Program

Updated August 22

8:30 a.m. (room 141)
Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m. (room 140)
Welcome/Introduction 
   – Acting Dean Gillian Lester
   – Chuck Weisselberg

9:15 a.m. (room 140)
Session 1:  Learning Goals
Developing a set of learning objectives for a course takes what faculty know but do not always state, and puts it into a short list of real concepts that can guide students and add clarity to teaching and learning.  Clearly defined learning objectives contribute to a structure that surrounds a course, and can aid in selecting appropriate graded and ungraded assessments, selecting relevant content, and enhancing the assessment or grading practices.  This first plenary session will explore the range of possible law school learning objectives—both within individual courses and across the curriculum.

   – Kristen Holmquist (moderator)
   – Bobby Bartlett
   – Laurel Fletcher
   – Patricia Hurley
   – Andrea Roth

10:30 a.m. (snacks in 141)
Break

10:45 a.m. (room 140)
Session 2:  Promoting Inclusiveness in the Classroom — Reaching All of Our Students 
We sometimes find it challenging to engage all the students in the classroom.  And we hear regularly from students who feel alienated or excluded for a variety of reasons, including women and minority students who feel their voices are not heard, students with disabilities who feel they do not receive necessary accommodations, conservative students who believe their views are not respected, and students whose learning styles may not match our teaching styles.  These concerns are often exacerbated when we discuss (or decide not to discuss) topics to which various students feel a particular affinity, such as issues of racism or sexism embedded in cases.  In this workshop we will discuss how we can more effectively reach and engage all of our students.  

  – David Oppenheimer (moderator)

Presentation: Reaching the quiet student.
   – Marjorie Shultz  

Student Panel: Inclusion & exclusion: What works and doesn’t work in class from our perspectives.  
   – Sean Darling-Hammond
   – Nina Gupta

Demonstration:  Implicit Bias.
   – Vicky Plaut  

Faculty Panel on reaching all of our students.

• Reaching the foreign law student, recommended practices and common pitfalls.
     – Andrew Guzman
• How implicit bias affects our ability to reach all our students.
     – Vicky Plaut  
• Raising gender and race issues.
     – Marjorie Shultz

  
12:00 p.m. (Warren Room)
Lunch

1:30 p.m.
Session 3a:  Concurrent Sessions on Teaching Methodologies to Achieve Learning Goals  

• Effectively using clickers and other interactive technology in the classroom.  Learn how your colleagues employ interactive technology in their teaching.
     – Kara Ganter, Henry Hecht, and Andrea Roth   (room 170)
• Creating exercises for large classes. Not all large classes follow a lecture format or use the Socratic method.  See how you might create simulation exercises or use problems to engage your students, even in a large enrollment course.
     – Eleanor Swift and Chuck Weisselberg   (room 244)
• Critiquing and developing student writing in all class formats.  How can we efficiently and effectively help students develop their writing skills from within lecture, seminar, clinical and skills courses?  How can we understand and further develop the skills our students learn in their first year?
     – Kathy Abrams, Cheryl Berg, Lindsay Saffouri, and Jennifer Urban    (room 240)
• Developing learning objectives for your course.  Join a small group and brainstorm learning objectives for your class.
     – Bill Fernholz, Gillian Lester, and Alan Roper   (room 134)
• Designing PowerPoint presentations to achieve learning objectives.  Learn some PowerPoint tips from the pros, including how to effectively communicate what you most want the students to learn.
     – Andrew Bradt, Dino Johnson, and David Sklansky   (room 140)
• Using the Socratic method. A discussion of how to use the Socratic method and its benefits and downsides, along with a teaching demonstration.
     – Mel Eisenberg and Saira Mohamed  (room 132)

2:15 p.m.
Session 3b:  Concurrent Sessions (Sessions repeat)  

• Adapting and using case files. A discussion and demonstration of how to create and use case files in different types of courses: (1) to simulate how the law functions in the real world; (2) to develop analytical insight, strategic thinking, and lawyering skills; and (3) to explore ethical challenges in client representation.
     – Peter Menell and David Oppenheimer (room 170)
• Creating exercises for large classes. Not all large classes follow a lecture format or use the Socratic method.  See how you might create simulation exercises or use problems to engage your students, even in a large enrollment course.
     – Eleanor Swift and Chuck Weisselberg   (room 244)
• Critiquing and developing student writing in all class formats.  How can we efficiently and effectively help students develop their writing skills from within lecture, seminar, clinical and skills courses?  How can we understand and further develop the skills our students learn in their first year?
     – Kathy Abrams, Cheryl Berg, Lindsay Saffouri, and Jennifer Urban    (room 240)
• Developing learning objectives for your course.  Join a small group and brainstorm learning objectives for your class.
     – Bill Fernholz, Gillian Lester, and Alan Roper   (room 134)
• Designing PowerPoint presentations to achieve learning objectives.  Learn some PowerPoint tips from the pros, including how to effectively communicate what you most want the students to learn.
     – Andrew Bradt, Dino Johnson, and David Sklansky   (room 140)
• Using the Socratic method. 
    – Mel Eisenberg and Saira Mohamed  (room 132)

3:00 p.m. (snacks in 141)
Break

3:15 p.m. (room 140)
Session 4:  Evaluation and Assessment
This session will focus on evaluating students and assessing their progress towards identified learning objectives.  The first panel will discuss assessment and evaluation during the semester.  Other panels will address the use of on-line tools for formative assessments, preparing students for final exams, and writing high-quality exams.

   – Eric Biber (moderator)

Theory and practice of formative, mid-semester assessments
   – Eric Biber, Kristen Holmquist, and Anne Joseph O’Connell  

Using on-line tools for assessments
   – Kara Ganter and Alan Roper  

Preparing students to take final exams
   – Russell Robinson  

Writing final exams
   – Steve Bundy

4:30 p.m. (room 140)
Session 5: Enhancing Institutional Support for Teaching
Following a brief recap, we will roll out a teaching resources website, and discuss how the law school can enhance its support for teaching, including future programs focused on pedagogy.

5:00 p.m. (Steinhart Courtyard and Roof Garden)
Reception