The American Bar Association (ABA), responsible for accrediting law schools, has made a significant rule change that allows law students to take up to half of their classes online. This decision, which aligns the ABA’s standards with the distance education limits set by the U.S. Department of Education, marks a transformative shift in legal education.
Previously, the ABA had limited the number of distance education courses to one-third of a student’s total credits. However, the recent vote by the ABA now permits students to take up to 50% of their classes online. Additionally, the rule restricting students to a maximum of 10 credit hours of distance education courses during their first year of law school has been eliminated. These changes align the ABA’s standards with federal regulations and streamline the accreditation process for law schools seeking approval to offer distance education programs exceeding the one-third credit limit.
The amended rule presents law schools with an opportunity to enhance their online course offerings. By embracing distance education, institutions can leverage technological advancements to provide a more flexible and accessible learning environment. A memo prepared for the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar highlights the potential benefits that law schools can now harness due to this rule change.
As defined by the ABA, distance education classes involve situations where students and faculty are physically separated for at least one-third of the class duration. The ABA had previously increased the distance education limit in 2018, raising it from 15 credit hours to one-third of the total credits (approximately 30 credits in most schools). However, the COVID-19 pandemic compelled law schools to transition to online instruction, prompting the ABA to temporarily relax its distance education limits in 2020.
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A survey conducted by the ABA in 2022 sheds light on law students’ preferences regarding online learning. Of the 1,400 respondents, 52% indicated a preference for Zoom classes where everyone participates remotely, rather than in-person instruction. Additionally, nearly 69% expressed a desire to earn more credits through distance education than the one-third limit that was in place at the time of the survey. These findings demonstrate a growing acceptance and demand for online learning among law students.
In addition to the changes regarding distance education, the ABA council also reviewed plans to enhance the demographic information collected about new law students. This includes gathering data on the highest level of education obtained by the person who raised the student, information about disabilities, sexual orientation, transgender identity, and other new categories. By expanding the collection of demographic information, the ABA aims to gather a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse student body entering law schools.
Overall, the recent ABA rule change allowing law students to take up to 50% of their classes online signifies a significant shift in legal education. It aligns the ABA’s standards with federal regulations, simplifies the accreditation process for law schools offering distance education programs, and opens the door for institutions to expand their online course offerings. This evolution in legal education, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, reflects the changing preferences and needs of law students, who increasingly value the flexibility and accessibility provided by online learning.
