Part 1: Project Scope

This module is one component of a series of online training and learning modules that students will complete over the course of their three-year term of study in law school. This modules is designed to inform and instruct law students on the necessary career and professional development knowledge, skills, and competencies they will need to successfully navigate the recruiting and hiring process during their first year of law school. Specifically, this module will focus on helping learners develop their resume and cover letter and will also provide information on what students can expect during the recruiting and hiring process including the standard expectations of legal employers.

Part 2: Background

Staff review of professional documents submitted by students raised concerns about the quality and consistency of work produced by students as well as its conformity with known best practices. Primarily, students were not producing high quality application materials, in terms of appearance and structure, and were not effectively identifying and communicating meaningful skills, knowledge, and abilities to employers through their written materials, which could lead to a loss of competitive edge for individual students and the institution as a whole when it comes to internship and employment rates for current students and graduates. The goal of the training module would be to educate students on certain best practices and induce them to employ these methods to improve conversion rates between application submission and interview offers.

Part 3: Design Approach

The course would be completed online in an asynchronous manner by a cohort of first year law students. The training module would be completed outside of the students’ regular academic courses to allow students to self-regulate their engagement with the course and complete it as their personal and academic demands.

Part 4: Implementation

The course will be deployed through D2L (DesiretoLearn), an online Learning Management System (LMS) currently being utilized by the institution. The course will be designed using Articulate 360, a course authoring tool. The two applications in combination will allow staff to track and assess student engagement and completion. It is anticipated that the module will be launched during the 2025 -2026 academic year with the incoming first year class.