School of Law earns positive ratings in national student survey

The inaugural class at Elon University School of Law has given high marks to the program's quality in a national survey, indicating that the school is delivering on its promise to actively engage students in their studies and promote the ethical practice of law.

Law School Survey of Student Engagement logo The 2007 Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) reveals almost 90 percent of first-year Elon law students rate their educational experience as good or excellent, five percent higher than the national average. In addition, 92 percent gave high marks for Elon Law's efforts to encourage the ethical practice of law. Nationwide, fewer than 75 percent of law students say their school emphasizes legal ethics issues.

The survey, administered by Indiana University School of Law, gathered data from more than 27,000 law students in the United States and Canada. LSSSE asks students questions about their law school experiences, gathering details about how they spend their time and what they gain in their education.

Among LSSSE’s important findings are the following:

Topic	Elon average	National average
Students evaluated their entire educational experience as "good" or "excellent"	89%	85%
Often contributed to class discussions or asked questions in class "often" or "very often"	67%	47%
Often worked outside of class with classmates to prepare class assignments	60%	35%
Often worked with other students on projects during class	49%	12%
Often discussed assignments with a faculty member	61%	42%
Law school emphasizes contributing to the welfare of your community	58%	39%
Law school emphasizes developing a personal code of values and ethics	68%	44%
Law school emphasizes working effectively with others	73%	42%
Law school provides the support you need to help you succeed academically	74%	65%

“Overall, we are very pleased with what the LSSSE 2007 survey reveals about the experience our students are having here at Elon University School of Law,” said Leary Davis, dean of the law school. “The survey shows that we are creating a different kind of law school experience for our students, one that, like our parent university, emphasizes engaged learning in a way that should make law school both more fulfilling and create better lawyers.”

Seventy percent of Elon law students said they often worked harder than they thought they could to meet a faculty member’s standards or expectations. Seventy-six percent of Elon students report spending up to 5 hours per week participating in law school-sponsored activities such as moot court or the student bar association.

Seventy-nine percent of first-year Elon law students plan to do a clinical internship or participate in a field experience; 11 percent have already done so. Seventy percent plan to do volunteer or pro bono work.

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement was first administered nationwide in 2003. This year, students from 79 law schools participated in the survey. The survey instrument is based on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which gathers data on undergraduate student experiences, based on five benchmarks of quality. LSSSE is co-sponsored by The Association of American Law Schools and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.