All students must enroll in required courses in the semester and in the sequence prescribed in the required curriculum, set forth in Appendix A.
Deviations from the required curriculum will not be permitted except with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
No student may enroll in and attend a course requiring a prerequisite if the student has not already completed the prerequisite, except with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, after consultation with the faculty member teaching the course.
No student may earn more than a total of two hours credit in Independent Study, and no student may enroll for more than one hour of Independent Study in any single academic year, except that the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may allow two hours in special cases. The Independent Study Course Rules are attached as Appendix F.
The required curriculum is set forth as Appendix A to the Academic Rules and is incorporated by reference. In addition, Research, Writing & Advocacy I is a prerequisite to Research, Writing & Advocacy II. (revised 4/9/15)
Each Law School course taught in a traditional classroom format must meet the following credit-hour requirements:
Consistent with ABA Standard 310, a credit hour is an amount of work that reasonable approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction time (including the final exam) for 15 weeks, plus two hours of out-of-class student work per week for 15 weeks (including studying for the final exam).
For purposes of Standard 310, 50 minutes of classroom or direct faculty instruction equates to one hour, and 60 minutes of out-of-class student work equates to one hour. Thus, one credit hour requires the equivalent of 750 minutes of in-classroom work (including the exam) plus 1800 minutes of out-of-class work. In other words, a credit hour requires at least 42.5 hours of work: 12.5 hours in the classroom or taking the final exam, and 30 hours outside of class, preparing for class or for the final exam.
All other Law School courses (including clinics, externships, independent study, distance learning courses, research assistance, and courses earning co-curricular credits) must meet the following credit-hour requirements:
A credit hour for these courses is an amount of work that reasonably approximates at least an equivalent amount of in-class and out-of-class work (42.5 clock hours) engaged in relevant academic activities, including simulation; filed placement; clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. There is no minimum amount of in-class instruction time required for these courses.
Students in these courses must maintain and submit a log of time spent in relevant out-of-class academic activities
New course proposals must include a justification for the number of credits to be awarded that includes out-of-class work to be assigned, as well as the time to be spent in class sessions)
The law school shall regularly review all relevant data, including the number of hours reported on student timesheets and student evaluations; course descriptions; and syllabi, to ensure the work assigned reasonably approximates the amount of work required per credit hour. (Adopted 11/2016, Updated 2/2026)
Regular and punctual attendance is required in all courses.
A student who fails to maintain regular attendance may be excluded from:
The school by the faculty, or
From the course by the instructor, or
both.
Prompt and regular attendance and preparation, or lack thereof, and class participation may be considered by the individual faculty member in regard to grades and by the faculty and the Dean in regard to honors, awards, scholarships, recommendations, and similar matters.
At the beginning of the course, specific attendance, preparation, and class participation requirements shall be established by the instructor, communicated to the students, and made known to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
The recommended attendance policy is that a student may not be absent for more than 12% of the total class time.
Except as otherwise provided in this rule, all instructors must be properly prepared for each class and must start punctually and conduct each class at the time and dates scheduled by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
An instructor may cancel class and instead provide an alternative method of instruction when:
in advance of the class, the instructor (i) has received an accommodation through the human resources department permitting class cancellation, or (ii) requests and receives approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to cancel the class; or
an emergency or other unforeseen circumstance prevents the instructor from conducting the class at the scheduled time. The instructor shall notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs as soon as possible of the reason for canceling the class and the instructor’s anticipated alternative method of instruction
To request approval to cancel a class under Section 2.a) the following procedures apply:
Under section 2(a)(i), an instructor shall complete the formal accommodation process required by the human resources department. The instructor may only rely on the requested accommodation after it has been approved by the human resources department. The instructor shall provide a copy of the accommodation to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs as soon as possible after the accommodation is granted and at the beginning of each subsequent semester as long as the accommodation is operative.
Under section 2 (a)(ii), an instructor shall notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs as soon as possible of the reason for canceling the class and the instructor’s anticipated alternative method of instruction. The instructor must demonstrate the instructor’s request does not constitute an abuse of the privilege to cancel class and the instructor’s request does not impose an undue burden on the students. It is presumed that canceling class does not constitute an abuse of the privilege to cancel class and does not impose an undue burden when the canceled class is only the first cancellation of the semester in the course. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall consider the instructor’s request and then notify the instructor whether the request to cancel the class is approved.
