classes. They may have been so focused on writing down and remembering each miniscule detail from their cases that they have neglected to see how each case from their individual doctrinal classes ties in with every other case in those classes. They may not be ready to attack a large final exam question that assesses their ability to analyze the various legal issues that they have covered throughout the semester.

As law school academic support professionals, we should be ready to assist 1L students as they negotiate the latter part of their first semester. Let’s remember that most 1Ls may not, at this point, fully understand the big picture law for each of their doctrinal subjects. Let’s remember that many 1Ls may not have fully practiced issue spotting and exam writing. Let’s be ready with a non-judgmental and empathic listening ear so that we can best serve each individual student. (OJ Salinas)

Congratulations to Goldie Pritchard

Congratulations to our Contributing Editor, Goldie Pritchard, for being awarding a Top Ten Blog Posts badge from Texas Bar Today for her post on October 11th entitled MPRE Frenzy. The post can be found here in case you missed it.

Assistant Professor Position at La Verne

Announcement of a position for Assistant Professor in the Center for Academic and Bar Readiness (CABR) at the University of La Verne College of Law. This position is a contract faculty position with voting rights (except on tenure and promotion) and has a very competitive salary for Southern California. The contract period starts at one year and is graduated with the potential for a 3-5-year contract and promotion to Associate Professor.

Please see the link below for the full position description and application process.

https://laverne.peopleadmin.com/postings/4873

Registration Deadline for WCCASP Conference is Today!

Today is the deadline for registration!!!! The link is here:  Registration for WCCASP

 

West Coast Consortium

of Academic Support Professionals

Sixth Annual Conference:  Lost in Translation

Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA

Friday, November 3, 2017

AGENDA

9:00-9:30am:  Breakfast & Welcome

9:30-10:15am:  Critical Reading: Strategies for Success

Jane Bloom Grisé, University of Kentucky College of Law

This presentation will explain why law students need to receive instruction in critical reading and will provide specific strategies that will enable students to understand cases and statutes. Law students should not be expected to learn critical reading techniques in one orientation session in their 1L year. Rather, they should be introduced to these strategies over the course of their law school experience. The presentation will focus on the purpose for reading cases, reading as an advocate and with focus, case structure and civil and criminal procedure, context and overview, understanding the facts, strategies to use to understand text, strategies to use to understand main ideas, finding rules, case evaluation, case briefing, case synthesis, and reading statutes. The presentation also will offer ideas regarding how critical reading instruction can be incorporated into all law school courses.

10:15-10:25am Break 

10:25-11:10am:  The Power of Post-Its: How to use a set of sticky notes to promote analytical organization, peer communication, and student self-assessment

Katherine Silver Kelly, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

The Post-It Note Activity builds on the concept that, because feedback is a vital key to developing strong communication skills, academic support professionals should utilize high-impact and high-engagement modes of feedback that do not impose an impossible time commitment. In other words, get a lot of bang for the buck. The activity also supports the goal of law students developing the necessary ability to self-assess and become independent problem-solvers. The Post-It Note Activity is the perfect balance between guidance and independence that reinforces the importance of synthesizing rules and organizing concepts in order to see and understand an analytical framework. It also develops communication skills in that students must be able to articulate their ideas into a tangible form. This activity works for any type of learner because it allows a student to engage material on multiple analytical levels, recognize multiple solution paths, and use multiple communication tools.

11:10-11:20am Break

11:20-12:20pm: KeyNote Speaker

 Ron Pi, Principal Analyst for the Office of Research & Institutional Accountability at the State Bar of California

In this presentation, Mr. Pi will provide an overview of the various bar exam related studies the California Bar Exam has recently been engaged in with a focus on the content validation study. Mr. Pi organized and monitored the recent content validation workshop. This workshop’s focus included the depth of knowledge, skills and abilities required for passing the bar exam. Mr. Pi will also discuss future research plans to be conducted by the California Bar.

