Outcomes Assessment for Law Schools
by Gregory S. Munro (2000)

Download Outcomes Assessment for Law Schools (6.5 MB PDF).

Outcomes Assessment for Law Schools was published in 2000 by the Institute for Law School Teaching at Gonzaga University School of Law and is © by Greg Munro and the Institute. This work is out of print and may not be reprinted or republished without permission.

ISBN: 0-9679901-0-6
ISBN-13: 9780967990101

Items designated as PDF require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Law schools and individual law teachers interested in implementing a comprehensive assessment program will benefit from Outcomes Assessment for Law Schools by Gregory Munro. This book provides practical guidance on the development of an overall assessment program for law schools as well as methods of assessment to improve teaching and learning in individual law courses. Munro's book provides concrete examples to demonstrate various aspects of assessment. The author anticipates various obstacles to the establishment of assessment programs, and he suggests ways to address those obstacles.

Faced with limited resources, growing competition for students, and a changing legal environment, law schools must consider more carefully their specific niche in legal education. Outcomes Assessment for Law Schools provides a mechanism for the effective marshaling of limited education resources while at the same time revitalizing the academic enterprise.

Part 1: What is Assessment?

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. The Meaning and Purpose of Assessment
- Assessment Defined
- Assessment Assumptions
- Outcomes Defined
Chapter 3. Origins of Assessment
- The Call for Accountability in Undergraduate Education
- The Call for Accountability in Legal Education

Part 2: Why Do Assessment in Law School?

Chapter 4. The Lack of Outcomes Assessment in American Law Schools
- Student Outcomes
- Institutional Outcomes
Chapter 5. The Need for Assessment Programs in American Law Schools
- Lack of Mission
- Absence of Student and Institutional Outcomes
- The Incoherent and Unstructured Curriculum
- Ineffective Teaching Methods
- Lack of Assessment Measures
- Lack of Feedback to Students
- Accountability for the Institution's Mission
- Conclusion

Part 3: How to Do Assessment?

Chapter 6. Characteristics of an Effective Assessment Program
Chapter 7. The Assessment Process
- Benefits of the Process
- Starting the Process
- Stating the Mission of the Law School
- Determining Student and Institutional Outcomes
- Developing a Curriculum for Student Outcomes
- Developing Explicit Criteria for Performance
- Planning and Designing the Assessment Program
- Implementing an Assessment Program
- Evaluating the Assessment Program
- Using the Results to Improve Student Learning
Chapter 8. The Requirements for Effective Methods of Assessment
- Validity
- Reliability
- Fairness
Chapter 9. Means of Assessment
- Qualitative Assessment Methods
- Quantitative Assessment Methods
- Specific Methods of Assessment
- Assessment of Collaborative Student Work
- Means of Assessment – Conclusion

Part 4: The Assessment-Centered Course

Chapter 10. Assessment in the Classroom
- Measures of Student Learning
- Student Observations of Teaching
Chapter 11. Course Design and Instruction
- Designing the Assessment-Centered Course
- Teaching the Assessment-Centered Course

Part 5: Making Assessment a Reality in Legal Education

Chapter 12. Overcoming Obstacles to Assessment
- Intrusion of Assessment into Teaching and Learning
- Misuse of Assessment Results
- Limited Resources
- Lack of Faculty Motivation and Participation
- Lack of Student Motivation and Participation
- Availability of Valid Assessment Tools
- Assessing Values
Chapter 13. Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix A: Sample Mission Statements
Appendix B: Sample Outcomes for Legal Education
Appendix C: Sample Explicit Criteria for Student Performance and Instructions to Student
Appendix D: Sample Assessment Instruments
Appendix E: Sample Multiple and Varied Forms of Assessment
Appendix F: Sample Student Collaborative Projects
Appendix G: Sample Guidelines on Use of External Assessors
Appendix H: Resources for an Assessment Library