Law School Academic Support Blog

ChatGPT, Assessments, and Cheating: Oh my!

Last week I gave a quiz to my undergraduates: 14 multiple choice questions plus a short answer question. It was an open note, open book quiz. I had an honor affirmation at the start of it for those using their laptops for e-textbooks and notes. And there was still cheating. And I am not surprised that there was, but I was surprised at how it happened.

ChatGPT (and other forms of AI bots) are almost all we are talking about as a faculty these days. A student could very easily use one to answer a question on an exam, or to organize and write a paper, and it is extremely difficult to police. Additionally, at my school, we have recently begun slowly switching our platform from BlackBoard to Canvas-and our pilot version of Canvas does not have any anti-plagiarism software attached to it yet. (I miss SafeAssign.) I have asked the bot to do all my written assignments and have them handy for comparisons (and will add them to my platform’s institutional database when we have the software). But here is the real conundrum for law schools: is there any way to assess students that cannot be hacked at this point other than an old school closed book exam? Not every class can use the OG exam format for assessment.

There are, of course, two sides to the debate here: on the one hand, resourcefulness is a skill that we want students to have. We want them to ask the right questions in order to get answers that solve problems. Using a bot certainly can improve those skills. We do not actually have lawyers that to go into any form of legal employment where they will be given three hours, a water bottle, and a proctor in order to resolve a client’s case. We are not sure that the NextGen bar exam will ask anyone to memorize vast swaths of law anymore either.  So, if there is a resource that can be helpful (and it seems at the moment to be free-ish), why not train students to use it? If we are in front of the use --and behind it as well-- then we can frame the appropriateness of the use and have more control over it.

On the other hand, is this what we want our profession to be? Should we aim to be a group of educated and licensed typists? How can we assess learning about the law separate from learning how to use the legal resources available? In some ways, I suppose we all fear being replaced by machines. It is a common science fiction trope. A computer, however, no matter how sophisticated, may never be able to see the nuances of the human condition that a well-trained attorney can. A bot would probably not make a creative argument for a change in the law since they are limited to the existing law and interpretations of it. Can we teach a bot to think like a lawyer? Probably. Can we teach it to have an off the record conversation with opposing counsel that hammers out a better deal because of something that cannot be said in court? Doubtful. There are unique spaces for human attorneys, even in this brave new world.

I suppose we could always ask ourselves how we would feel if our doctors typed our symptoms into a computer and then used what was spit back as a basis for treating us. I’m not sure I would still need a doctor to do that for me. I could also game the system by avoiding telling it about things where the answer they give might frighten me. I could, in short, lie to the bot and get the answer I wanted if I asked it often enough and changed the variables I share. My doctor sees through my bullshit-and that is why I trust her. She knows that I am more than the sum of my parts. Perhaps this gestalt is why human lawyers will always be superior.

In all honesty, I am not sure what the answer is here-there has to be a balance and there also has to be some nimbleness on the part of law schools in finding it-and soon. In the meantime, I keep telling students that I am assessing their knowledge of what we discuss in class rather than their ability to look it up. And that is what I told the student who copied their short answer on the quiz (verbatim) from the textbook. I wasn't expecting outright handwritten plagiarism. I guess we still need to be vigilant at all levels of technology. I told the student that I enjoyed pg. 104 of our textbook as much as they did (which is why it was assigned), but just being able to identify these words as correct is not the same as understanding why they are correct. Parrots may make lovely pets, but they do not make good lawyers.

(Liz Stillman)

Quick Emergence of AI

The last couple weeks have been enlightening, and caused me to feel older than I should feel.  I grew up as technology boomed, and I have multiple family members in the computer industry.  All that said, I did not pay enough attention to AI before the past couple weeks.  ChatGPT bombarded multiple academic listservs.  As I read the thread on the ASP listserv, our Associate Dean discussed the issue with our faculty from the thread on her listserv.  For me, it feels like the technology evolved almost overnight.  It went from unknown to a sensation that nearly passed the bar exam.  

