The Law School Years: Probing Questions, Actionable Data. Annual Survey Results, 2005
Author: Indiana University, Law School Survey of Student Engagement
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Legal Education (Professions),Law Schools,Law Students,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Nontraditional Students,Time on Task,Academic Advising,Satisfaction,School Size,Career Counseling,Learning Activities,Part Time Students,College Transfer Students,Educational Experience,Minority Group Students,Student Diversity

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) documents dimensions of quality in legal education and provides information about law student participation in effective educational activities that law schools and other organizations can use to improve student learning. This paper presents findings from the second LSSSE. Promising findings include: (1) Students who frequently received prompt oral or written feedback from faculty were more positive about their overall law school experience; (2) Nine in 10 students said their law school, to a substantial degree ("quite a bit" or "very much"), emphasized studying and spending time on academic work; (3) More than four-fifths of law students reported their classes emphasized to a substantial degree applying theories or concepts to practical problems; (4) About three-quarters of law students frequently ("very often" or "often") integrated ideas from various sources into papers or projects; (5) Part-time and full-time law students did not differ in terms of how they perceived the degree to which the law school environment supports their academic and social needs; (6) More than one-half of students frequently ("often" or "very often") had serious conversations with students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds; (7) Students who had more experiences with diversity in law school were more likely to report they benefited from law school and were more satisfied with their overall law school experience; (8) First-year law students who were satisfied with academic advising were more likely to perceive the law school environment as supportive and were more satisfied with their overall law school experience; and (9) Students who were satisfied with career counseling and job search assistance gained more in acquiring work-related knowledge and were more likely to have indicated they would attend the same law school if they could start over again. Disappointing findings include: (1) One-fourth (25%) of graduating law students (full-time 3L and part-time 4L) frequently came to class unprepared, compared with only seven percent of 1Ls; (2) About one in six students "never" received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty members; (3) About two-fifths of law students spent "no time" on cocurricular activities; (4) While the proportion of students seeking career counseling and job search help increased each year of law school, satisfaction with these services generally decreased; (5) About one-third (36%) of 1L students who sought personal counseling from their law school were "unsatisfied" or "very unsatisfied" with the counseling they received; (6) Almost one-half of students said their school did very little to help them cope with their nonschool activities (family, work, etc.); (7) International students viewed their relationships with classmates as less friendly and supportive than their American counterparts; and (8) The nine out of 10 JD students who incur debt to attend law school indicated they will owe more than $77,000 when they graduate. (Contains 7 figures and 5 tables.) [For "Student Engagement in Law Schools: A First Look. Annual Survey Results, 2004," see ED528392.]