Trial Counseling Program

  • PSLO
  • Data Sheet
  • Program Review
  • Assessment Report

Program Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
(AY 2013-2014)

Program Student Learning Outcomes(PSLOS)

At the completion of Trial Counseling Program the student will be able to:

  1. Have a working knowledge of the major techniques of legal research and writing.
  2. Describe how the FSM and state rules of criminal law & procedure are interpreted and applied.
  3. Describe the law of torts and basic principles of admiralty law.
  4. Understand the concept of dispute resolution techniques including, but not limited to, mediation, arbitration, and community resolution procedures.
  5. Understand the law of contracts and general business law.
  6. Describe the processes of comprehensive examination of problems of proof and the rules of evidence.
  7. Understand the constitution of the FSM, its States and municipalities.
  8. Describe the FSM and State rules of appellate & civil procedure.
  9. Describe and explain the FSM and State real property laws.
  10. Practice actual supervised pre-trial and trial skills in civil and criminal cases

PSLO Assessment Report Summary

What we looked at:

The Trial Counselors certificate of achievement Program and the assessment focused on PSLOs 2, 8, and 9. Listed below are the results for each of the PSLO.

PSLO #2: Students were assessed on both class and small group discussions, and a written exercise scored with a rubric.

PSLO #8: Essay questions that present hypothetical fact situations scored with rubric

PSLO #9: Analyze historical events impacting land ownership and transfer issues in the FSM. Legal research and written exercise, scored with a rubric.

What we found:

  • PSLO #2: The PLO was assessed, using Law 210 or Criminal procedure and the pass rate. Results show the following: Total assessed=12 Passed=10 students met the outcome a grade C and higher. Failed=2 did not meet the outcome with a grade D and lower. Eighty three (83% ) of the overall class met the outcome.
  • PSLO #8: The outcome was assessed using Law 238-Civil and Appellate Procedure. A total of 13 students were assessed. Twelve (12) students met the outcome with a grade C and better. Ones (1) student did not meet the outcome with a grade D. Overall, 92% of the class met the outcome.
  • PSLO #9: The outcome was assessed, using (Law 238) Real Property. A total of 11 students enrolled in the course and they were assessed, using written assignments. Out of the 11 students, 10 (91%) students completed and passed the course with a grade C or better, while one student did not pass with a grade F.

What we are planning to work on:

  • Maintain proposed course schedule where Law courses are assessed on a semester basis.
  • At this rate, the outcomes are met. However, the program can still be maintained at this rate or improved if students are continued to be advised to take Law courses after completing and Associate Degree or if they are already in the field.

Recommendations for students:

  • Students planning to enroll into the program should begin in Fall semester, as introductory courses are offered this semester.
  • Students planning to get into the course are recommended to have good research and writing, analytical and critical thinking skills.
  • Recommended for in service legal staff or someone interested in the legal field.

Program Data Sheet
Spring 2013

Download PDF Version of the Data Sheet

Enrollment by Major and Campus

Major:

Degree

Term

Chuuk

Kosrae

National

Pohnpei

Yap

Students

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2011

 

 

27

 

8

35

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2012

 

 

19

 

5

24

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2013

 

 

15

 

 

15

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2011

 

 

14

 

12

26

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2012

 

 

28

 

8

36

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2013

 

 

23

 

 

23



Credits by Major and Campus

Major:

Degree

Term

Chuuk

Kosrae

National

Pohnpei

Yap

Credits

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2011

 

 

297

 

48

345

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2012

 

 

201

 

27

228

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2013

 

 

161

 

 

161

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2011

 

 

169

 

85

254

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2012

 

 

362

 

42

404

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2013

 

 

298

 

 

298



Credits by Program and Campus

Program

Term

Chuuk

Kosrae

National

Pohnpei

Yap

Credits

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2011

 

 

312

6

54

372

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2012

 

 

210

 

27

237

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2013

 

 

195

12

 

207

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2011

 

 

147

 

