Paralegal Program Upgrade
By refocusing the objectives on learner outcomes, I transformed a struggling program into a practical, engaging solution built for real-world application.
Client:
Zenith Education Group
Role:
Instructional Designer
Date:
2018
Project Specs
Audience: Paralegal Students
Tools: Canvas LMS, HTML, H5P, Word, Third-Party Apps
Skills: Creative Writing, Cross-Functional Collaboration
Brief
Analyze courses for redevelopment, focusing on improved pass rate and learner-centricity.
Project Synopsis
Context
The paralegal program at a national university was largely failing. Most courses were simply “read, write, repeat” and didn’t sufficiently prepare students to perform paralegal tasks in the workplace. Most students either didn’t take or didn’t pass the accreditation exam needed to obtain a position as a paralegal.
My Role
I analyzed the courses and grade data for areas where students faced the most struggle. I redrafted and aligned the outcomes and objectives across the program to the standards of national paralegal associations to close the gaps students were experiencing upon graduation. I partnered with the professors and the dean to shift the focus from defining terms and writing case essays to an immersive curriculum that would engage students more authentically and empower them to build the skills they would apply in the real world — replacing abstract exercises with the actual tasks, tools, and systems they'd encounter in the field. The resulting assignments aligned with tasks a student would perform upon hire at a firm, such as writing legal memos, researching cases using industry-standard software, tracking time in a professional billing system, and setting up matters in a virtual case management system.
The Results
The implementation of meaningful assignments and competency-based skill development led 71% of the first cohort to take the exam, which was unprecedented. They achieved the highest accreditation pass rate in school history.
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