Using a Case-Progression Approach to Mapping Learning Outcomes and Developing Assessments

56 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2017

See all articles by Jeanette Buttrey

Jeanette Buttrey

Cooley Law School

Laura Dannebohm

Indiana Tech - Law School

Vickie Eggers

Cooley Law School

Joni Larson

Indiana Institute of Technology - Indiana Tech Law School

Mable Martin-Scott

Cooley Law School

Kimberly E. O’Leary

Cooley Law School

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 9, 2017

Abstract

Faculty from all parts of the law school curriculum - first-year courses, legal research and writing, academic support, upper level doctrinal courses, and clinic - have developed a tool that explores how the courses in law school relate to the representation of a client. Using this tool, these faculty have begun to map the ABA-required learning outcomes to the law school curriculum at the program level. These faculty explain how a variety of assessments, incorporated into the curriculum and designed around the skills needed to represent a client, can be used to determine if learning outcomes are being met. Because the faculty represent all aspects of a law school program, the mapping and assessment structure is comprehensive, collaborative, cohesive and intended to reach the ultimate program outcome: students who can practice law.

The geneses of the tool is the recent American Bar Association (ABA) changes. As a result of these changes, faculty may be wondering how to incorporate the requirement of learning outcomes and assessments into the curriculum. Law schools must have learning outcomes. A learning outcome describes how students will make use of information, with the focus on what the students can do with what they have learned. The flip side of a learning outcome is an assessment. An assessment gives the student an opportunity to consider what he has learned, demonstrate his knowledge, and receive useful feedback about the level of his knowledge and skill. It also gives those evaluating the law school program an opportunity to consider what the students have demonstrated and determine if they have achieved the learning outcome sufficiently so as to have met the program learning outcome.

The faculty-authors provide examples of a number of different of assessment designed around the tool and that help others see how to easily incorporate assessments into their own courses.

Keywords: learning outcomes, assessments

JEL Classification: K00, I20

Suggested Citation

Buttrey, Jeanette and Dannebohm, Laura and Eggers, Vickie and Larson, Joni and Martin-Scott, Mable and O'Leary, Kimberly E., Using a Case-Progression Approach to Mapping Learning Outcomes and Developing Assessments (February 9, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2914377 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2914377

Jeanette Buttrey

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

Laura Dannebohm

Indiana Tech - Law School ( email )

1600 E. Washington Blvd.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46803
United States

Vickie Eggers

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

Joni Larson (Contact Author)

Indiana Institute of Technology - Indiana Tech Law School ( email )

1600 E. Washington Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
United States

Mable Martin-Scott

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

Kimberly E. O'Leary

Cooley Law School ( email )

300 S. Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 13038
Lansing, MI 48901
United States

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