75

222

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2012

 

 

368

 

54

422

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2013

 

 

290

 

 

290



Credits Enrolled, Attempted and Earned(averages)

Major

Degree

Term

CredEnrollAvg

CredAttAvg

CredEarnAvg

TermGPAAvg

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2011

9.9

9.2

7.4

2.30

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2012

9.5

9.0

8.9

2.79

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2013

11.3

7.3

7.3

2.82

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2011

9.8

9.3

7.4

2.24

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2012

11.2

10.4

9.4

2.72

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2013

13.0

12.3

11.7

2.78



Program Sections, Enrollment Ratio and Average Class Size

Program

Term

Section

EnrollMax

Enrollment

EnrollRatio

AvgClassSize

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2011

8

172

116

67.4%

14.5

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2012

7

130

74

56.9%

10.6

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2013

4

80

68

85.0%

17.0

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2011

6

150

67

44.7%

11.2

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2012

8

165

12.4

75.2%

15.5

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2013

5

100

90

90.0%

18.0





Course Completion & Withdrawals (Major)

Major

Degree

Term

Students

ABCorP%

ABCDorP%

W%

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2011

76

89.5%

93.4%

5.3%

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2012

116

75.0%

81.9%

6.9%

Trial Counselor

CA

Fall 2013

39

87.2%

87.2%

7.7%

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2011

79

62.0%

81.0%

5.1%

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2012

125

78.4%

90.4%

7.2%

Trial Counselor

CA

Spring 2013

94

89.4%

90.4%

2.1%



Course Completion & Withdrawals (Program)

Program

Term

Students

ABCorP%

ABCDorP%

W%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2011

125

76.0%

82.4%

6.4%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2012

79

88.6%

92.4%

6.3%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Fall 2013

51

96.1%

96.1%

0.0%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2011

70

58.6%

78.6%

4.3%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2012

131

80.9%

92.4%

6.1%

Trial Counselor (CA)

Spring 2013

91

89.0%

91.2%

1.1%



Graduates

Major

Degree

AY2010/11

AY2011/12

AY2012/13

Trial Counselor

CA

10

13

13



  • Data based on SIS extracts December 2013 expect for graduates information.
  • Program" information is based on Dickerson's concept of a "program" as expending resoruces and is linked to courses owned by a program from TracDat
  • Graduation rates are based on Fall new students(full time) cohorts that are tracked at 100%, 150%, and 200%
  • Retention rates are based on Fall new students (full time) cohorts who return the following fall semester
  • Persistence rates are based on Fall new students (full time) cohorts who return the following spring semester

Program Review (Yap Campus)

AP Full Official:Certificate of Achievement in Trial Counselors-YC

Campus: Yap Campus

Completed by: Joy Guarin

AP Review Submission Date:March 31, 2014

AR Review Cycle: 2012-2013

  1. Program Goals

    At the completion of Secretarial Certificate the student will be able to::

    1. Have a working knowledge of the major techniques of legal research and writing.
    2. Describe how the FSM and state rules of criminal interpreted and applied.
    3. Describe the law of torts and basic principles of admiralty law.
    4. Understand the concept of dispute resolution techniques including, but not limited to, mediation, arbitration, and community resolution procedures.
    5. Understand the law of contracts and general business law.
    6. Describe the processes of comprehensive examination of problems of proof and the rules of evidence.
    7. Understand the constitution of the FSM, its states and municipalities.
    8. Describe the FSM and State rules of the appellate and civil procedure.
    9. Describe and explain the FSM and State real property laws.
    10. Practice actual supervised pre-trial and trial skills in civil and criminal cases.

  2. Program History

    In 1996,Certificate of achievement program for trial counselors is approved for implementation pending availability of funding. The program started with 1 student in fall of 2010 at Yap campus.

  3. Program Descriptions

    This certificate program provides training opportunities for current as well as aspiring and upcoming trial counselors to improve their skills and competency and to prepare them to be effective decision makers in their respective courts, It also provides for networking and sharing among trial counselors.