I am frightened by the impact this could bring from conduct code issues to bot lawyering.  However, I think at least one positive might come from this endeavor for my students.  We will most likely stop giving any take home exams.  Yes, I know take home exams provide unique educational benefits that helps with lawyering, but I try to find every opportunity to help my students with timed, closed-book style exams (the bar).  I worry about the big picture impacts, but I find some solace in students preparing more for the bar.

Here are a few articles I saw this week:

Tip of the day: How to use ChatGPT to figure out if a text was written by ChatGPT

AI Generation (also a collection of articles)

ChatGPT takes the Bar Exam

 

(Steven Foster)

We've Come a Long Way

Our law school building was shut down as of 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. An email went out at 1:47 p.m. letting us know that we were going to be taking all classes online until, they then said, Monday at 7:00 a.m. Now, if I were reading this as someone who didn’t know more, I’d be reaching for the hand sanitizer (despite the fact we know that the internet transmits all kinds of virulent things, but not actually human viruses). I’ll wait a moment for your hands to dry before I go on.

Here’s the thing: it wasn’t COVID-19 that shut us down (but your hands are now clean and that’s never a bad thing). Our building had been having air conditioning problems for weeks. The classrooms I taught in last Monday afternoon and evening felt like, to add to your Yiddish vocabulary, a schvitz[1]. The classroom I taught in that Wednesday morning felt like a rainforest. It was easily close to, if not above, 90 degrees in the classrooms and getting up there in my office as well. When I finally was able to get out of the building much later that afternoon, the subway station was refreshing (it was Park Street for you Boston familiar folks and you know if it was refreshing there, the building was bad). The air-conditioned train was my night in shiny greenish armor. Not many people say “aaah” when getting on a green line trolley, but there I was perking up as we meandered through the Back Bay. It turns out that the building will actually be closed until this Wednesday (we think) because the “chillers” have failed (and yes, I am imagining “chillers” as those folks in high school wearing a lot of flannel and playing hacky-sack).

But this blog entry is not about my escape from schvitz mountain-it is more about the fact that I realized that I wasn’t concerned about moving to remote teaching for a week. 2019 me would have been trying to remember how to record a Panopto video and reconfiguring all my slides for the small screen. 2019 me would probably have taught the classes wearing work pants and shoes. 2019 me would have tried to position myself somewhere the dog barking wouldn’t be audible (which, by the way, it turns out is nowhere in my house). In short, 2019 me would have panicked.

But 2021 me immediately created a Zoom link on the class BlackBoard site and emailed everyone to find it there. 2021 me already had the slides on my laptop (which 2019 me would have said was a crazy expensive investment-but 2019 me was wrong about that). 2021 me really enjoyed seeing my student’s faces for the first time this semester, and hoped they enjoyed seeing mine. And so, 2021 me started the class, shared the screen, and carried on. The only thing that made me sweat about the whole thing was that I was still stuck in my office because 13 minutes wasn’t enough time to get to a cooler place. 2021 me would have chuckled at the state of 2019 me (and, in all fairness, 2019 me would have been horrified to see my frizzing hair take up almost all of my 2021 Zoom rectangle).

COVID was certainly not the ideal way to learn how to quickly pivot and conduct classes even when we do not have access to a school building, but those skills are now honed.

We’ve come a long way.

(Liz Stillman)

 

[1] A schvitz (noun) is a steam bath, but used as verb, it means to sweat. https://bestlifeonline.com/yiddish-words/

Academic and Bar Support Scholarship Spotlight

M. Griggs (Washburn) & D. Rubenstein (Washburn), It’s Time to Re-Set the Bar for Online Proctoring (Bloomberg Law, March 24, 2021).  

ASP's own Professor Marsha Griggs and her colleague ask crucial questions here.  Everyone in ASP should be aware of these troubling issues.  

From the intro:

Online bar exams administered during the pandemic were marked by controversy around the use of proctoring using artificial intelligence and allegations of cheating that mostly were proved false.  Washburn University School of Law professors David Rubenstein and Marsha Griggs say regulation and best practices are needed, since online exams appear to be here to stay.

(Louis Schulze, FIU Law)

 

 

 

Will the Bar Exam Go the Way of the 8-Track Tape?

