Canadian Lawyer 4Students

26 F A L L 2 0 1 5 C A N A D I A N L a w y e r 4 S T U D E N T S K nown for its technology-savvy Faculty of Law, the University of Calgary is taking practical steps toward achieving more performance- based learning and full engagement from its law students. " e legal market is changing and they want their students to keep up," says Elyssa Hogg, 3L University of Calgary law student, in response to the curriculum changes coming this year. e program changes will roll out all at once across all three years of the curriculum, says Alice Woolley, associate dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary. " ose changes are designed to maintain the academic vigour and excellence of our program while at the same time allowing students more opportunities for what we call performance- based learning," says Woolley. Students need to think about the law beyond the classroom, she adds. Changes to the program will encompass all three levels with block courses added to each one. 1L BASICS OF LAW First year will now include a three-week intensive foundation course in law and justice where students will get to learn the essen- tials of the legal system as well as issues around access to justice. e course is essential for most law students and something law schools are not presently taking into account, says Hogg. When she started law school, Hogg didn't even know how to read a case, she says. "I didn't know how to write law exams and, for most law students who don't come from a legal background, they have no idea what the diff erent areas of law are and how the court system works," she adds. e faculty took all the feedback it received from students during special sessions held for law students at the beginning of the year, specifi cally for this reason, and implemented them into three-week block courses. "University of Calgary will be the fi rst to take a step in the direction of listening to students and what we actually need," says Hogg. "I have a lot of friends in law schools across the country, and [when] I was going into law school, [I] was told 'Well, you are not going to know what you are doing' and none of us do and I think that's fair, but why not show us what we The University of Calgary Faculty of Law is ramping up performance-based learning. Embracing change e program changes will roll out all at once across all three years of the curriculum, says Alice Woolley, associate dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary. " ose changes are designed to maintain the academic vigour and excellence of our program while at the same time allowing students more opportunities for what we call performance- based learning," says Woolley. Students need to think about the law beyond the classroom, she adds. Changes to the program will encompass all three levels with block courses added to each one. 1L BASICS OF LAW When she started law school, Hogg didn't even know how to read a to keep up," says Elyssa Hogg, 3L University of Calgary law student, in Elyssa Hogg Alice Woolley

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