PARALEGAL PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT PLAN

Links to Assessment Measures:
   Supervising Attorney Evaluation
   Assessment of Student Outcomes
   Graduating Senior Survey

I. Introduction

The Paralegal Program has adopted the following Assessment Plan in furtherance of its mission to prepare broadly educated graduates who will be well-equipped to deal with their ever-changing personal and professional lives.

The results of the student assessment measures along with additional measures described in the Program Evaluation Plan (see attached), will be used to evaluate, validate, and update the Paralegal Program.

II. Desired Student Outcomes

• To know a wide variety of substantive and procedural law, such as contracts, torts, family law, business organizations, civil and criminal investigation, bankruptcy, probate and estate planning, real property, public benefits, and administrative law.
• To identify and analyze legal issues.
• To research the law using the full range of law reference materials, including computerized legal research.
• To draft pleadings, legal memoranda, and briefs based on research and analysis of legal issues.
• To demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
• To demonstrate a full understanding of, and appreciation for, the rules of legal ethics, with emphasis on their applicability to paralegals.
• To demonstrate an understanding of the roles and relationships within a legal services delivery team.
• To show skills in obtaining information through interviewing and investigation.

     A.  Internship.

• Each Paralegal major is required to complete an internship at a law office or in some other environment which will offer relevant experiences under the supervision of an attorney. The internship will consist of a minimum of 160 hours and a maximum of 480 hours. Prior to interning, the student will have completed all other core course requirements and a methods and materials course. The student will be advised to intern after completing the majority of the required number of credits within the major so that the internship will be an opportunity to apply as much classroom learning as possible. Students are required to submit to the faculty supervisor written time and activity reports, as well as a final written report. The supervising attorney will be asked to give an oral and written evaluation of the intern's performance. (See attached evaluation form.) The faculty supervisor will conduct at least one site visit during the course of the internship. Assessment data will be compiled from the students^' reports and the attorney's evaluations.

    B.  Capstone Courses.

• There are certain courses within the Paralegal major which are "capstone" in that they bring together most of the desired student outcomes, or they are the final course in which the student acquires and applies certain knowledge or skills. The Program has identified the following as capstone courses: Legal Research & Writing II (PARA 251), Interviewing (PARA 325), Legal Ethics (PARA 375), Methods & Materials in Estate Planning & Probate (PARA 405), Methods & Materials in Litigation (PARA 410), Methods & Materials in Public Law (PARA 415), Advanced Legal Research & Writing (PARA 425), and Administrative Advocacy (PARA 430). In each of those courses, the instructor will complete an assessment form for each student in addition to grading and critiquing individual exams/projects and assigning a final letter grade. The items assessed will correspond to the desired student outcomes listed in Section I, above. The Assessment of Student Outcomes form is attached.

    C. Graduating Senior Survey.

• The program coordinator will give each Paralegal major a Graduating Senior Survey at about the middle of the semester in which the student will be graduating. The student will be asked to complete the form (see attached) and return it to the coordinator, at which time the student will be given the opportunity to add oral comments. The survey asks the students to evaluate their preparedness for the job market, to rate the department's performance, to identify strengths and areas needing improvement, and to identify prospects or plans for employment upon graduation.

    D. Graduate Surveys.

• The program will survey graduates approximately one year after their graduation, asking them to evaluate their level of preparedness for their job as a result of completing the Paralegal curriculum. This survey (see attached), along with the Graduating Senior Survey, will allow the program to combine the students' self-assessment with other external assessments, such as those of the internship supervisor and the employer.

    E.  Employer Surveys.

• Employers of recent graduates will be surveyed after the graduate survey responses are received. Employers will be asked for an evaluation of the student's preparedness and general skill level. The purpose of the survey (see attached) is not to invade the employer-employee relationship by asking for an individual performance evaluation, but to provide an external assessment of the students' preparedness. The employer will also be asked to comment on areas in which the program might improve.

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an equal opportunity educator and employer | Accessibility Questions? | Contact assess@mnstate.edu | Updated 1/11/06
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