University of Utah : S.J. Quinney College of Law

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Weekly Study Groups

The central component of the ASP is the weekly study group sessions which are available to all incoming students during the first semester of law school.  All 1L students interested in participating in the ASP are assigned to an ASP study group for fall semester.  Each study group is led by an ASP TA.  The study groups meet weekly for approximately 60-90 minutes, depending on the nature of the weekly study group plan and the needs of participants. The ASP TAs work with the ASP Faculty Director to prepare lesson plans for the study groups, and the participants are given the opportunity to evaluate their group twice over the course of the semester.  Participation in the ASP is voluntary, there is no fee to participate and the practice exams and other exercises are ungraded.

Because success in law school is dependent on the development of active learning habits, where students take responsibility for much their own learning and skill development, the ASP is designed to foster active learning through cooperative, collaborative study group sessions.  Collaborative learning requires that all participating students attend the study group sessions regularly, and actively contribute to the study group discussions and exercises.  Although the ASP TAs are responsible for the planning and leadership of the study groups, much of the learning that occurs in study group sessions is the result of the work and contribution of the study group participants.  Therefore, students who frequently miss study group sessions, or fail to actively participate in the sessions, may be asked to withdraw from the ASP.

The weekly study group sessions are conducted with the following goals in mind:

•    Developing the Learning/Study Skills Unique to Law School:  Study group sessions provide basic instruction about reading, interpreting and briefing cases, outlining for courses, preparing for class, participating in class, structuring exam answers and time/stress management. 

•    Developing the Basic Reasoning and Analytical Skills Necessary for Law School and the Practice of Law: Beyond studying and learning skills development, study group sessions also assist students to develop the basic analytical and reasoning skills needed to succeed in law school and the practice of law.  These skills are developed through group discussions, the study of examples, and through the opportunity to practice these skills by solving hypothetical problems in a collaborative environment.  The skills that are focused on include identifying and formulating rules and holdings, organizing case law by issue, analogizing and distinguishing cases, spotting and articulating issues, framing exam answers around issues, crafting arguments and counter-arguments, and the use of policy.
   
•    Feedback from TAs and Fellow Participants: The study group sessions also provide an opportunity for participants to get some feedback on case briefs, outlines and exam answers.  TAs and fellow participants provide feedback through the course of discussing and creating sample case briefs and outlines.  Additionally, the ASP TAs review some of the case briefs and outline sections created by participants for their specific doctrinal courses.  TAs also provide feedback on answers to hypothetical problems and practice exams.

•    Practice Midterm Exam: The ASP TAs also assist students to develop the exam taking skills necessary to succeed in law school. The TAs create and administer one practice midterm exam during fall semester.  The goal of the midterm exam is to highlight the skills necessary to prepare for and take an exam, including the use of outlines on an exam, issue spotting and structuring an exam answer.  The TAs evaluate the exam answers and provide feedback to each study group participant individually.  The participants are also encouraged to rewrite their answers, incorporating the feedback from TAs.

•    Reviewing Substantive Topics and Answering Questions:  Although the ASP study groups are not associated with specific doctrinal courses, the groups incorporate many of the substantive doctrines typically taught in the fall semester doctrinal courses.  These substantive topics include issues from torts, contracts and civil procedure.  Additionally, the study groups are comprised in such a way that all of the group’s participants will share at least one common doctrinal class (generally either contracts or civil procedure).  Given that the group participants will all be enrolled in at least one common course, the groups can be tailored somewhat to draw on the specific substantive doctrines taught in that course. In the process of using these doctrines to practice basic study and reasoning skills, the TAs and participants collaborate to review some substantive doctrines and address questions from study group members.


 

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