Writing an Externship Success Story: How to Evaluate Success and Reach for the Stars

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Session Type: AALS Programs

Session Capacity: N/A

Hotel: N/A

Room: Salon 4 and 9

Floor: Third Floor

For any externship instructor, it’s a given that externships are invaluable. We see shy and less-confident students suddenly blossom, we watch students’ skills improve, and we hear students say their externship was their best experience in law school. Students learn what they want and how to get it, and externships help students find jobs. However, while it may be obvious to us that externships are important, in this new era of defining and measuring the outcomes, how do we prove it? And from there, how can we use that information to inform the future of our programs: what courses to offer, how they should be taught, and which opportunities to promote?

This session explores how we might evaluate the current success of our externship programs and then use that information to make smart changes with specific end goals in mind. Using a hypothetical in which you’ve been asked to report on your program to your new dean and make recommendations, the session will tackle three fundamental questions: what criteria and factors we should use to evaluate our programs; how we can measure those factors; and how we can strengthen our programs using that information. The session will use both small and whole-group discussion formats to work out these questions, using our own current practices as a jumping point for determining what we ought to do.