12:20-1:15pm Lunch

1:15-2:00pm:  From Practical Experience to Success in the Classroom, on the Bar Exam, and Beyond.

Marguerite Lee & Heather Varanini, Golden Gate University School of Law

In this presentation we will discuss how practical experiences gained in law school informed our current work teaching first year law students how to build and maintain the skills they need to succeed in law school and on the bar exam. The presentation will explore the connection between explaining complicated legal topics to clients and other non-legal people, and the challenge of breaking down those same legal topics for first year law students and those preparing for the bar.

2:00-2:10pm: Break

2:10-2:55pm: A.S.A.P. as a Multimodal Translator of Student Mindset: Balancing Old School Methods with the New

Any Vaughan-Thomas, California Western School of Law

“It is not that the student can’t do the work, it is that the student does not want to do the work.” This presentation seeks to critically examine the mindsets of 50 students when they entered California Western School of Law’s Academic Support and Assistance Program (A.S.A.P.) in comparison to the mindset of the 34 students that successfully completed the program to advance into upper division. The goal of the presentation is to identify the teaching methods that helped these students translate information, engage with their materials, and apply their knowledge to solve legal problems. Ultimately we ask, “Can this program change a student’s mindset?” And if so, what is it about this program that motivates the change?

2:55-3:05: Break 

3:05-4:05pm The Complete Cycle of Law Study and Exam Preparation Lesson

Laurie Zimet & Jennifer Freeland, UC Hastings College of the Law

In this interactive presentation, we will demonstrate a lesson that provides an overview of the entire legal analysis process. Using active learning pedagogy, students learn how to read a court decision, and how to extract the legal principles from that case to create a brief. Then, using the same and additional cases, we will share active learning exercises for promoting understanding of the precedential value of previous cases and various approaches to reasoning by analogy. Finally, exercises to organize/outline case law for application to essay and multiple choice exams will be addressed as well as methods for student self-assessment. 

4:05-4:15pm: Break 

4:15-5:00pm Back It Up: Improving Analysis by First Improving Rule Comprehension

Queena Mewers, UC Irvine School of Law

When teaching “IRAC,” we tend to focus on the “A” section and help our students express their analysis more fully by prompting them to fill in the following blank with facts and inferences: “Here, [element X] is met because ______.” Although students can typically fill in the blank with facts and inferences when specifically prompted this way, they struggle to generate this formula on their own because they actually often do not understand what are all the rule elements they must apply in the first place to effect a complete analysis of an issue. In this presentation, I will suggest a general method for teaching rule comprehension so that students can better identify, extract, and organize rules in preparation for writing the “A” section. I will also provide several follow-on exercises that utilize and reinforce this teaching method while helping students with critical reading, outlining, and actually writing the “A” section. 

                                                                                5:00pm Conference Close

Be a Risk-taker for Your Legal Education

Occasionally, prospective law students ask me what it takes to be a successful law student. I am always happy to respond to this question because most of the time, these students find information from current students more valuable. One basic answer I provide is that students who are risk-takers and do not fear multiple bouts of failure tend to be some of my most successful law students. Although a somewhat perplexing response, I always proceed with an example, knowing from experience that most prospective students do not believe me initially. It is not until the end of the fall semester when exams are over and students have had a moment to step back and reflect on experiences that they understand what I meant.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “risk-taker” as “a person who is willing to do things that involve danger or risk (possibility of loss or injury) in order to achieve a goal.” The danger or risk referred to in law school academic performance is exposure of academic weaknesses and short comings. The perception that everyone knows that you do not know something; you are not yet good at something; you failed at something; or more importantly, your professor is aware of it all is quite terrifying to many first year law students. Some of them prefer to stay in the dark about everything for fear of possibly being relentlessly judged by one misstep. They do not realize that other students are preoccupied with their own fears and may forget about classroom exchanges or that due to the number of other students in the classroom; the professor may inadvertently forget the exchange. The worst aspect of this is likely when students avoid resources and/or interactions such as engaging with vital academic support programs and services that could eventually be beneficial to them.

