Are experiential modules really better?

Assessment for student learning in courses that include experiential modules.

presenters Monica Hof Wallace

Christine Cerniglia Brown

DEAN MARCEL GARSAUD, JR. DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF LAW. Monica teaches in the areas of family law, successions, donations and trusts, and scholarly writing. Her scholarly interests include the extent and enforceability of child support for minor children as well as the evolution of marriage and family relationships both in civil and common law systems. She has served on the Executive Committee for the Family and Juvenile Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools and is an active member of the Louisiana Law Institute, most recently being named as the Reporter for the tutorship procedure revisions in the Louisiana Civil Code.

COORDINATOR OF SKILLS AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING. Chrissy coordinates and teaches skills courses offered through Loyola’s unique Skills Curriculum. She also oversees Loyola’s expanding externship program and teaches the general skills seminar course every semester.

Course Description

• LCIV L900 Civil Law of Persons 3 hrs.This course covers the Louisiana law of personality, domicile, marriage, divorce, annulment, alimony, custody and support of children, biological filiation, parental authority, tutorship, emancipation, and interdiction.

• Upper level elective • Relevance on the bar exam • Average # of students

Experiential perspective • Find professors who want to incorporate experiential modules. • Start with a collaborative platform involving skills professors,

active members of the practicing bar and judges. • First step: Decide which skills are most relevant in the particular

subject area and which skills would transfer across unrelated practice areas.

• Second step: Draft a semester assignment to integrate skills after doctrinal coverage.

• Third step: Develop character plot, visuals for guided edit, and goals/script for experiential classes.

• We believe this is a better method of learning but need proof.

The Assessment Form • Quantitative results

– Clarity of the assignment – How interesting – How Useful

• Qualitative – Most helpful – What could improve

• Overall experience – Was it useful to your overall learning? – Would you recommend? – Would you choose a class with experiential modules?

Experience 1: The Client Interview

• How useful? • How interesting?

0

5

10

15

20

25

a.Extremely

useful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Notvery

useful

e. Useless0

5

10

15

20

25

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c.Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

Fall 2012

Fall 2012: The Client Interview

• How useful? • How interesting?

Fall 2013

Fall 2013: The Client Interview

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

a.Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c.Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

a.Extremely

useful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

• How useful? • How interesting?

Spring 2014: The Client Interview

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c. Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

Experience 2: Drafting Divorce Petition

• How useful?

Fall 2012

Fall 2012: The Divorce Petition

0

5

10

15

20

25

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c.Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Very useful c. Somewhatuseful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

• How interesting?

• How useful?

Fall 2013

Fall 2013: The Divorce Petition

• How interesting?

0

5

10

15

20

25

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c. Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

• How useful?

Spring 2014: The Divorce Petition

• How interesting?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c. Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Veryuseful

c. Somewhatuseful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

Experience 3: Child Custody Hearing

• How interesting?

Fall 2012

Fall 2012: Custody Hearing

• How useful?

0

5

10

15

20

25

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c. Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

A. Extremelyuseful

b. Very useful c. Somewhatuseful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

• How interesting?

Fall 2013

Fall 2013: Custody Hearing

• How useful?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. Veryinteresting

c. Somewhatinteresting

d. Mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

0

5

10

15

20

25

A.Extremely

useful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

a. extremelyinteresting

b. veryinteresting

c. somewhatinteresting

d. mostlyboring

e. totallyboring

• How interesting?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless

• How useful?

Spring 2014: Custody Hearing

Experience 4: Visit to Family Court

Fall 2013 – Court Visit • How interesting? • How useful?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

a. Extremelyinteresting

b. veryinterestng

c. somewhatinteresting

d. mostlyboring

e. Totallyboring

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101214161820

Spring 2014 – Court Visit • How useful?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

a.Extremely

useful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

a. extremelyinteresting

b. veryinteresting

c. somewhatinteresting

d. mostlyboring

e. totallyboring

• How interesting?

Overall Experience

• How useful? • Would you recommend ?

Fall 2012

Fall 2012: Overall

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

a. Highlyrecommend

b.Recommend

c. Noopinion

d. Notrecommend

e. Stronglynot

recommend

Fall 2012: Overall • Would you choose a course with experiential modules?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

a. I would always choosethe course with

Experiential Modules

b. I maychoose thecourse with Experiential

Modules

c. I have no opinion d. I would not choose thecourse with Experiential

Modules

e. I would never choosethe course with

Experiential Modules

Fall 2013

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

a. Highlyrecommend

b. recommend c. no opinion d. notrecommend

e. strongly notrecommend

Fall 2013

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

a. I would always choose thecourse with Experiential

modules

b. I may choose the coursewith Experiential modules

c. I have no opinion d. I would not choose thecourse with experiential

modules

e. I would never choose thecourse with experiential

modules.

Spring 2014

0

5

10

15

20

25

a. Extremelyuseful

b. Veryuseful

c.Somewhat

useful

d. Not veryuseful

e. Useless 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

a. Highlyrecommend

b. recommend c. opinion d. notrecommend

e. strongly notrecommend

• Would you recommend ? • How useful?

Spring 2014 • Would you choose a course with experiential modules?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

a. I would always choose thecourse with Experiential

modules

b. I may choose the coursewith Experiential Modules.

c. I have no opinion d. I would not choose thecourse with experiential

modules.

e. I would never chose thecourse with experiential

modules.

What did we learn? • Need microphones • Modeling techniques from attorneys was more effective

than student involvement in a large setting • Less teaching breaks in the interview • Students have disorienting moments transitioning from

theory to practice • More resources for students to rely on, but how much is too

much? • More guidance on drafting petition • Setting expectations for child custody hearing and judge’s

role • More details in facts • Overall, students prefer this type of class

What will the future hold? • Increase student performance • Survey our alums and assess • Analyze two sections • Incorporate a rubric for self-evaluation