  4. Program Admission Requirements

    High School graduates and General Educational Development (GED) certificate holders who are not accepted into or are not interested in a degree program may apply for admission into an entry level certificate of achievement program.

    Applicants with significantly low scores are ineligible for admission. Other certificates of achievement program are offered when criteria for offering the program are met. Admissions requirements vary with the program. Application forms are available at Yap campus.

  5. Program Certificate/Degree Requirements

    The following are the major requirements:
    Program Requirements

            Major Requirements:....................31 credits

    Law 200 Legal Research and Writing (3)
    Law 210 Criminal Procedure (3)
    Law 215 Criminal Law (3)
    Law 220 Torts (3)
    Law 224 Contracts (3)
    Law 228Evidence (3)
    Law 232 Constitutional Law (3)
    Law 236 Appellate and Civil Procedure/Jurisdiction (4)
    Law 238 Real Property (3)
    Law 240 Trial Practice Internship (3)

  6. Program Courses and Enrollment

    Program Enrollment
    Spring 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Total
    12/td> 8 8 5 0 0 33

    Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Total
    8 5 0 0 13

    Number of Sections, Course enrollment
    Courses Number Number of section Course Enrollment Semester
    Law 210 1 9 Spring 2012
    Law< 232/td> 1 9 Spring 2012
    Law 228 1 5 Fall 2012
    Law 240 1 4 2012

  7. Program Faculty

    Name of Faculty FullTime/Parttime Degrees Held Rank
    Jeremiah Luther Part time Doctor of Jurisprudence Instructor
    Matthew Mannisto Part time JD. Litigation Instructor
    JD. Litigation Part time BA, JD,LLM Instructor Major courses

    Faculty student ratio for the program For 2012-2013
    Name of Faculty Number of Students Faculty Student Ratio
    3 13 1:4
  8. Program Indicators

    1. Assessment of course student learning outcomes of program courses

    Table 1.Fall 2012
    Course No. Instructor Name No. of Students Enrolled No. of stu-dents with "W" No. of Students Successful of SLO 1 SLO 2 SLO 3 SLO 4 SLO 5 SLO 6
    Law 228 Douglas Jennings 5 0 5 5 5 5 5  
    Law 240 Jeremiah Luther 4 0 4          

    Note: Used the old course outline using general objectives:


    2.Assessment of program student learning outcomes

    PSLO Assessment Report Summary (PAS of Trial Counselors Program, 2012-2013)

    What we looked at:
    The Trial Counseling certificate, assessment focused on PSLOs 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 10. Listed below are the results for each of the PSLOs.

    What we found:

    • PSLO #1: This PLO was assessed Fall 2012, using the Legal research class. Assessment as identified under strategies and the overall performance was at 90%.
    • PSLO #2: The PLO was assessed in Fall 2012, using Law 215 or Criminal law and the pass rate, based on assessment strategies resulted in a 83% pass rate.
    • PSLO #6: The outcome was assessed using Law 228 or Evidence during Spring 2013. A total of 15 students enrolled and 14 (93%) students completed and passed the course.
    • PLSO #7: This outcome was assessed during Spring of 2013, using course (Law 232) Constitutional Law. The assessed using tools identified under assessment strategies. A total of 19 students enrolled and 17 students completed and passed the course.
    • PSLO #9: The outcome was assessed in Spring 2013, using (Law 238) Real Property. A total of 20 students enrolled in the course and they were assessed, using the tools indicated as assessment strategies. Out the 20m students, 18 students passed and completed the course.
    • PSLO #10: Summer 2012-Nine (9) students enrolled and 7 students completed the course with a 78% pass rate. Summer 2013-Fourteen (14) students enrolled and all completed the course at a 100% pass rate. Students were assessed for both Summers 2012 and 2013. Results indicated about 75% passing rate. The target is met but has the lowest passing rate compared to the other outcomes.