Encouraging students to utilize resources that are available to them through the academic support program is probably the most difficult obstacle in the first year of law school. As a result, I try to use a number of modes of information delivery with the hope that students will use or tap into one or more of them. These include large and small group interactions, one-on-one interaction, and access to digital resources that allow students to work at their own pace. But sometimes, this is not enough. The hope is that at the very least, classmates, teaching assistants, and other administrators will help remind and direct students to resources that a conducive to learning.

My risk-taking students are often my high achieving students because they have redefined failure for themselves and created opportunities to excel. All of them were not the students one would expect to perform well from the beginning. Redefining failure is crucial to overall law student success. One simply cannot rely on past measures of achievement, otherwise one might become disappointed. Students need to focus on innovative ways of assessing improvement, understanding, knowledge, and time management just to list a few. They also need to determine how to obtain the feedback necessary for the positive adjustments necessary for academic success. Taking ownership of one’s own learning and managing one’s emotional reactions to feedback requires some skill and tenacity. My students who attempt all of this are self-empowered and build their arsenal of knowledge and skills throughout the academic year which typically yields positive results around exam time.

Risk-taking students are the students who attend regular professor office hours but also get answers wrong and spend time understanding where they went wrong. They may suggest and lead study groups, ask the questions every student wants to ask but does not dare ask the professor, are in my office regularly showing me how they have diagrammed and organized concepts, or are simply doing the things they should be doing. (Goldie Pritchard)

Surveying the Room of Requirement

During the first week of class I asked my students if they had any lingering questions that weren't resolved during Orientation. Several students inquired, "Where is the student lounge?" Admittedly our student lounge is somewhat difficult to find, with the entrance tucked between two vending machine on the second floor. I gave them directions and then jokingly described the student lounge as a place that only appears to those law students who already know of its whereabouts—which incidentally helps keep the room secreted from non-law students looking for a cool new spot to relax. Students aptly pointed out that I had also inadvertently described a key aspect of the Room of Requirement, a magical all-purpose space that featured prominently in the latter-half of the Harry Potter series.  

[Sidenote: For those non-magical folk who aren’t familiar with Harry Potter, the Room of Requirement “only appears when a person has real need of it – and always comes equipped for the seeker's purpose. Any purpose.” For example, the Room of Requirement took the form of a bathroom for the headmaster when he was most in need, a training facility for Harry and the other members of his Army, and a storage room for many other students wishing to hide certain nefarious objects.]

The Potterheads were right, but if I had to pick the real Room of Requirement within the law school, it would undoubtedly be the Academic Excellence Center, especially in October. We never know who is going to walk through our door or what issue, question, or request they might bring with them. Just last week we fielded questions about academic advising, studying for midterm exams, debriefing after midterm exams, outlining, time management, moot court, legal writing, seminar papers, mental health resources, financial aid, new attorney swearing-in ceremonies, and summer employment, just to name a few.

I believe that my colleagues, while supportive of the Center, really don’t comprehend the varied roles that academic support professors play in the law school at any one time. To better capture the ever evolving list of activities within the Center, we recently installed a Survey Kiosk. The kiosk is actually an i-pad mounted on a chest-high stand near the door to the Center.  The i-pad is locked using Apple’s Guided Access feature so that visitors can only access one webpage, namely a survey link.