For the times they are a-changin’. -Bob Dylan

The times certainly have changed. Almost overnight, every facet of daily life has transitioned to online delivery. Telehealth and telemedicine are becoming the primary source for doctor-patient interaction during the pandemic. Law school classes are online. College classes are online. K-12 primary education is online. Church and religious services have moved to online formats. My grocery and organic farm-to-table products —gone online. Court hearings, also online. I can buy a car, entirely online. I can have legal documents notarized online.

But I cannot take the bar exam online. At least not yet.

The COVID pandemic has tested our resolve and our ability to utilize available technology. Almost every aspect of the legal profession, from court proceedings and probate administration, to law enforcement and legal education, has mobilized for remote administration. Bar examiners at the state and national levels should hang their heads in shame for not harnessing the available technology to deliver the existing exam remotely. It is an embarrassment of epic proportions that those at the helm of legal licensure are so behind the times that the pipeline for entry to the legal profession could be closed until further notice.

Relentlessly tethered to tradition, those insistent that 2020 law grads take an exam that may not be offered until early 2021 have either dropped the ball or are hiding it. It is fundamentally unfair to require an exam for licensure and at the same time withhold that exam from licensure candidates. The cries for diploma privilege and supervised practice options have sounded around the world. To which bar examiners and high courts have responded with either feigned indifference or a proposed solution that is no more than a band-aid for a gaping wound.

To become attorneys, bar candidates should not have to risk their health or the health of their vulnerable loved ones to the spread of the coronavirus. Even today, there are still more unanswered questions than answers. The majority of U.S. jurisdictions have made no announcement as to whether they will offer an exam in July or not. A number of states have canceled the July exam, but still have not announced definitive information about the date or form of the replacement exam. Candidates across the country remain in the dark as the bar exam becomes an archaic qualifier for competence. If the bar examiners hold fast to the pencil and scantron method of testing, we can expect to see it go the way of the pay phone, the answering machine, and the 8-track tape.

Two states, California and Massachusetts, have alluded to an online exam, but with little detail. It remains unknown what role the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), who produces the multistate exams used in all states except Louisiana, will play in the online exam. If the NCBE can provide an online exam for two states, why not do so for all UBE jurisdictions? And why make candidates in other states suffer the risk of exposure to COVID or career delays by withholding the online exam?  

If the NCBE has not developed an online exam, we must ask “why not” and "where has it been for the last two decades?" And we must not accept “test security concerns” as a viable response. Test security is no less of a concern to law school faculty, and to those who administer admissions exams. Yet all law school exams and the LSAT will be offered online in May 2020. The MPRE (another NCBE exam) and other professional licensing exams are already online.

Whether the bar exam effectively assesses one’s competency to practice law is a reoccurring question that will continue to resurface.  At a time when virtually every state, except maybe Utah and Wisconsin, is under fire for indecisiveness and poor communication regarding the fate of would-be July 2020 bar takers, bar examiners are justifiably under scrutiny. As is the bar exam. The future of the exam is in the examiners’ hands. We’ve only to watch and see if they’ll respond like Blockbuster or Netflix.

(Marsha Griggs^{© 2020})

The Dolly Parton Challenge for ASP

Last week, Steven Foster, Director of Academic Achievement for Oklahoma City University School of Law shared an interesting article about student perceptions of social media usage. The article caption: Social Media is Tearing Us Apart, caused me to reflect upon my evolving thoughts about academic use of social media.

In my early years of teaching, I was largely dismissive of student use of social media outlets. I viewed online social networking as inutile, with no academic or pedagogical purpose. Many of us, born avant the age of social media influence, worried that tools like Instagram and Facebook were counterproductive distractions during intense bar study periods. Yet, there were anecdotal (if not fully accurate) correlations between students who spent too much time surfing and socializing on social mediums and those who ultimately failed the bar exam. The sage advice of the day directed bar studiers to deactivate social media accounts and avoid screen time during bar study.

