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Survey of Law School Faculty 2025, Views of Online Legal Education

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    Report

  • 81 Pages
  • April 2025
  • Region: Global
  • Primary Research Group
  • ID: 6061647

This study looks at how legal faculty view online legal education. The report helps its readers to answer questions such as: what percentage of law faculty currently teach online? How much do they support online and other forms of distance legal education? How much online legal education survived the great pandemic? What is the course of its likely future use? How likely is your law school to expand its online legal efforts? Survey participants comment on which uses of distance legal education are most beneficial, and which the most problematic. 

Just a few of this 81-page report’s many findings are that:

  • Nearly 78% of faculty at large law schools with more than 800 students have ever taught a distance education law course.
  • 21.64% of faculty support expanding the use of online legal education, led by younger faculty.
  • Politically conservative faculty were the most critical, with 64.29% rating online legal education as "worse" or "much worse," than traditional legal education.

Data and commentary in the report is based on a survey of 134 law school faculty from more than 80 law schools in the USA and Canada.

Table of Contents

THE QUESTIONNAIRE
  • Characteristics of the sample
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATIONS OF THE SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
  • Experience Teaching Online or Hybrid Courses
  • Online Courses During the Pandemic:
  • Online Courses Before or After the Pandemic:
  • Hybrid Courses During the Pandemic:
  • Recent Online or Hybrid Teaching Experience
  • Perceptions of the Quality of Online Legal Education
  • Extent of Law School Use of Online Education
  • Level of Faculty Support for Expanding Online Legal Education
  • Qualitative Findings from Open-Ended Responses
  • Findings
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Have you ever taught any of the following?
Table 1.1.1 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic.
Table 1.1.2 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 1.1.3 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by academic title
Table 1.1.4 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by age of respondent
Table 1.1.5 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 1.1.6 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by public or private law school
Table 1.1.7 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 1.1.8 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by ranking
Table 1.1.9 Have you ever taught any of the following?  Fully online law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by political views
Table 1.2.1 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic.
Table 1.2.2 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 1.2.3 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by academic title
Table 1.2.4 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by age of respondent
Table 1.2.5 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 1.2.6 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by public or private law school
Table 1.2.7 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 1.2.8 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by ranking
Table 1.2.9 Have you ever taught any of the following? Fully online law course prior to or after the Pandemic. Broken out by political views
Table 1.3.1 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic.
Table 1.3.2 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 1.3.3 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by academic title
Table 1.3.4 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by age of respondent
Table 1.3.5 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 1.3.6 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by public or private law school
Table 1.3.7 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 1.3.8 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by ranking
Table 1.3.9 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by political views
Table 1.4.1 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic.
Table 1.4.2 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 1.4.3 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by academic title
Table 1.4.4 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by age of respondent
Table 1.4.5 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 1.4.6 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by public or private law school
Table 1.4.7 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 1.4.8 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by ranking
Table 1.4.9 Have you ever taught any of the following? Hybrid law course during the Pandemic. Broken out by political views
Table 2.1 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year?
Table 2.2 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 2.3 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by academic title
Table 2.4 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 2.5 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 2.6 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by public or private law school
Table 2.7 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 2.8 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by ranking
Table 2.9 Have you taught an online or hybrid legal course within the past year? Broken out by political views
Table 3.1 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution?
Table 3.2 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 3.3 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by academic title
Table 3.4 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 3.5 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 3.6 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by public or private law school
Table 3.7 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 3.8 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by ranking
Table 3.9 In general what do you think of the general quality of online legal education relative to traditional courses at your institution? Broken out by political views
Table 4.1 How extensively is your law school using online legal education?
Table 4.2 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 4.3 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by academic title
Table 4.4 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 4.5 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 4.6 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by public or private law school
Table 4.7 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 4.8 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by ranking
Table 4.9 How extensively is your law school using online legal education? Broken out by political views
Table 5.1 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education.
Table 5.2 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by law school enrollment
Table 5.3 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by academic title
Table 5.4 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by age of respondent
Table 5.5 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by gender of respondent
Table 5.6 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by public or private law school
Table 5.7 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by # of courses taught last semester
Table 5.8 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by ranking
Table 5.9 Do you agree: My law school should significantly increase its use of online legal education. Broken out by political views
How and for what should online legal education be used at your institution?

Sources / Contributors

  • IU McKinney
  • Belmont University College of Law
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
  • Bennett Law Firm
  • Boston University School of Law
  • Buffalo State University
  • Cardozo
  • Carey Law, U Maryland
  • Charleston School of Law
  • Chicago-Kent
  • Columbia Law School
  • Creighton University School of Law
  • Duke Law
  • Emory University
  • Fisher Broyles
  • Fordham Law School
  • Fordham University School of Law
  • Harvard Law School
  • Howard University
  • Indiana University
  • Kern High School District
  • LMU Loyola Law School
  • Louisiana State Univ. Law Center
  • LSU Law Center Juvenile Defense Clinic
  • LSU Law, Tulane law
  • Marquette University Law School
  • MC Law
  • McGill University
  • Mercer Univ. School of Law
  • Mercer University
  • Mississippi Supreme Court
  • Mitchell Hamline School of Law
  • MSU College of Law
  • New England Law | Boston
  • Northeastern University School of Law
  • Northern Illinois University College of Law
  • Northwestern Law School
  • OU Law 
  • Pace Law School
  • Pepperdine Caruso Law
  • Public Counsel 
  • Roger Williams University School of Law
  • Rutgers Law School
  • Salesforce, Inc.
  • Santa Clara University School of Law
  • Schulich School of Law
  • SMU Law School
  • Southern University Law Center
  • St. Mary’s University School of Law
  • Stetson University College of Law
  • Temple Law School
  • The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
  • The University of Tennessee College of Law
  • Thomas Jefferson School of Law
  • Thurgood Marshall S of Law
  • UCI law
  • UCLA School of Law
  • UGA School of Law
  • UIC Law
  • UMass Law School
  • UMKC Law School
  • UNC-CH
  • Univ. of Washington School of Law
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of California Irvine Law School
  • University of California San Francisco law
  • University of Connecticut Law School
  • University of Florida
  • University of Georgia School of Law
  • University of Idaho
  • University of Illinois Chicago Law School
  • University of Iowa, College of Law
  • University of Maryland School of Law 
  • University of Mississippi, School of Law
  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln College of Law
  • University of North Carolina School of Law
  • University of Oklahoma College of Law
  • University of Oregon School of Law
  • University of Richmond
  • University of South Dakota Law School
  • University of St. Thomas -- Minnesota
  • University of Tennessee
  • University of Texas
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Tulsa
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Wyoming
  • UT Law and Bush School
  • UVA Law
  • UW School of Law
  • Villanova University
  • Washington Univ in St Louis
  • Wayne State Law School
  • Wayne State University Law School
  • William S. Boyd School of Law, UNLV
  • Wise Law Library, CU Boulder
  • Yale Law School

Methodology

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