Instructors must provide an alternative method of instruction for all classes that do not meet at the scheduled time. Permissible alternative methods of instruction include the following
Rescheduling and conducting the class at a time that is convenient for most of the students in the course and approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs;
Providing an online, asynchronous class session, which includes a method to check student attendance and participation;
Providing a recorded class session, which includes a method to check student attendance and participation;
Requiring students to observe judicial or legislative proceedings, with a requirement that students submit to the instructor a written assignment reflecting on their learning from their observations
Having the class supervised or taught by a member of the full-time faculty
Other methods approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
This Rule does not apply when the instructor conducts required (i) individual conferences with each student in the course, (ii) lawyering skills simulations, (iii) oral arguments, or (iv) other comparable activities as part of the course plan described in the syllabus.
If the law school is closed due to weather, health, or other emergency circumstances, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may waive in whole or in part the requirement in this Rule to provide an alternative method of instruction for canceled classes, as long as every course meets ABA Standards for classroom instruction. Any such waiver shall apply equally to all instructors. (Modified 3/2025)
Maximum Number of Hours.
A full-time student may not register for more than 16 credit hours in either the fall or spring semester, or for more than 1 credit hour in any single week during a one-week intersession. For the final semester of law school study, a full-time student may enroll for a maximum of 17 credit hours. (Revised 5/11/2015; 11/14/16)
A part-time student may not register for more than 12 credit hours in either the fall or spring semester or for more than 1 credit hour in any single week during a one week intersession. (Revised 5/11/2015; 11/14/16, 4/14/2025)
Full-time and part-time students may not register for more than 6 credit hours during the summer term. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, however, may allow a student to take up to 8 credit hours during summer term if that student certifies that he or she is working no more than 20 hours per week during the summer term. Full-time students who matriculated before fall 2017 may take up to 9 credit hours in the summer. (adopted 11/14/16)
Credit hours earned in courses which are held during an intersession (for example, between the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall semester) do not count for purposes of the limits on the number of credit hours for which a student may register in either the fall or spring semester. (Revised 5/11/2015).
Overloads will never be allowed under any circumstances.
A student’s total number of registered credit hours in a semester or intersession shall include all credit hours in academic courses for which the student is registered, including credit hours for which the student is registered at other institutions, not only credit hours offered by the law school.
Minimum Number of Hours.
A full-time student shall not register for fewer than 10 credit hours.
A part-time student shall not register for fewer than 8 credit hours, in either the fall or spring semester.
The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may approve a petition to register for fewer hours.
Any student who registers for more than 12 credit hours is considered a full-time student and must comply with Rule III E (Rule Governing Student Employment).
Because the curriculum in the full-time division is designed to occupy substantially all of a student’s working hours
A first-year full-time day student is not allowed to work for an employer other than the University of Arkansas Little Rock, including the law school, and for no more than 10 hours per week when school is in session.
A student shall not engage in employment for more than 20 hours per week in any semester in which the student is enrolled in more than 12 class hours.
Each student who registers for more than 12 credit hours shall
Certify compliance with this rule in the manner prescribed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and
Must disclose whether and by whom the student is employed or expects to be employed during the semester.
The Law School will publicize this 20 hour per week maximum to employers.
Any student who works or will work more than 20 hours per week shall not register for or continue to be enrolled in more than 12 credit hours. (Revised 9/9/04, effective 8/15/05)
Classes for full-time students are scheduled during the day, and classes for part-time students are scheduled during the evening.
A student who has been admitted to either the full-time or part-time division may not register for a course or courses offered in the other division unless
The course is designated as open to all students or
In the case of a non-required course, the closed registration period has ended, and there are still openings in the course.
A student who has been admitted to either the full-time or part-time division shall not transfer to the other division unless
The student petitions the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the petition is granted.
First year part-time students shall not transfer divisions.
During the first five class days of a semester, a student may enter or withdraw from an upper-year class by following the procedures prescribed by the Office of Student Records of the law school
After the fifth class day of a semester, a student
Must have the written permission of the instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to enter or withdraw from a class and
File such written permission with the Office of Student Records of the law school.
A student will not be allowed to withdraw from a course
After the final examination for that course has commenced, or
In the case of a course without a final examination, (i) after the final deadline for the submission of coursework if such deadline falls before the last day of classes, or (ii) after 5:00 p.m. on the last day of classes for the semester in which the student registered for the course. (Revised: 3/14/2014)
First year part-time students shall not drop a course, except that a first-year part-time student may drop Legal Profession.
