Course Assignments
Learner-centred design and engagement
Students regularly deliver learner-centred low-stakes written assignments throughout the course and regular self- and peer-assessment of participation. All such assessments are supported by rubrics.
Students direct their own learning by choosing a business agreement to analyze for their final assessment based on their interests.
Experiential learning
Learning activities and assessments replicate real-life, workplace tasks. With explicit instructor guidance and modeling, students learn by transforming experiences to create knowledge (Kolb, 1984, 2015). Analyzing real-life business agreements in the course gives students authentic experience and assessment as they have opportunities to rehearse, practice, consult references, and get feedback (Wiggins, 1998). For example, low-stakes (5%) written assignments due before each class give students multiple opportunities to practice and get feedback from their instructor and peers in class discussion before they write and present the final paper (20%). This last step is analogous to senior business executives presenting recommendations to a board of directors or lawyers making recommendations to clients or business negotiations.
The course uses a series of simulations which build capacity to perform the final learning activity described above and below. The course roster ideally includes senior business students and senior law students combined for interdisciplinary learning experiences allowing students better understand how law and business work together. Students engage with course content by analyzing real-world business contracts to produce short written submissions before class thereby preparing students for in-class discussions described below. At a meta-level, students typically recognize the need for professionals’ lifelong learning to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving world by developing skills using business agreements. Also, business agreements are case studies creating memorable, thought-provoking examples to help students develop skills and knowledge of the structure and content of typical business contracts.
The learning activities simulate the type of work that business executives and lawyers regularly perform when managing contractual relationships with suppliers, customers, employees, landlords, etc. It requires the integration and application of concepts which will be expected in the workplace after graduation. The students’ individual pre-class work informs their participation in class discussions which also simulate the kinds of decision-making activities at the intersection of law and business. Expectations are set including multiple deliverables with deadlines which effectively require students to attend the class meetings prepared to practice the deliberative process for decision-making.
Learning activities require the student to identify business priorities of each of the parties to the business agreement, including risk analysis, choose a contentious term worthy of negotiation by the parties, describing and ranking negotiation positions of both sides—with such analysis done after completing research for sources of information to guide the formulation of suggested amendments to the contract with reasons to justify the recommendation. Students submit a written report of their work and present their work to the class near the end of the semester.
Detailed instructions for each assigned task together with evaluation rubrics available to students before the activities guide their work both individually and in group discussions. This includes regular peer and self evaluation of discussion activities and associated reflection. An end of course reflection is a required component of each student’s final paper.
Assessment
Low-stakes (5%) written assignments due before each class give students multiple opportunities to practice and get feedback from their instructor and peers in class discussion before they write and present the final paper (20%). This last step is analogous to senior business executives presenting recommendations to a board of directors or lawyers making recommendations to clients or business negotiations.
The course uses a series of simulations which build capacity to perform the final learning activity described above and below. The course roster ideally includes senior business students and senior law students combined for interdisciplinary learning experiences allowing students better understand how law and business work together. Students engage with course content by analyzing real-world business contracts to produce short written submissions before class thereby preparing students for in-class discussions described below. At a meta-level, students typically recognize the need for professionals’ lifelong learning to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving world by developing skills using business agreements. Also, business agreements are case studies creating memorable, thought-provoking examples to help students develop skills and knowledge of the structure and content of typical business contracts.
The learning activities simulate the type of work that business executives and lawyers regularly perform when managing contractual relationships with suppliers, customers, employees, landlords, etc. It requires the integration and application of concepts which will be expected in the workplace after graduation. The students’ individual pre-class work informs their participation in class discussions which also simulate the kinds of decision-making activities at the intersection of law and business. Expectations are set including multiple deliverables with deadlines which effectively require students to attend the class meetings prepared to practice the deliberative process for decision-making.
Learning activities require the student to identify business priorities of each of the parties to the business agreement, including risk analysis, choose a contentious term worthy of negotiation by the parties, describing and ranking negotiation positions of both sides—with such analysis done after completing research for sources of information to guide the formulation of suggested amendments to the contract with reasons to justify the recommendation. Students submit a written report of their work and present their work to the class near the end of the semester.
Detailed instructions for each assigned task together with evaluation rubrics available to students before the activities guide their work both individually and in group discussions. This includes regular peer and self evaluation of discussion activities and associated reflection. An end of course reflection is a required component of each student’s final paper.
REFERENCES
Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
Wiggins, G. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance. In Educative Assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance. Jossey-Bass.