We then created a 15-second survey that heavily relies on the use of skip logic. We now ask everyone to complete the survey following their visit to the Center.  We also posted the survey link to our Facebook page, just in case someone forgets to complete the questionnaire before leaving the Center.  The survey allows us to quickly capture the following information about each visit:

• Visitor’s class year (prospective student, 1L, 2L, 3L, or graduate)
• Who they visited within the Center
• Whether the meeting was a walk-in or by appointment
• Nature of the visit, i.e. the topic that was discussed
• Overall usefulness of the meeting, rated on a Likert Scale; and
• Any additional comments 

In just two months, we have received roughly 200 real-time responses. This data has already allowed us to track which days of the week and weeks within the semester generate increased foot traffic, how well the Dean’s Fellows and Peer Writing Consultants are connecting with their classmates, and the types of services being most utilized. Unsurprisingly, 1Ls continue to make-up the bulk of our client base. But, we anticipate a sharp increase in 3L foot traffic in the spring semester, when the 3Ls turn their attention to applying for and sitting for the bar exam.

This real-time kiosk system will replace our end-of-the-semester evaluation, which historically has suffered from low response rates.  The data should also be immensely helpful when we are tasked with completing annual Faculty Activity Reports and Performance Reviews next summer. Previously, we relied on a much less empirical system, consisting primarily of fuzzy memories, email inbox search results, and painstaking calendar reviews.

All-in-all, the Survey Kiosk has been a successful experiment, thus far.  If you’re interested in doing something similar at your institution, you can purchase a basic i-pad and stand for under $1,000.00—making this an ideal project to submit for a technology grant, especially in light of its relatively low cost and easy implementation. Finally, we are also happy to share our survey setup with you; just ask.  Unfortunately, we can't post the survey link here for you to view, because all of your curiosity clicks will create false responses in the data.  (Kirsha Trychta)

October Slump and Shout-Outs

I first want to provide a special shout-out to Russell McClain, the University of Baltimore School of Law, and everyone involved with the planning and running of the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) Diversity Conference. The presentations and accompanying dialogue were informative and thought provoking. And, as always, the camaraderie among the law school academic support community and the community’s genuine interest in law student success were inspiring and helped serve as continued motivation to push us through the rest of the academic semester.

I also want to provide a separate shout-out to my colleague, Rachel Gurvich. I have mentioned Rachel’s name and Twitter handle (@RachelGurvich) on several occasions at law school conferences and on this blog. Rachel recently wrote an ASP-ish post on The #Practice Tuesday blog. The post, entitled, “It’s not so shiny anymore: 1Ls and the October slump”, provides seven tips on how 1Ls can push through the rest of the academic semester. I encourage you and your students to take a look at the post and follow Rachel on Twitter. She’s a great colleague and resource at Carolina and beyond—her Tweets have reached and supported law students throughout the country, including this one and this one.

Rachel and Sean Marotta (@smmarotta) started The #Practice Tuesday blog as an opportunity to expand their #Practice Tuesday discussions on Twitter. On Tuesday afternoons, Rachel and Sean lead great discussions on “advice and musings on legal practice and the profession.” Participants in the discussions include practitioners, judges, and law school faculty and students throughout the country. Feel free to join in on the conversations!

Again, thanks to Russell McClain and everyone involved with the AASE Diversity Conference! And, thanks, to my amazing colleague Rachel Gurvich! (OJ Salinas)

Deadline for WCCASP Conference registration is Friday, October 20th

The deadline for registration  is Friday, October 20^th.

 

West Coast Consortium of Academic Support Professionals Sixth Annual Conference:  Lost in Translation

Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA

Friday, November 3, 2017

AGENDA

9:00-9:30am:  Breakfast & Welcome

9:30-10:15am:  Critical Reading: Strategies for Success

Jane Bloom Grisé, University of Kentucky College of Law

This presentation will explain why law students need to receive instruction in critical reading and will provide specific strategies that will enable students to understand cases and statutes. Law students should not be expected to learn critical reading techniques in one orientation session in their 1L year. Rather, they should be introduced to these strategies over the course of their law school experience. The presentation will focus on the purpose for reading cases, reading as an advocate and with focus, case structure and civil and criminal procedure, context and overview, understanding the facts, strategies to use to understand text, strategies to use to understand main ideas, finding rules, case evaluation, case briefing, case synthesis, and reading statutes. The presentation also will offer ideas regarding how critical reading instruction can be incorporated into all law school courses.