Fast forwarding to the present day, those in ASP and bar prep may be better served to use the litany of social media tools for programmatic good. Social media, at its best, is an ideal tool to connect with and aid students. To that end, I will use this weekly blog post as a Dolly Parton challenge — ASP style.*  

LinkedIn

Law students are likely groomed by career development administrators to create professional online profiles. LinkedIn is one of the go-to sources for online professional profiles. LinkedIn connections can also be wonderful resources for ABA data reporting. ASPers can and should accept connection requests from current and recent law students. Law grads who are seeking JD-employment, or those who are newly positioned, typically keep their LinkedIn profiles up to date. Another great use of LinkedIn, for ASP related purposes, is its searchability. Unlike other social mediums, students and young lawyers generally use their legal names and their profiles are easily searchable by name and location.

Facebook

I set up a private group on Facebook for my students during bar study.  I allow only current bar takers to join the group. Within the group, I share daily bar study affirmations, announcements, and bar study tips. I post Questions of the Day (“QOD”) to engage students. I create an environment where students can be comfortable posting answers, even wrong answers. They use the group forum to interact with peers and learn from each other. At the end of each day, I post the answer and explanation to the QOD which generates additional questions. Our students are going to be on social media anyway, why not use the tool to engage them in bar study, I say.

Instagram

Although "the gram" does not provide the group interaction capabilities of  of Facebook, it is a great tool to market program events. Using memes and graphically captioned announcements for, e.g. practice exams, meeting with bar examiners, deadlines, office hours, and free lunch, will easily capture student attention. Having an Instagram presence also aids in outreach to Gen Z and the later-born Millennials who are deliberately not present on  Facebook. 

Twitter

Although excluded by Dolly Parton, #AcademicTwitter is not to be slept on. St. John’s University School of Law legal writing professor, Renee Allen is the reigning queen of law school Twitter. She has over 2,000 followers to her @profallentweets handle. She has written and presented on effective usage of social media in law school academic support. According to Professor Allen, "Twitter is great for networking, learning, and self-promotion . . . and it can humanize law profs, which is super important for students who follow [us]." 

Tinder

Well, I’ll leave to one of the other bloggers to find a fit for Tinder in Academic Support and Bar Prep. 😉

(Marsha Griggs)

*The Dolly Parton challenge refers to a four-photo mosaic of potential profile photos for social media sites LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder.     

•                    
• 
  

Technology and Legal Education Webinars

This summer, the AALS Section on Technology, Law & Legal Education is presenting a series of webinars on technology and legal education. Now I look forward to every Wednesday, wondering what I will learn each week. Sessions range widely, from  hackathons and biotech to formative assessment and access to justice using technology.  You can watch past webinars on demand and sign up for forthcoming live webinars by visiting the Section's web page. While I have learned fascinating things from each webinar, I found two webinars touching on IT security and law students to be especially compelling.

As a population our law students are far less technologically savvy than we would expect, according to Cumberland Law's Grace Simms, in an a wide-ranging presentation on "Teaching Tech to Law Students." Two of the most obvious shortfalls are failing to appreciate how social media can affect their personal marketing & job prospects, and failing to grasp the importance of security measures and backups. The back-up problem rings especially true in my experience. For example, although our students have free access to OneDrive and receive back-up reminders from a variety of media, invariably every semester at least one student experiences a major meltdown when upon realizing, only after their computer self-destructs (whether from a hard drive crash, an unfortunate drop in the parking lot, or simply wearing out from obsolescence), that they have not backed up their legal writing projects, case briefs, and outlines. Far less critical, but a time-waster day after day, is the fact that many students have only the most superficial understanding of the capabilities of word processing programs: this not only makes day-by-day writing a more laborious process but also can cause many finished pieces to look amateurish. Inspired by Professor Simms's presentation, I'll be tweaking lesson plans in my fall Skills Lab to include micro-practice sessions on doing backups, creating quick access toolbars, assigning keystrokes in Word, and other simple technology to enhance the daily tasks of law student life. 

