Modules: An Introduction

January 21st, 2013 / By Deborah J. Merritt

A “modular” education is one in which (1) the institution delivers education in discrete courses; (2) those courses are independent of one another, although some advanced courses may carry prerequisites; (3) teachers assess students at the end of every course; (4) students have significant choice in electing courses; (5) the student earns a degree by passing a specified number of courses, sometimes with particular distribution and other requirements; and (6) a student often may apply credits from one institution toward the degree awarded by another institution.

Sound familiar? It should. Modular education has long been the norm at U.S. universities, including law schools. Universities in other countries, including the United Kingdom, embraced modular education much more recently–with significant culture shock and gnashing of teeth. [For a discussion of that transition, see the interesting article by David Billing, Review of Modular Implementation in a University, at 50 Higher Education Quarterly 1 (1996).]

So what’s the big deal about moving law schools to a more modular system? In a recent paper, Kyle McEntee, Patrick Lynch, and Derek Tokaz advocate a new model of legal education called the “Modular Law School.” Their proposal would make law school more modular by introducing greater flexibility in the length and scheduling of coursework. Modules could last a week, a month, or a semester–although most would last no more than seven weeks. Similarly, modules could meet one hour a week or ten hours a week; schedules would vary to accommodate the nature of the material, the pedagogy, and the instructor’s availability.

Many law schools have already moved in a modular direction. They offer “short courses” ranging from a week to a half-semester; they also schedule courses in different formats. The Modular Law School (“MLS”) builds on these approaches to create a more fully modular system. What are the pros and cons of an MLS?

There is a lot to say about the costs and benefits of a more modular education; so much, in fact, that I’ve decided to create a series of posts on this issue. In upcoming posts, I’ll consider these aspects of a more modular law school:

* Assessments and Feedback
* Curricular Content
* Delivery Methods
* Costs
* Customization
* Coherence
* Experiential Education
* Continuous Improvement

If you’re interested in other topics related to modular education, please let me know. My discussion is modular, so I can easily add to it!