10:15-10:25am Break 

10:25-11:10am:  The Power of Post-Its: How to use a set of sticky notes to promote analytical organization, peer communication, and student self-assessment

Katherine Silver Kelly, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

The Post-It Note Activity builds on the concept that, because feedback is a vital key to developing strong communication skills, academic support professionals should utilize high-impact and high-engagement modes of feedback that do not impose an impossible time commitment. In other words, get a lot of bang for the buck. The activity also supports the goal of law students developing the necessary ability to self-assess and become independent problem-solvers. The Post-It Note Activity is the perfect balance between guidance and independence that reinforces the importance of synthesizing rules and organizing concepts in order to see and understand an analytical framework. It also develops communication skills in that students must be able to articulate their ideas into a tangible form. This activity works for any type of learner because it allows a student to engage material on multiple analytical levels, recognize multiple solution paths, and use multiple communication tools.

11:10-11:20am Break

11:20-12:20pm: KeyNote Speaker

 Ron Pi, Principal Analyst for the Office of Research & Institutional Accountability at the State Bar of California

In this presentation, Mr. Pi will provide an overview of the various bar exam related studies the California Bar Exam has recently been engaged in with a focus on the content validation study. Mr. Pi organized and monitored the recent content validation workshop. This workshop’s focus included the depth of knowledge, skills and abilities required for passing the bar exam. Mr. Pi will also discuss future research plans to be conducted by the California Bar.

12:20-1:15pm Lunch

1:15-2:00pm:  From Practical Experience to Success in the Classroom, on the Bar Exam, and Beyond.

Marguerite Lee & Heather Varanini, Golden Gate University School of Law

In this presentation we will discuss how practical experiences gained in law school informed our current work teaching first year law students how to build and maintain the skills they need to succeed in law school and on the bar exam. The presentation will explore the connection between explaining complicated legal topics to clients and other non-legal people, and the challenge of breaking down those same legal topics for first year law students and those preparing for the bar.

2:00-2:10pm: Break

2:10-2:55pm: A.S.A.P. as a Multimodal Translator of Student Mindset: Balancing Old School Methods with the New

Any Vaughan-Thomas, California Western School of Law

“It is not that the student can’t do the work, it is that the student does not want to do the work.” This presentation seeks to critically examine the mindsets of 50 students when they entered California Western School of Law’s Academic Support and Assistance Program (A.S.A.P.) in comparison to the mindset of the 34 students that successfully completed the program to advance into upper division. The goal of the presentation is to identify the teaching methods that helped these students translate information, engage with their materials, and apply their knowledge to solve legal problems. Ultimately we ask, “Can this program change a student’s mindset?” And if so, what is it about this program that motivates the change?

2:55-3:05: Break 

3:05-4:05pm The Complete Cycle of Law Study and Exam Preparation Lesson

Laurie Zimet & Jennifer Freeland, UC Hastings College of the Law

In this interactive presentation, we will demonstrate a lesson that provides an overview of the entire legal analysis process. Using active learning pedagogy, students learn how to read a court decision, and how to extract the legal principles from that case to create a brief. Then, using the same and additional cases, we will share active learning exercises for promoting understanding of the precedential value of previous cases and various approaches to reasoning by analogy. Finally, exercises to organize/outline case law for application to essay and multiple choice exams will be addressed as well as methods for student self-assessment. 

