Failure Is Not An Option: An Essay On What Legal Educators Can Learn From NASA's Signature Pedagogies To Improve Student Outcomes

Christine N. Coughlin, Wake Forest University School of Law
Lisa T. McElroy, Drexel University

Abstract

The story of the Apollo 13 mission is just one of the inspirational stories from the space program. it was an age of exploration, of pushing boundaries, of discovering new ways of doing things. In this essay, we examine three of NASA's signature pedagogies -- simulation, teamwork, and optimism--and discuss how those practices can be used effectively in legal education to prepare students for the realities of practice.