Paralegal Program

Assessment Plan Summary: 2005-06

September 28^th, 2005

Learning Outcome

Learning Outcome 1) Personal Responsibility: 90% of all students will demonstrate personal and professional integrity at a level of “acceptable” or above for each characteristic identifies on the assignment rubric. This rubric will assess student compliance with professional responsibility guidelines adopted by the American Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association as they pertain to paralegals.

Learning Outcome 2) Technology Skills: 90% of students will accomplish tasks at the level of “acceptable” or above for each characteristic identified on the assignment rubric. This rubric will assess student acquaintance with the technologies used in the paralegal professions, including word processing, legal research, and presentation systems.

Learning Outcome 3) Critical Inquiry: 90% of students will perform at a level of “acceptable” or above for each characteristic identified on the assignment rubric. This rubric will assess student ability to synthesize legal research results from various sources of law, including statutory and case law, and to analyze this research according to rules of law, applicable issues, or defenses.

Learning Outcome 4) Communication: 90% of all students will apply the principles of objective analysis and be able to write for clarity and readability when preparing any legal documents or other correspondence at a level of “acceptable” for each characteristic identified on the assignment rubric.

No change in which learning outcomes are assessed. However, all four learning outcomes will be assessed in all three courses under assessment review (Legal Research, Legal Writing, and Litigation), rather than assessing only one or two of the outcomes for each course, thereby providing more integrated/vertical information.

Measure of the Student Learning

Direct Measure: Assignments in the three designated courses will be assessed on all four outcomes, rather than the one or two set out in the 2004-2005 plan. The Program created a program skills development evaluation in Spring 2005. It is given to incoming students in the Introduction to Law course and recent graduates. This provides a direct measure of occupational skills over the breadth of the Program.

Indirect Measure: The Program will continue to use the standard College student evaluations and periodic, American Bar Association-mandated graduate and employer surveys as indirect measures of student learning. Starting in Spring 2005, recent graduates are asked to complete a short, open-ended questionnaire about their acquaintance and experience with lifelong skills in the three courses designated for assessment review, in lieu of a focus group. The Program will develop a similar tool for legal employers.

Data Collection

No significant change in data collection.

Data Recording and Storage

No significant change to data recording and storage.

Data Analysis and Reporting

No significant change in data analysis and reporting. Data will still be reviewed by the Program Coordinator, faculty, and the Paralegal Program Advisory Committee. Recommendations for changes to curriculum will be made based upon the input from all the reviewers.

Decision Making and Program Change Based on Data

No significant changes in the process. Recommendations for changes to curriculum are made based upon the input from all the reviewers. Based upon the recommendations made this past year, the Program has updated the curriculum and textbooks in the three coursed designated for assessment courses, modified assignments to improve occupational skill development in other courses, and is adding new courses as electives in the curriculum.

Student and Adjunct Faculty Involvement

No significant changes. We have input from both students and adjunct faculty throughout the assessment process.