(a) A law school may grant credit toward the J.D. degree for courses or a program that permits or requires student participation in studies or activities away from or outside the law school or in a format that does not involve attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions.
(b) Credit granted shall be commensurate with the time and effort required and the anticipated quality of the educational experience of the student.
(c) Each student's academic achievement shall be evaluated by a faculty member. For purposes of Standard 305 and its Interpretations, the term "faculty member" means a member of the full-time or part-time faculty. When appropriate a school may use faculty members from other law schools to supervise or assist in the supervision or review of a field placement program.
(d) The studies or activities shall be approved in advance and periodically reviewed following the school's established procedures for approval of the curriculum.
(e) A field placement program shall include:
(1) a clear statement of the goals and methods, and a demonstrated relationship between those goals and methods to the program in operation;
(2) adequate instructional resources, including faculty teaching in and supervising the program who devote the requisite time and attention to satisfy program goals and are sufficiently available to students;
(3) a clearly articulated method of evaluating each student's academic performance involving both a faculty member and the field placement supervisor;
(4) a method for selecting, training, evaluating, and communicating with field placement supervisors;
(5) periodic on-site visits or their equivalent by a faculty member if the field placement program awards four or more academic credits (or equivalent) for fieldwork in any academic term or if on-site visits or their equivalent are otherwise necessary and appropriate;
(6) a requirement that students have successfully completed one academic year of study prior to participation in the field placement program;
(7) opportunities for student reflection on their field placement experience, through a seminar, regularly scheduled tutorials, or other means of guided reflection. Where a student can earn four or more academic credits (or equivalent) in the program for fieldwork, the seminar, tutorial, or other means of guided reflection must be provided contemporaneously.
Interpretation 305-1:
Activities covered by Standard 305(a) include field placement, moot court, law review, and directed research programs or courses for which credit toward the J.D. degree is granted, as well as courses taken in parts of the college or university outside the law school for which credit toward the J.D. degree is granted. (August 2004)
Interpretation 305-2:
The nature of field placement programs presents special opportunities and unique challenges for the maintenance of educational quality. Field placement programs accordingly require particular attention from the law school and the Accreditation Committee. (August 1999)
Interpretation 305-3:
A law school may not grant credit to a student for participation in a field placement program for which the student receives compensation. This interpretation does not preclude reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to the field placement. (August 2004)
Interpretation 305-4:
(a) A law school that has a field placement program shall develop, publish and communicate to students and field instructors a statement that describes the educational objectives of the program.
(b) In a field placement program, as the number of students involved or the number of credits awarded increases, the level of instructional resources devoted to the program should also increase. (August 1999)
Interpretation 305-5:
Standard 305 by its own force does not allow credit for Distance Education courses. (August 2002)