    What we are planning to work on:

    recommendation by the instructor is to have two semesters of legal research class instead of one, prior to taking this course. An additional recommendation is to purchase a package through CALL.org, a computer-assistant learning program used by nearly every law school in the United States. The package costs around $250.00/year.

    • The course currently does not have a textbook. There is no recommendation for a textbook at the moment. Part of the reason why no recommendation has been made can be attributed to the fact that the course is taught by a different instructor every semester. Thus, there has not been any consensus to a specific textbook. a recommendation can be made to address the need for a regular law instructor who can also serve as the coordinator for the program.
    • Offer the course during a regular semester or have students take only one course, which is this course.

    Recommendations for students:

    • Students planning to enroll into the program can follow the proposed schedule of courses (per College catalog) to begin taking introductory law courses.
    • Students planning to get into the course are recommended to have good research and writing, analytical and critical thinking skills.
    • Recommended for in service legal staff or someone interested in the legal field.

    3.Program enrollment (historical enrollment patterns, student credits by major)

    Table 1. Enrollment patterns by major
    Term No.of Enrolled Students(Yap) Overall number of students enrolled (Chuuk,Pohnpei and Yap) Percentage(%)
    Spring 2011 12 26 46.2%
    Fall 2011 8 35 23%
    Spring 2012 8 36 22.2%
    Fall 2012 5 24 20.8%
    Spring 2013 0 15 0%
    Fall 2013 0 23 %

    Table 2 Credits by major
    Term No.of Enrolled Students(Yap) Total enrollment of YAP campus Percentage(%)
    Spring 2011 75 222 34%
    Fall 2011 54 372 15%
    Spring 2012 54 422 13%
    Fall 2012 27 237 11%
    Spring 2013 0 290 0%
    Fall 2013 0 207 0%
    Total 210    

    4.Average Class Size

    Table 1 Average class size
    Term Section Enroll/Max Enrollment EnrollRatio(3/2) AvgClassSize(3/1)
    Spring 2012 2 40 18 45% 9
    Fall 2012 2 40 9 22.5% 5
    Spring 2013          
    Fall 2013          
    Average         7

    5.Course completion rate

    Table 1. Spring 2012 Completion Rate per Course
    Course No. Instructor Name No.of Students Enrolled No.of Students with "W" Number of Students with a grade of F Number of students completed the course Completion rate(6/3)
    Law 210 Jeremiah Luther 9 0 1 8 89%
    Law 232 Matthew Mannisto 9 0 0 9 100%
    Total Average Rate   18 0 1 17 94.5%

    Table 2. Fall 2012 Completion Rate per Course
    Course No. Instructor Name No.of Students Enrolled No.of Students with "W" Number of Students with a grade of F Number of students completed the course Completion rate(6/3)
    Law 228 Douglas Jennings 5 0 0 5 100%
    Law 240 Jeremiah Luther 4 0 0 4 100%
    Total/Average Rate   9 0 0 9 100%

    Rate of students with W- 3.7%; Rate of students with a grade of F- 0%; General completion rate- 97.25%


    6. Student persistence rate (semester to semester)

    Persistence rate is based on Fall new students (full time) cohorts who return the following spring semester.
    Number of New students , Full time for Fall 2012 Same students, Spring 2013 Persistence Rate(%)
    None    

    7. Student retention rate (Fall-to-Fall for two-year programs; Fall-to-Spring for one-year programs)

    Retention rate is based on Fall new students (full time) cohorts who return the following the spring semester
    Number of New students , Full time for Fall 2012 Same students, Fall 2013 Retention Rate(%)
    None    

    8. Success rates on licensing or certification exams (CTE, TP, Nursing, etc)

    N/A

    9. Graduation rate based on yearly number

    Term Number of Graduates
    Spring 2012 0
    Fall 2012 5
    Spring 2013 0
    Fall 2013 0
    Total 5

    10.Students seat cost

    At the present tuition rate of $105 per credit the total seat cost per student completing this program is $3,255 The table below shows detailed information.