First year full-time students shall not drop courses except
When transferring from the full-time to the part-time division, and
The student remains enrolled in the part-time curriculum. (Revised: 5/11/09)
With the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the faculty member involved, an enrolled law student will be permitted to audit a law course; that is, to take a course without receiving either a final grade or credit.
No student taking a normal load of credit courses may audit more than one additional course
No student carrying a partial load may audit more courses than would constitute a full load giving such audit courses one-half normal credit.
An auditor is held responsible for regular attendance and for all course work except examinations.
No audit course may be counted as credit toward a degree.
Prior approval required. Students wishing to take courses for credit toward our degree at another law school shall apply to the Associate Dean for permission to do so before the student enrolls in such course and provide information on the specific course or courses to be taken. Such prior approval will be required to receive credit toward our degree for such courses.
Standards for Approval of Courses. The Associate Dean may deny approval or grant approval only for a reduced number of transfer credit hours in the following circumstances:
Transfer credit shall be denied for courses in subjects not comparable to courses offered at this school and not considered by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to be of substantial value as preparation for entry into the legal profession.
The number of hours of transfer credit granted for any course taken at another law school may be limited to such number of semester hours as are granted for a comparable course offered at this school, or, in the case of a course not comparable to any course offered at this school, to such number of semester hours as the Associate Dean deems appropriate;
The amount of transfer credit granted for any course will not exceed the semester hour credit (or the semester hour equivalent for quarter hour credit) earned at the school where the course was taken; and
Credit hours granted for study at a law school accredited by the state in which it is located but not by the American Bar Association may not exceed one-third of the total required by this school for its J.D. degree, and credit hours granted for study at a law school which is not a member of the Association of American Law Schools may not exceed 42 hours.
Minimum grade required. Transfer credit will be granted only for courses in which the student earned a grade at or above the grade point average necessary to remain in good standing at the school where the course was offered. Credit will be granted for courses taken on a “credit/no credit” basis, only for courses in which the student earned a “credit” (Revised 1/23/2012).
Grade point average, class rank, honors, and prizes.
Transfer credits are treated as pass-fail credits, so they are not included in the computation of cumulative grade point average for purposes of class rank, honors, and other prizes.
Students with transfer credit will remain eligible for general class ranking, honors, and prizes so long as they complete 56 hours of credit at this institution.
Students admitted with advanced standing, i.e., students who do not complete at least 56 hours at this law school, will not be given a class rank based on cumulative weighted average and will not be eligible for prizes or awards based thereon
For purposes of employment only, such students shall be given their average on the work done at this law school and an indication if they desire as to what “constructive rank” such an average would be given if all work has been done here.
For graduation honors based on cumulative weighted averages, such students shall be considered on the basis of their work at this institution if they have completed 56 hours here.
As outlined in the Law Review Handbook, transfer students, under appropriate circumstances, may be considered for selection by the Law Review.
Students are eStudents are expected to take final examinations when scheduled and complete other course work as assigned and as due.
An examination schedule is posted before the beginning of each examination period.
Ordinarily, all students will be required to take examinations at the time indicated on the schedule.
If the examination schedule creates an extraordinary hardship for a student, e.g., exams scheduled at conflicting times, two exams scheduled on the same day, or three exams scheduled on three successive days, the student should request as quickly as possible a rescheduled examination time from the faculty member involved.
If such an extraordinary request receives the permission of the faculty member, the examination may be rescheduled at a time agreed upon.
The faculty member shall communicate the date and time of all rescheduled exams to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
If, once the examination period has begun, a student is unable to take a final examination when scheduled or in a timely manner complete other course work as assigned or as due by reason of illness or other suddenly arising imperative cause, the student should, before the examination is scheduled, or work due, inform the faculty member involved.
If a prior excuse has been given and a student has received permission to take an examination at other than the scheduled time, the examination will be rescheduled and taken at that time.
If a grade is not available at the time grades are entered for the term, with the permission of the faculty member, a grade of “I” for “incomplete” will then be entered in the student’s record.
Ordinarily, a student will have no more than 90 days from the end of the examination period to complete the work or receive an “F”(1.2) in place of the “I.”
Consequences of missing scheduled examination.
General rule: If a student fails to appear for a final examination at the proper time without giving the required prior notice to the faculty member and having been given permission not to appear by the faculty member involved, the student will be given an “F” (1.2) for the course unless the student can show that the failure to give prior notice was due to a physical incapacity to do so.
