{"id":557,"date":"2019-02-20T09:23:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T15:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/?page_id=557"},"modified":"2025-02-12T14:14:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:14:19","slug":"blended-learning-at-mitchell-hamline","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/blended-learning-at-mitchell-hamline\/","title":{"rendered":"Blended Learning at Mitchell Hamline"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"introduction-wrapper\">\n<h2>We do online legal education right\u2014on your time<\/h2>\n<p>Mitchell Hamline\u2019s blended-learning option combines the best of distance learning with the best of in-person instruction.<\/p>\n<p>We understand that the greatest benefit of online education is that we can make it fit your life. All of your online legal education is done on your time. You decide the best way to schedule your time to meet the deadlines and work requirements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"\/capstone\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1036\" src=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/CAPSTONE-feature.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/CAPSTONE-feature.jpg 800w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/CAPSTONE-feature-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/CAPSTONE-feature-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/capstone\">Follow two cohorts of blended learning students through Fall Capstone Week<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"accordion-wrapper\">\n<ul class=\"accordion\">\n<li class=\"accordion-item\">\n<h4 class=\"accordion-item-title\">A timeline of blended learning at Mitchell Hamline<\/h4>\n<div class=\"accordion-item-body\">\n<h4>Early 2000s<\/h4>\n<p>Faculty begin offering online components and blended learning courses. The technology of the day is limiting but improves steadily as online education grows in higher education.<\/p>\n<h4>February 2010<\/h4>\n<p>Library director and faculty member Simon Canick presents <em>Online Learning: Directions for Legal Education<\/em> to various campus constituencies showing the growth of online learning at the undergrad level and proposing the school offer a four-year, part-time Hybrid J.D.<\/p>\n<h4>Spring 2012<\/h4>\n<p>Professor Greg Duhl, in the law review\u2019s Contemporary Issues in Outcomes-Based Legal Education issue, praises the \u201chigh level of success with faculty development and implementation of blended courses\u201d and calls for \u201ctechnological flexibility in the form of additional online and blended courses.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>July 2013<\/h4>\n<p>Formal request submitted to the American Bar Association seeking a variance to offer the Hybrid J.D.<\/p>\n<h4>September 2013<\/h4>\n<p>American Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education calls on law schools to change and innovate.<\/p>\n<h4>December 2013<\/h4>\n<p>ABA approves variance for 96 students per year to be admitted to Hybrid J.D.<\/p>\n<h4>February 2014<\/h4>\n<p>New scholarships available to students in rural America, small towns, and Indian reservations who have been admitted to the Hybrid J.D.<\/p>\n<h4>September 2014<\/h4>\n<p>A team of our professors, educational technologists, and law librarians host the Working Group for Distance Learning in Legal Education on our St. Paul campus.<\/p>\n<h4>January 2015<\/h4>\n<p>85 pioneering students from across the country begin the nation\u2019s first hybrid on-campus\/online program at an ABA-approved law school.<\/p>\n<h4>June 2017<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2017\/07\/07\/mitchell-hamline-a-world-champion-in-international-negotiation-contest\/\">Mitchell Hamline a world champion in International Negotiation Competition<\/a><br \/>\nTwo blended-learning students, based a thousand miles apart in Texas and Minnesota, outperform 32 teams from 25 countries to win the International Negotiation Competition for Law Students in Oslo, Norway.<\/p>\n<h4>August 2017<\/h4>\n<p>With demand outpacing the 96-student cap for the Hybrid J.D., Mitchell Hamline develops two additional blended-learning options with more in-person hours than the Hybrid J.D. The new programs offer significant online learning but make use of innovative in-person time, including a new Weekend Workshop model. One, called the Executive option, is modeled on the Hybrid J.D., while the other is a new version of the school\u2019s traditional Weekend option.<\/p>\n<h4>January 2018<\/h4>\n<p>The first graduates of the Hybrid J.D. join the ranks of Mitchell Hamline\u2019s 20,000 alumni. They are from the first and second cohorts and completed the four-year program in two and a half to three years.<\/p>\n<h4>March 2019<\/h4>\n<p>For the first time, a blended learning student\u2014Amber Fitzgerald from Washington, Missouri\u2014was elected editor in chief of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review.<\/p>\n<h4>Summer 2019<\/h4>\n<p>The number of blended-learning graduates from Mitchell Hamline was over 160 and counting, and our blended-learning alums are licensed and practicing in states across the nation.<\/p>\n<h4>Fall 2020<\/h4>\n<p>Mitchell Hamline launches a single blended option that builds on the strengths of Hybrid, Executive, and Weekend options. The new blended learning enrollment offering retains the increased on-campus time, prepares graduates to take the bar exam in all 50 states, and allows students to control their online work schedule and customize the duration, content, and format of their degree.<\/p>\n<h4>July 2021<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/06\/mitchell-hamline-students-win-global-negotiation-competition\/\">Mitchell Hamline students win global negotiation competition<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Austyn Boothe and Daniel Sheikhan win the International Negotiation Competition, marking the second time in four years that Mitchell Hamline blended-learning students have claimed the top global prize.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"accordion-item\">\n<h4 class=\"accordion-item-title\">Praise for the first-of-its-kind Hybrid J.D.<\/h4>\n<div class=\"accordion-item-body\">\n<p>The launch of the Hybrid J.D. program drew much praise from the legal community, including the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li>One of the \u201c10 Most Promising Innovations in Legal Education.