    Classes Credits CPC CPS
    Law 200 3 $105 $315
    Law 210 3 $105 $315
    Law 215 3 $105 $315
    Law 220 3 $105 $315
    Law 224 3 $105 $315
    Law 228 3 $105 $315
    Law 232 3 $105 $315
    Law 236 4 $105 $420
    Law 238 3 $105 $315
    Law 240 3 $105 $315
    Total 34   $3,255/b>

    CPC- Cost Per Credit; CPS- Cost Per Student

    11. Cost of duplicate or redundant courses, programs or services

    None

    12. Students' satisfaction rate

    A survey was conducted on selected behaviors of instructors for each class at the end of every semester. There were 15 items in the survey and students were asked to rate each class according to these items on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being never , 2 is rarely, 3 as sometimes, 4 is usually and 5 being always.

    The following are the items used in the survey
    1-Keeps regular schedule every class day. 2-Shows interest in the subject. 3-Gives individual help as needed 4-Avails self for student conference.5- Welcomes questions, suggestions, and discussions from students 6- Shows interest and respect for students.7- Helps the students in meeting individual learning needs.8- Uses classroom/lab time fully 9-Provides clear directions for assignments and instruction. 10-Grades fairly.11- Makes the purpose of the course clear. 12-Talks clearly and at an easy-to-follow speed.13- Paces the lessons well with activity as well as lecture. 14 Makes the course interesting.15- Textbook was appropriate and helpful. Students' Satisfaction Survey Results(Weighted Means) Legend:

    N-Number of students; AWM Average Weighted Mean; D-Descriptive Equivalent; U-Usually; A-Always

    The table below shows detailed information on the students’ satisfaction survey during Fall 2012.

    Spring 2013
    Courses N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 AWM D
    Law 228 5 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.8 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.9   4.7 A
    Law 240 4 4 4.3 4.8 4.3 4.3 3.5 3.8 4 4.3 4 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5   4.2 A

    General Weighted Mean 4.45
    Descriptive Equivalent Always


    13. Alumni data

    1 graduate at National Campus from Yap.

    14. Employment data and employer feedback (employer survey)

    Graduate Number Working? Locaiton In School? Locaiton
    1 Yes AYUW Comm. No  
    2 No   Yes BA, FIji
    3 No   Yes USP, Law Fiji
    4 Yes COM-FSM No  
    5 Yes Yap Social Security No  

    15.Program added or cancelled at nearby regional institutions (PCC, GCC, Hawaii schools, UOG, CMI, NMC)

    N/A

    16. Transfer Rate

    None

  9. Analysis and Recommendation

    Finding
    This section provides discussion of information discovered as a result of the evaluation such as problems or concerns with the program and what part of the program is working well and meeting expectation.

    1. No enrollment during Spring 2013 and Fall 2013. This affected persistence rate and the retention rate of the program.
    2. Faculty student ratio is 1:4.
    3. Course Level Assessment was completed using the old course outline.
    4. Major courses offered each semester is 1 section.
    5. Average class size is 7.
    6. Rate of students with W- 3.7%; Rate of students with a grade of F- 0%; General completion rate- 97.25%.
    7. During Fall 2012, Instructors were rated “Always” in the Students Evaluation of Teachers Behaviors.
    8. Graduates are produced only in Fall 2012. Two of the graduates during Fall 2012 pursued degree courses related to Law in Fiji.

    Recommendation:

    This section provides recommendations from the program on what to do to improve or enhance the quality of program and course learning outcomes as well as program goals and objectives. This section should also include suggestions that describe how the program might be able to create opportunities for a better program in the future. Some examples are exploring alternate delivery mechanisms, forming external partnerships, or realigning with other programs.

    1. Increase enrollment by developing recruitment strategies.
    2. All faculty should complete course level assessment every semester.
    3. Course outline should be written in the new format.
    4. Improve data collection and management.

Unit Assessment Report

Report Period: 2013-2014

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