Exceptions. The following are exceptions to the general rule stated above:
If the student fails to appear for a final examination on account of illness or other suddenly arising imperative and is unable to communicate the request for postponement of the examination to the faculty member due to a physical incapacity to do so, which physical incapacity is documented by the student to the satisfaction of the faculty member, then the faculty member is permitted to waive the general rule.
If the student fails to appear for a final examination without permission and under circumstances other than those described above, the faculty member is permitted to allow the student to withdraw from the course or take the exam at the discretion of the faculty member when:
The faculty member concludes that the student’s failure to appear was not the result of an intentional effort on the student’s part to avoid receiving a low grade in the course or to avoid taking the exam at the scheduled time and
The student has never been allowed to withdraw from a course pursuant to this rule.
Purpose: This policy is designed to guide the law school in developing, delivering, and evaluating distance learning education consistent with the American Bar Association’s accreditation standards for law schools.
Definitions
Distance Education means an educational process characterized by the separation, in time or place, between instructor and student.
Distance Learning Course (“D.L. Course”) means a course in which more than one third of the contact minutes of course instruction occurs outside the regular classroom. A D.L. Course is a discrete product of developed material, including a syllabus, introductory material, articulated learning goals, assigned materials (such as readings, podcasts, weblinks, text assignments, and prepared PowerPoints), assignments, and assessment mechanisms. A D.L. Course is a completed unit that may be taught multiple times.
Distance Learning Class (“Class”) means a version of a D.L. Course that is delivered to students by a Teaching Faculty member. A Class may be delivered asynchronously or synchronously as defined by Sections 2.7 and 2.8. A single D.L. Course may have multiple Classes.
Course Developer means the person who designs and prepares a D.L. Course by developing appropriate materials, activities, and assessments tied to specific learning goals. A Course Developer may be a faculty member with specific content knowledge, learning specialist, a technical expert, or any combination of knowledgeable persons who work together to develop a D.L. Course.
Teaching Faculty means a person who executes and delivers a Class. Teaching Faculty interact with students and provide feedback, assessment, and other appropriate material.
Distance Learning Program Administrator (“Program Administrator”) means the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who shall oversee the Distance Learning Program and who is responsible for training faculty, developing D.L. Courses, evaluating D.L. Courses, and reviewing D.L. Courses for quality on an ongoing basis.
Asynchronous means a method of delivering a D.L. Course at one time that allows students to complete coursework at different times using email, discussion boards, listservs, wikis, video or audio posts, and other technology that allows students and Teaching Faculty to communicate with one another at different locations and times.
Synchronous means a method of delivering a D.L. Course using two-way communication technology with virtually no time delay, in which Teaching Faculty and students are in different physical locations while communicating with one another in real time.
Hybrid or Blended D.L. Course means a D.L. Course that includes both live, in-person teaching sessions as well as Asynchronous or Synchronous distance learning sessions.
Requirements for All D.L. Courses
Each D.L. Course must be designed to use the technological resources available at the law school, supportable by the law school, and reasonably available to students.
Each D.L. Course must identify student learning outcomes consistent with American Bar Association Accreditation Standards for Law Schools, including appropriate methods of assessment and evaluation of student progress toward learning outcomes.
Each D.L. Course must include interactive tools and course design elements that allow Teaching Faculty and students interactive opportunities that equal or exceed the interaction that occurs in a traditional live, in-person classroom setting.
Ownership of intellectual property rights for Technology-Enhanced Course Materials (TECM) developed for each D.L. Course or Class shall be determined consistent with UALR Policy No. 209.2.
Each D.L. Course must include an effective process for verifying identity of students registered in the D.L. Course, including a secure login and pass code, and other technologies and practices that effectively verify that the student who registers for a Class is the same student who participates and whose work is assessed by the Teaching Faculty.
All D.L. Courses must be approved by the Curriculum Committee, even if already offered in the residential law school curriculum.
Requirements for All Classes
Each Class must meet the minimum design requirements of a D.L. Course as described in section 3 of this policy.
Each Class must protect student privacy consistent with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For that reason, all distance learning Classes must be provided from secure sites, and all D.L. Course elements that require student identification will be limited to those sites.
Each Class must require enrolled students to access the Class using a unique login and password issued to the student consistent with the law school’s standard student verification protocols.