\u201d preLaw magazine<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThis pretty much puts [Mitchell Hamline] on the cutting edge of legal education.\u201d Lawyerist<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026they put a lot of time, thought, energy, creativity and resources into developing the plan. The grant [of a variance in the number of on-line hours the school can offer] shows the program was carefully considered and carefully constructed.\u201d Barry Currier, managing director of accreditation and legal education for the ABA<\/li>\n<li>Former president and dean Eric S. Janus, who led the initiative to gain the ABA variance for the Hybrid J.D. program was named one of the \u201cMost Influential People in Legal Education\u201d in 2015 and 2016 by the National Jurist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"accordion-item\">\n<h4 class=\"accordion-item-title\">In a student\u2019s words: Responsive, demanding, intense, and accessible<\/h4>\n<div class=\"accordion-item-body\">\n<p><em>Bethany Lambert, a member of the Hybrid J.D. program\u2019s first cohort, talks about her experience with the program.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I am working on my own, I am never really alone. My professors are very responsive, the librarians are helpful and even have an instant message feature, and I am constantly in contact with my classmates, some of whom I count among my closest friends. Additionally, while I may be working at home, I do not have leeway to be anything but disciplined and devoted as the program is demanding.\u00a0I am being held accountable for all the reading and material through weekly discussion boards and papers.\u00a0The writing demands of this program are intense.<\/p>\n<p>In-person performance is also emphasized, as the Capstone Week, where we travel to St. Paul for seven days towards the end of each semester, is intense and productive.\u00a0My cohort has just finished our third semester, and my classmates and I have already been required to argue four motions in oral arguments, participate in two negotiations and one mediation simulation, and conduct several client interviews.\u00a0Local attorneys and judges serve as our adjudicators and clients in these simulations.<\/p>\n<p>The most remarkable element of the Mitchell Hamline Hybrid J.D. program is its accessibility. My class was asked during a recent ABA evaluation how many of us would be unable to attend law school had it not been for this program.\u00a0Nearly every hand went up.\u00a0Personally, as a mother of two special needs children, this program affords me the opportunity to receive a legal education and still tend to my children\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"col-sm-6 float-right\"><script>jQuery(function ($) {$(\".multi-badgeholder.badge-ca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7\").load(\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/admission\/badges\/?code=PLONLINE .badge-src\");});<\/script><div class=\"multi-badgeholder badge-ca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7\"><\/div><script async>setTimeout(function() {\r\n$i = 1;$sortorderca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7 = [];\r\n$sortorderca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7 = \"PLONLINE\";\r\n$sortorderca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7 = $sortorderca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7.split(\",\");\r\n$.each($sortorderca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7, function() {\r\n$(\".badge-ca721533d61c774012e62bb3b288b1e7 .badges.\"+this).addClass(\"order-\"+$i);\r\n$i = $i +1;});}, 3000);<\/script><\/div>\n<h4>Making blended education the equal of the traditional program<\/h4>\n<p>Important resources such as academic tutoring, career counseling, and bar exam preparation were made available to all students, no matter their location. Blended learning students can take advantage of the same opportunities as on-campus students. They can serve in student organizations like Law Review, do externships in the communities where they live, and participate in student competitions. Mitchell Hamline makes it possible for blended learning students to work in legal settings in their hometown during law school, which connects them to professionals and trends in their area.<\/p>\n<h4>Learn more about the blended-learning program<\/h4>\n<p>The first blended-learning graduates describe their experiences.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-max-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/265441691?h=3f6d571df4&amp;dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n<h3>In-person curriculum<\/h3>\n<p>The greatest innovation in the way we provide blended legal education has been on the in-person side. This has been the key to our success as pioneers in modernizing legal education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n<h4>Capstone Weeks<\/h4>\n<p>The core curriculum is\u00a0focused on experiential learning. Each\u00a0semester culminates in an on-campus\u00a0Capstone Week that emphasizes skills\u00a0training. Capstone Weeks use real-world\u00a0simulations to help students build\u00a0and practice their writing,\u00a0 negotiating,\u00a0counseling, and trial skills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n<h4>Externships<\/h4>\n<p>Students also gain real-world experience\u00a0by completing externships in two\u00a0semesters, during which they work in\u00a0the field on real legal problems under\u00a0the supervision of practicing attorneys in\u00a0their communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We do online legal education right\u2014on your time Mitchell Hamline\u2019s blended-learning option combines the best of distance learning with the best of in-person instruction. We understand that the greatest benefit of online education is that we can make it fit your life. All of your online legal education is done on your time. You decide &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/blended-learning-at-mitchell-hamline\/\" class=\"more-link\">Blended Learning at Mitchell Hamline<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-people.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-557","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}