Teaching Law by Design: Engaging Students from the Syllabus to the Final Exam

Professors Michael Hunter Schwartz, Sophie Sparrow, and Gerry Hess, three leaders in the teaching and learning movement in legal education, have collaborated to offer a new book designed to synthesize the latest research on teaching and learning for new and experienced law teachers. The book begins with basic principles of teaching and learning theory, provides insights into how law students experience traditional law teaching, and then guides law teachers through the entire process of teaching a course. The topics addressed include: how to plan a course; how to design a syllabus and select a text; how to plan individual class sessions; how to engage and motivate students, even those tough-to-crack second- and third-year students; how to use a wide variety of teaching techniques; how to evaluate student learning, both for the purposes of assigning grades and of improving student learning; and how to be a lifelong learner as a teacher.

"Teaching Law by Design should be mandatory reading for new law professors regardless of their subject matter and whether they teach casebook or skills courses. The book provides suggestions that will be helpful even to the more experienced professor… For the new teacher, the book provides teaching exercises, such as think-pair-share, that one would otherwise need to attend a teaching conference to learn about. For the experienced teacher, the book provides not only some fresh teaching tips, but also helpful reminders of sage advice, such as the value of including real life experiences (videos, field trips) into law courses… Deans would be wise to distribute Teaching Law by Design to assist their faculty in honing their law skills." ― Robin A. Boyle, Professor of Legal Writing and Director of Academic Support, St. Johns University School of Law

After serving eight years as the 10th Dean of the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law from 2017-2025, Michael Hunter Schwartz resumed his full-time faculty role as Professor of Law. He is a Consultant for the Institute for Law Teaching and Learning and has been teaching law since 1991. He is the author of Contracts: A Context and Practice Casebook (Carolina Academic Press, 2009), Expert Learning for Law Students (2d ed., Carolina Academic Press, 2008), Pass the Bar! (Carolina Academic Press, 2006), Teaching Law by Design: Engaging Students from the Syllabus to the Final Exam (Carolina Academic Press, 2009), and What the Best Law Teachers Do (Harvard University Press, 2011). He also is a named contributing author to Best Practices for Legal Education (CLEA 2007), and he has authored three law review pieces and several shorter works addressing various law teaching and learning topics. Professor Schwartz has delivered more than two dozen conference presentations on a wide variety of teaching and learning topics and has served as a consultant and/or invited speaker at more than two dozen law schools throughout the country.

Sophie Sparrow is a Professor of Law at University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

Gerald Hess is an Emeritus Professor of Law and Founder of the Institute for Law School Teaching at Gonzaga University School of Law.