Distance learning law school

2021 Law School Admissions Are Up!

2021 Law School Admissions Are Up!

Admissions statistics from the Law School Admission Council (“LSAC”) indicate that the number of applicants to U.S. law schools as of December 2020 is around 35% higher than it was at this point in 2019. Meanwhile, applications dramatically rose about 56% within that same time frame. In January 2021, applicants must put these numbers in context and understand that the admissions cycle is not yet over. Also, those aspiring to attend law school must appreciate that applicants are more likely to apply earlier in 2021 than they were in past years. There are many reasons that law school applicants are submitting applications earlier...

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The CDTA Is Making A Difference During The Pandemic

The CDTA Is Making A Difference During The Pandemic

As the end of one of the strangest years in modern times approaches, the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law (CDTA) continues to operate close to normal. The CDTA is making a difference during the pandemic, helping its student body weather the storm and continue to move forward towards academic goals and ultimately becoming attorney-advocates. The mission of the CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. This is done by educating students on bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of the 4-year course of study, students will be fully qualified to...

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Five Tips For Overcoming Online Learning Challenges

Five Tips For Overcoming Online Learning Challenges

As the winter of 2020 approaches, the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law’s (CDTA) remains firmly in touch with the needs of its student body as they are affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Not all students are comfortable with online learning and the CDTA is committed to providing an option for these students by offering both online and in-person learning. Here are five tips to help students deal with the challenges of online learning. Form a virtual learning team Find and enlist other students to join you not necessarily to form a study group but to form a support group. Regularly communicate...

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Even More Time Management Tips For Online Students

Even More Time Management Tips For Online Students

A major challenge for students during the pandemic is time management. The coronavirus is altering how they live, study, and learn. Nothing is certain for the short-term, unpredictability has forced everyone to ad-lib just to get through the day. Online students must have the ability to be self-motivated, organized, and independent. Here are some basic time-management tips to make online learning more productive. Eliminate any distractions While a home environment provides convenience, comfort, and flexibility, it also presents the temptation to easily engage in activities that may be less productive. This tip is a correlate of having a dedicated workspace. It is...

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The CDTA: Still In Business And Going Strong!

The CDTA: Still In Business And Going Strong!

As the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law’s (CDTA) founder and dean, John Patrick Dolan discussed the state of the practice of law with legendary trial attorneys, F. Lee Bailey and Gerry Spence, the three discovered that young lawyers and current law school graduates were lacking the advocacy skills necessary for effectively asserting the rights of clients. Because of these conversations, John Patrick Dolan and Irene Garcia Dolan were inspired to start the California Desert Trial Academy with an emphasis on teaching students the practice of law, rather than just the knowledge of the law. The result is students who develop into...

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The CDTA: Pushing Forward In 2020

The CDTA: Pushing Forward In 2020

The Fall of 2020 is here and the semester’s abrupt transition to distance learning is in full swing. Faculty and students are taking full advantage of the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law’s (CDTA) online learning platform, now in its ninth year of operation. Everyone at the CDTA has united to overcome the universal challenges that arise as a result of a forced emphasis on the virtual classroom. As a result, the CDTA is pushing successfully forward in 2020 as we approach our tenth anniversary. There are many students with limited access to online learning tools because the educational institution they...

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Time Management And Online Learning – Multitasking Should Be Avoided

Time Management And Online Learning – Multitasking Should Be Avoided

Many people believe that to be effective in their jobs, which includes managing time and using it efficiently, they must multitask. Since their time is so precious, students tend to cherish the ability to accomplish as much work as possible at any given time. With the new adventure of online learning currently unfolding, it is certainly a temptation for students at home to multitask to take full advantage of the situation. However, some believe that a key to online learning and managing time is the opposite approach and that multitasking should be avoided. The ability to multitask is considered a skill...

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Time Management And Online Learning – The Virtual Work Space

Time Management And Online Learning - The Virtual Work Space

Students forced to learn from home must make the most of their situation. A great place to start is the selection, organization, and maintenance of the location to be a student’s virtual workspace or office. While a virtual workspace permits students a great deal of freedom and flexibility in how and when they learn, a virtual workspace may be less efficient without the correct tools, resources, and protocols in place to achieve maximum success. A valuable, if not necessary, skill for students, especially online students, is effective time management. The better that time is managed, the more time that is available...

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Online Education Delivery Modelis: The Asynchronous Model

Online Education Delivery Modelis: The Asynchronous Model

Even before the coronavirus pandemic reared its ugly head and changed life as we know it, distance learning was on its way to becoming one of the standard forms of instruction for American students at all levels of education, with a significant impact already occurring at the secondary level. Colleges are making distance classes available, and graduate programs, such as law, have followed suit as well. Distance learning goes beyond for-profit and entry-level colleges as some of the nation’s most prestigious universities, such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, and MIT have implemented distance learning programs. The “asynchronous” learning model, in the words...

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Online Education Delivery Modelis: The Synchronous Model

Online Education Delivery Modelis: The Synchronous Model

In 2011, the inaugural meeting of the Working Group for Distance Learning in Legal Education took place at Harvard University. The workshop brought together individuals from many of the most active legal distance education programs as an opportunity to exchange information on the state and breadth of current practice while investigating those practices that may be best promoted to advance the field. There are several models for delivering distance education and the curriculum taught in current programs. One such model is the “synchronous” model which more closely resembles traditional, in-class instruction. The California Desert Trial Academy College of Law (CDTA) allows synchronous learning...

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