City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law Natalie Gomez-Velez, Presenter

 Public Interest/Public Service Law School: “Law in the Service of Human Needs”  Access to the Legal Profession for Underrepresented Groups

Public interest/access mission led to sequenced curriculum to prepare students from varied backgrounds for excellent public interest practice upon graduation.

Curricular design includes:  Doctrinal Foundation  Lawyering Seminars in the first and second years  Required Clinics and Concentrations  Bar readiness

 Public interest practice requires readiness  Required clinics and concentrations in the third year nudge toward preparation for supervised practice by third year  Social justice focus supports emphasis on tools for self-assessment, critical analysis, and reflection

Use of multiple evaluative devices (formative as well as summative evaluation) and feedback Integrating academic support Integrating support for “writing across the curriculum” Development of teaching competencies focused on student learning for public interest practice

 Set as academic policy  Use of rubrics, scaffolding, clear evaluative criteria, stated expectations, and feedback  Teaching workshops to discuss evaluation  Teaching rounds to discuss in-class interaction and evaluation

 Academic Support faculty visit first year doctrinal classes and required second year classes  Academic Support as resource to students and faculty alike  Faculty workshops on effective teaching approaches for adult learners

 Emphasis on legal writing in context starting in the first year and connected to doctrinal courses  Writing center  Support for advanced writing  Faculty workshops on teaching and evaluating writing

 Evaluation of teaching includes competencies developed by faculty with an emphasis on sequenced and integrated pedagogy for public interest practice  Competencies focus on student learning and explicitly reference the use of assessment devices throughout the semester and at the end of the semester to foster emphasis on learning outcomes

 Balancing institutional teaching expectations with individual teaching styles (and differences among faculty).  Supporting innovative teaching approaches within a sequenced and integrated curriculum  Finding time and opportunities for effective ongoing information sharing and ideas  Continuous process of monitoring student learning needs and curricular offerings to be responsive to change while delivering sequenced and integrated curriculum (each change affects other components)