4:05-4:15pm: Break 

4:15-5:00pm Back It Up: Improving Analysis by First Improving Rule Comprehension

Queena Mewers, UC Irvine School of Law

When teaching “IRAC,” we tend to focus on the “A” section and help our students express their analysis more fully by prompting them to fill in the following blank with facts and inferences: “Here, [element X] is met because ______.” Although students can typically fill in the blank with facts and inferences when specifically prompted this way, they struggle to generate this formula on their own because they actually often do not understand what are all the rule elements they must apply in the first place to effect a complete analysis of an issue. In this presentation, I will suggest a general method for teaching rule comprehension so that students can better identify, extract, and organize rules in preparation for writing the “A” section. I will also provide several follow-on exercises that utilize and reinforce this teaching method while helping students with critical reading, outlining, and actually writing the “A” section.

 

                                                                                5:00pm Conference Close

American University Associate Director Position

Position Title: Associate Director of Academic Advising & Policy Development (14327)
Position Number:	14327	Open Date:	10/10/2017
Department:	Washington College of Law	Close Date:
Salary Range:	$70,000 - $75,000	Band:	Project Leader/Advisor B
Work Hours per Week:	35-Exempt	Position Type:	Full-time Staff
Description:
The Associate Director of Academic Advising & Policy Development will promote the academic excellence of American University Washington College of Law students, from matriculation through graduation. The Associate Director will lead the law school’s advising efforts, and will be responsible for conceptualizing and organizing all academic advising activities at the law school and individually providing academic advising to JD students.  The incumbent will have a central role in the law school in ensuring that all students have the opportunity for appropriate, useful, targeted, and strategic academic advising and that they are knowledgeable about the law school’s myriad academic and student services.  The Associate Director will also be responsible for policy and procedure development related to the curriculum and compliance with American Bar Association standards and American Association of Law Schools rules.
Educational Requirements:
J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school; Admission to the bar.
Minimum Requirements:
·         5 years of experience advising or mentoring law students and/or law graduates preferably in the area of academic advising ·         Deep knowledge of law school curricula, law school pedagogical approaches,  and developments in the legal market ·         Excellent interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated focus on empathy, sensitivity, and discretion ·         Strong legal writing, research, and analysis skills ·         Ability to build rapport with and gain trust of students, faculty and staff; ·         Strong oral presentation skills ·         Demonstrated ability to exercise sound, ethical, and professional judgment ·         Understanding of the structure and purpose of the American Bar Association Standards and Association of American Law Schools Regulations ·         Knowledge of FERPA and implementing regulations ·         Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and social media platforms ·         Must be self-motivated and able to initiate and set goals and prioritize tasks ·         Demonstrated supervisory experience and attention to detail
Preferred Requirements:
·         At least 1 year of legal practice or post-graduate clerkship
Additional Information:
Hiring offers for this position are contingent on the successful completion of a background check. American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities. To Apply Please Visit: https://jobs.american.edu/JobPosting.aspx?JPID=6912

 

Call for Articles for the Winter Issue of The Learning Curve

For our upcoming Winter issue, we are particularly interested in submissions surrounding the issue’s themes of academic advising, counseling, and troubleshooting performance issues our students' experience. Are you doing something innovative outside of the classroom that helps motivate a new generation of law students? Do you have classroom exercises that promote the positive effects of supportive peer groups? Do you use technology to facilitate difficult conversations with students who are performing at a level they find acceptable?

Please ensure that your articles are applicable to our wide readership. Principles that apply broadly — i.e., to all teaching or support program environments — are especially welcome. While we always want to be supportive of your work, we discourage articles that focus solely on advertising for an individual school’s program.

Please send your article submission to [email protected] by no later than December 1, 2017. (Please do not send inquiries to the Gmail account, as it is not regularly monitored.) Attach your submission to your message as a Word file. Please do not send a hard-copy manuscript or paste a manuscript into the body of an email message.

Articles should be 500 to 2,000 words in length, with light references, if appropriate. Please include any references in a references list at the end of your manuscript, not in footnotes. (See articles in this issue for examples.)

We look forward to reading your work and learning from you!