Each required examination for a D.L. Course that does not permit students to use outside materials (such as open book exams) must be proctored by appropriate personnel or by using available technology.
Each Class, and any subsequent modification to a D.L. Course delivered as a Class, belongs solely to the law school, subject to Section 3.4 of this Policy and UALR Policy No. 209.2 on Intellectual Property.
If the law school uses student work developed or presented in a Class for marketing purposes, the law school shall obtain a perpetual nonexclusive license for use of student work on a case-by-case basis.
Requirements for Faculty
Faculty members who develop a D.L. Course, or who teach any Class, shall participate in mandatory technology and distance learning teaching training.
Teaching Faculty shall participate in and monitor D.L. Course delivery for at least the number of contact hours consistent with the number of credit hours the law school has allocated to the D.L. Course.
Teaching Faculty must answer student questions and concerns during the period each D.L. Course is offered by the close of business on the next business day after the question is submitted. If a Teaching Faculty member is unable to attend to a D.L. Course for more than a 24-hour period, the Teaching Faculty member will alert students in advance. If the Teaching Faculty member will be unavailable to students for more than three days, the faculty member will alert the students and the Program Administrator in advance. A Teaching Faculty member who is unavailable due to an emergency must alert the Program Administrator at the first reasonably possible opportunity.
Teaching Faculty must provide regular and concrete feedback on student effort and performance in the D.L. Course.
Requirements for Students
Each student who participates in a Class must participate in a mandatory orientation program for the purpose of training students in using the technology and to familiarize students with Distance Learning protocols and etiquette.
Each student may take a maximum of 9 D.L. Course credits toward the J.D. degree. A student may not enroll in a D.L. Course (a) to fulfill any first-year curriculum requirement or (b) before earning 28 credits toward the J.D. degree.
Teaching Faculty members, the Program Administrator, or other authorized law school personnel may monitor and review student work in a D.L. Course or Class.
Each student enrolled in a D.L. Course shall comply with the Code of Academic Conduct in each Class and in all other relevant aspects of the Distance Learning program.
Oversight and Administration
The Program Administrator shall oversee all aspects of the Distance Learning program, including the creation of D.L. Courses, delivery of Classes, and ancillary student experiences. The Program Administrator shall ensure systematic, valid, and reliable evaluation of all D.L. Courses and Classes to consistently improve quality of content and delivery.
The Program Administrator shall ensure regular monitoring of Teaching Faculty activity, including faculty interactivity with students, regular feedback, and assessment methods.
The Program Administrator shall develop a plan for administering the Distance Learning program that provides students access to financial aid, business offices, learning support, library, student services, and other services comparable to those provided to students enrolled in residential law school courses.
The Distance Learning program shall provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
All law school policies and academic rules apply to D.L. Courses and Classes, except as otherwise specifically provided in this policy.
Emergency: In an emergency that implicates the law school’s ability to deliver its residential curriculum in its normal course, the Program Administrator shall set appropriate guidelines for distance learning that may be used in other ways that are not governed by this policy. (Adopted March 9, 2015)
Definition. A Syllabus is “a concise statement of the main points of a course of study or subject.
Policy. On or before the first day of a scheduled law school course, the assigned faculty member shall provide a complete syllabus to each student enrolled in the course. The syllabus may be posted on the law school’s website, posted on the course website, or provided to students in hardcopy on the first day of class.
Contents. Each course syllabus should fully disclose the faculty member’s expectations and requirements of the students enrolled in the course and must include the following:
the university-approved course prefix, number, description, and any course prerequisites
course objectives, including relevant student learning outcomes, which may be incorporated by reference
course requirements, including required and recommended textbooks, resources, and references
a list and description of student assignments and activities, which may be tentative
an academic integrity statement
an attendance policy and any late or make-up work policy, where relevant
the course grading policy
the method and scheduled hours the faculty member will be available to students for office hours
the university-approved inclement weather policy
the university-approved disability statement
This policy is consistent with the UA Little Rock Syllabus Policy, now contained in Syllabus, Office Hours, and Regular and Substantive Contact Policy 404.8, adopted January 19, 2018. The law school is exempt from UA Little Rock’s current Credit Hour Policy (404.11). In addition, seminars offered by the law school are not ad hoc courses within the meaning of policy 404.8.
Modifications. Any changes to the contents of the syllabus should be made in writing and distributed to students enrolled in the course in a timely manner. (Adopted April 9, 2015, Revised November 12, 2018)
