By: William Nash
Currently, there are numerous undergraduate schools and law schools alike cancelling in person classes and moving to a remote learning solution for the foreseeable future due to the fast spreading nature of the Coronavirus in America.[1] New York School of Law was the first to close doors on March 4th.[2] This stark switch to remote learning for law schools poses obvious questions to the learning environment and its effectiveness in today’s law schools. In communities heavily based on communication and personal interaction, questions of professor’s capabilities, course engagement, and timely completion of courses are all raised.[3]
The moving conditions under Coronavirus have also raised concerns regarding the standards of the American Bar Association.[4] Standard 306 of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure define remote education and actually limits for credits for all ABA schools.[5] The ABA also wrote a guidance memo regarding the issues at hand, stating while remote learning might be necessary, there is a serious concern for schools with a lack of the necessary technology, as well as professors who are inexperienced with this method of teaching.[6]
There has been a relative amount of advocation for remote learning within law schools.[7] In California (a state who has pushed to legitimize remote learning law schools) has found there to actually be a higher bar pass rate for remote learning law schools compared to traditional law schools.[8] In addition, there has already been a steady increase in online tools including readings, quizzes, and lectures present in traditional law schools.[9] Video conferences have even become more prevalent for hands on questions.[10] It is important to note however, while we are in the wake of this pandemic, the remote learning that has been advocated for is relatively well prepared, unlike the remote learning we may see from schools in the coming months.
There are numerous issues from student’s perspective with the current regime, including but not limited to a lack of structure and a complete change in learning method.[11] Students have been learning primarily through a Socratic method but are now having to study more by application.[12] Likewise, there is concern with adequate study space while libraries are closing.[13] While these are more general concerns, there are many more concerns specific to certain students including items like childcare and health affecting one’s ability to learn under this regime.
Because of the issues that might harm a student’s ability to learn, many schools have shifted to a pass/fail grading regime as opposed to the traditional curved grading.[14] Gillian Lester, the Dean of Columbia Law School, stated in a recent release that the shift is in regards to the “fairness among students.”[15] While the shift may cause issues such as job searches for students, many schools thus far have agreed that the benefit to “even the playing field” outweighs the burden.[16]
The new remote learning as well as the changes in policies will be closely viewed in the coming weeks regarding their effectiveness and efficiency.
[1] See Staci Zaretsky, T14 Law School Cancels Classes Due to Coronavirus Outbreak, Above the Law (Mar. 9, 2020, 12:12 PM), https://abovethelaw.com/2020/03/t14-law-school-cancels-classes-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak/.
[2] See Amanda Robert & Stephanie F. Ward, Coronavirus and Law Schools: More Universities Shifting to Online Classes, ABA Journal (Mar. 12, 2020, 10:47 AM), https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/coronavirus-and-law-schools-more-universities-shifting-to-online-classes.
[3] See Jen R. Reise, Your Law School Went Online – Now What? Here’s How to Adapt to Remote Learning, ABA for Law Students (Mar. 11, 2020), https://abaforlawstudents.com/2020/03/11/coronavirus-your-law-school-went-online-now-what/.
[4] See generally Amanda Robert & Stephanie F. Ward, Coronavirus and Law Schools: More Universities Shifting to Online Classes, ABA Journal (Mar. 12, 2020, 10:47 AM), https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/coronavirus-and-law-schools-more-universities-shifting-to-online-classes.
[5] See id.
[6] See id.
[7] See Martin Pritikin, California’s New Frontier: Accreditation of Distance Learning Law Schools, The National Jurist (July 23, 2019, 9:33 AM), www.nationaljurist.com/national-jurist-magazine/california’s-new-frontier-accreditation-distance-learning-law-schools.
[8] See id.
[9] See id.
[10] See id.
[11] See Jen R. Reise, Your Law School Went Online – Now What? Here’s How to Adapt to Remote Learning, ABA for Law Students (Mar. 11, 2020), https://abaforlawstudents.com/2020/03/11/coronavirus-your-law-school-went-online-now-what/.
[12] See id.
[13] See Gabriel Kuris, The Impact of the Coronavirus on Legal Education, U.S. News (Mar. 23, 2020), https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/articles/the-impact-of-the-coronavirus-on-legal-education; id.
[14] See Bob Van Voris, Harvard, Other Top Law Schools Drop Grades as Classes Go Online, Bloomberg (Mar. 23, 2020, 10:03 AM), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-23/harvard-other-top-law-schools-drop-grades-as-classes-go-online.
[15] See id.
[16] See id.
image source: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/03/18/students-enter-uncharted-territory-of-learning-at-home/