Regards,

The Editors

Chelsea Baldwin, Executive Editor

DeShun Harris, Associate Editor

Christina Chong, Technology Editor

Call for Nominations for AALS Section on Academic Support Award

Dear ASP Colleagues,

I am pleased to report that the Awards Committee for the AALS Section on Academic Support is soliciting nominations for our annual section award winner.  The AALS Section Award will be presented to an outstanding member of the ASP community at our section meeting at the January 2018 AALS Annual Meeting.  Please review the eligibility and criteria information below and send nominations directly to me, Awards Committee Chair, at [email protected]. 

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, October 20 at 5:00 p.m. EST.  Only AALS ASP Section members may make nominations, but all those within the ASP community may be nominated.  Membership in the section is free and can be processed by e-mailing a membership request to [email protected].  For a nomination to be considered, it must include (at a minimum) a one to two paragraph explanation of why the nominee is deserving of the award.  (If you have already submitted a nomination to me, you do not need to re-send it; I will simply include that nomination with any additional ones received.)

Eligibility and Criteria for Selection.  The eligible nominees for the award are individuals who have made significant and/or long-term contributions to the development of the field of law student academic support.  All legal educators, regardless of the nature or longevity of their appointment or position, who have at some point in their careers worked part-time or full-time in academic support are eligible for the award.  The award will be granted to recognize those who have made such contributions through any combination of the following activities: 

• service to the profession and to professional institutions—e.g., advocacy with the NCBE or assumption of leadership roles in the ASP community;
• support to and mentoring of ASP colleagues;
• support to and mentoring of students;
• promoting diversity in the profession and expanding access to the legal profession; and
• developing ideas or innovations—whether disseminated through academic writing, newsletters, conference presentations, or over the listserv.

Law schools, institutions, or organizations cannot receive an award.  Prior year or current year Section officers are excluded from being selected as an award winner.

The Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations.  Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope the remainder of your semester goes well!.

Blessings,

Natt

L.O. Natt Gantt, II

Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Co-Director, Center for Ethical Formation and Legal Education Reform

Regent University School of Law

757. 757.352.4734; f. 757.352.4571

[email protected]

Director of Academic Success Position at Concordia Law

Concordia University School of Law, located in Boise, Idaho, invites applications for a Director of Academic Success position beginning in the 2017-18 academic year.   This is a full-time position that may be a contract faculty or staff position, depending upon the qualifications of the candidate.  Under the direction of the Associate Dean for Academics, the Director of the Academic Success Program will have lead responsibility for maximizing student learning and performance in law school courses and on the bar exam by instructing students on learning techniques, identifying external resources for student academic success, collaborating with faculty on instruction, and assessing the success of educational programs.  In addition, this position will have responsibility for teaching courses targeted at students who would benefit from support in legal analysis; supporting students seeking assistance in learning; and for developing and implementing a strategy for bar exam passage.   The Director is also responsible for administering the Admission by Performance Program, the law school’s conditional admission program for prospective 1L students.  The position requires interaction with prospective students, students, staff, faculty, and administrators on a daily basis.  Our goal is to recruit a dynamic, bright, and highly motivated individual who is interested in making significant contributions to our law school and its students.  Experience in academic support and bar exam support is preferred, and teaching experience is desirable.  As a Lutheran institution of higher education, we seek candidates who will support our mission and promote Lutheran values.   

 
Special Instructions to Applicants: Questions about the position can be directed to the Chair of the Committee.  Applicants should submit a current Curriculum Vitae, a statement of faith, and a letter of interest to https://cu-portland.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=6&id=454.  Please also provide the names and email addresses of three individuals prepared to speak to your professional qualifications for this position. Please note: these references will not be contacted immediately, but may be contacted at an appropriate later point in the review process. Additional materials related to teaching excellence and samples of scholarly publications may be emailed to the Victoria Haneman, Chair of the Committee, at [email protected].  Review of applications will begin immediately and continued until the position is filled. Concordia University reserves the right to give preference in employment based upon religion in order to further the Lutheran objectives of the University and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.