The following are the goals and learning outcomes common to all WCL externship seminars. Individual course syllabi may also include learning outcomes specific to the class.
Externship Program Goals & Learning Outcomes
Reflection allows us to learn from mistakes, build on what we learn and apply those lessons to our future actions. We can be purposeful in our decision-making and take responsibility for our choices. Through self-awareness and reflection we can identify and articulate challenges, develop solutions, and learn from our experience.
1) Goal: Assist students to develop practical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a legal workplace.
Learning Outcome: Students will be introduced to and develop a basic understanding of the personal and practical skills and knowledge that they will need to successfully transition from being a law student into a lawyer and to succeed in their first legal jobs. This might include presentation skills, time management, negotiations, billing, client contact, advocacy skills, use of social media, building relationships with colleagues, staff and supervisors and additional skills relevant to legal practice.
2) Goal: Provide opportunities for students to reflect upon and critically examine their externship field placement experiences.
Learning Outcome: Students will critically examine their externship experience and demonstrate insights orally (presentations, class discussions and other interactive exercises) and in writing (journals, papers, and other assignments). They will connect fieldwork experiences to seminar readings, class discussions and other coursework and engage in self-evaluation of their performance.
3) Goal: Encourage students to engage in self-assessment, set goals and take an active role in optimizing the field placement experience.
Learning Outcome: Students will assess their skills and knowledge, set goals (learning outcomes) for their externships with their supervisors, and devise strategies to accomplish these goals. Students will take a proactive role in obtaining feedback, guidance and mentoring from supervisors and colleagues and will manage workplace relationships.
4) Goal: Explore professionalism, professional identity and ethical boundaries within legal practice.
Learning Outcome: Students will examine their professional identities as lawyers, including work/life choices, and demonstrate an understanding of professionalism. They will be able to recognize ethical issues arising in the legal workplace such as the duties/bounds of zealous advocacy, and reflecting upon issues related to bias and diversity and the lawyer’s obligation to promote justice.
5) Goals: Ensure students understand the control they exercise over their careers and ways in which to leverage their externships to meet their career goals.
Learning Outcome: Students will explore legal practice in different settings and their own career choices, reflecting on their interests and values. They will be able to create career development strategies that highlight the knowledge, skills and experience gained in their externships, and will be able to communicate their personal narratives through networking, informal meetings, social media and the job application process.
Reflection allows us to learn from mistakes, build on what we learn and apply those lessons to our future actions.