Abstract
This Practice Report discusses the first year of operation of the First Year Clinic Placement Program (FYCP) at Flinders Law School. Lizzio (2006) identifies five key areas (or senses) as important in supporting transition into study: connectedness, capability, resourcefulness, purpose and culture. His sense of culture incorporates clear values, and his sense of purpose incorporates notions of personal development, vocational direction and disciplinary engagement. Embedded in a first year compulsory topic, this FYCP initiative draws on Lizzio’s five senses, and has potential to provide a transformative experience for students, supporting them to develop a positive identity as a holistic legal professional, commencing at enrolment. We envision this as the first stage in a vertically integrated curriculum.
Highlights
This Practice Report discusses the first year of operation of the First Year Clinic Placement Program (FYCP) at Flinders Law School. Lizzio (2006) identifies five key areas as important in supporting transition into study: connectedness, capability, resourcefulness, purpose and culture
Seeking to engage and inspire our commencing students (Kift, 2009), we publicised FYCP during the New in Law cocurricular transition program held in orientation week. (In future years, students will be sent an invitation to participate in FYCP with information they receive at enrolment, allowing a sense of anticipation to build.) Information and links were embedded via Flinders Learning Online [FLO] across several compulsory first year law topics including Professional Skills and Ethics, and via the generic online site for all Flinders law students, Becoming a Professional, which contains a module dedicated to the Flinders Legal Advice Clinic
Not in place when the FYCP program began in March, we subsequently developed pre-entry and exit questionnaires, which first year students complete anonymously
Summary
This Practice Report discusses the first year of operation of the First Year Clinic Placement Program (FYCP) at Flinders Law School. Lizzio (2006) identifies five key areas (or senses) as important in supporting transition into study: connectedness, capability, resourcefulness, purpose and culture. In their first year of law study, students begin a journey towards developing their identity as a future legal professional.
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