Lincoln Memorial's Sydney Beckham, himself a former hacker, delved deeper into security threats and safety measures in "Hacked! An Examination of Cyber-Threats and Techniques to Thwart Them." The bad news is one out of every three Americans is affected by a cyber-threat every year. The good news, since 95% of security breaches are caused or exacerbated by human error, is that most cyber-threats can be prevented or mitigated by taking prudent, and often amazingly simple, security measures. While many institutions must take sophisticated measures like two-factor authentication, most individuals can protect themselves with relatively simple practices such as:

• Backing up important data using thumb drives, external hard drives, or cloud storage
• Setting antivirus protection for automatic updates
• Updating operating systems frequently
• Covering the webcam when not needed for active use 
• Using a microphone lock on phones and computer when not needed for active use 
• Using strong passwords and usernames, and not sharing them between accounts 
• Using the cellular hotspot provided by a personal cell phone rather than public wifi when sending personal information in a public place
• Limiting social media posting of information that might be used for security questions

A compelling point was the need to constantly reinforce IT security messages through live interaction with law students. Like Professor Simms, Professor Beckham stressed that many law students are not aware of IT security issues and solutions. Information sent through e-mails and video sources, he suggested, is overwhelmingly ignored. To be effective, information should be conveyed live and in person. Moreover, to pack the most punch, it shouldn't be conveyed only during Orientation: rather, repeated live messaging by different faculty and staff is the best way of helping law students to become security aware. It sounds like a good idea to add a question about backups and security to my checklist for meeting individually with students.  (Nancy Luebbert)

Want a keyboard for lawyers?

One of my students just showed me his Legal Board which creates shortcuts for common legal symbols, words, and more. You can buy either a full keyboard that includes the Legal Board function keys or you can buy the smaller Legal Pad version that includes just the function keys and can be plugged into your laptop. The student sang the praises of the product for the time-saving on footnotes, citations, and more when he is writing papers. The website is:Legal Keyboard. (Amy Jarmon)

Do you have a strategic plan for your professional use of social media?

Inside Higher Ed had an interesting post this week on having a strategic plan for connection and visibility through social media for academic/professional presence. Given the article's categories of online presence, I would be somewhere between Curious and Beginner - I use Linkedin a bit and I post regularly to our Office of Academic Success Programs facebook page - but am not sure I aspire to sophisticated use. However, for those who want to think strategically about using social media for a greater professional presence in our academic world, I thought the article laid out a logical approach to clarifying a plan. The link is Optimizing Your Social Media Presence. (Amy Jarmon)

Law School Technology Resources

If you are a soon-to-be-first-year law student, you may find that it takes you several weeks to get acclimated to all of the new technology lingo used in law school.  You'll be expected to quickly familiarize yourself with several new websites and research platforms.  To help you get a jump start, I’ve created a list of the most common technology resources you'll encounter in your first few days of law school.  

Legal Research Databases

Westlaw and LexisNexis are the two most popular web based legal research databases--essentially Google for lawyers.  While these research tools require costly subscriptions for lawyers, law students get to use them for free.  Each company's site has its own strengths and weaknesses (i.e. think Walmart and Target), and I encourage you to become comfortable using both services, because you never know which company your future employer will prefer.  

To get started, you'll need a registration code or password from your law school.  While you are waiting for the registration code to arrive, you can watch tutorial videos online to become familiar with the basics of Westlaw and LexisNexis.  Both companies have even more training videos available after you officially login.

Your law librarians or legal research professors may also recommend additional research resources such as HeinOnline or Fastcase.

Classroom Management Tools

TWEN (accessed via Westlaw) allows professors to post materials for download, assign quizzes, and send class announcements.  You will need to affirmatively register for each of your courses using the "add course" tab.

E-Campus (a.k.a. Blackboard) has the same features as TWEN, but you are typically automatically enrolled in the course.  

Star or Banner is used by many schools' registrars for course registration, add/drop, and grade dissemination.

Supplemental Study Materials

Barbri, Kaplan, and Themis are three of the most popular bar preparation companies.  Each company also offers first-year and second-year study materials, including outline books, lecture videos, and practice exams.  Your law school may have a business relationship with one or more of the bar preparation providers.  If so, be sure to take advantage of any free resources the company provides.   I caution you, however, against paying out-of-pocket for anything extra.  You can usually get enough free resources through your law school, such as from the Academic Excellence Center or library, that paying out-of-pocket is unnecessary.  

CALI is a non-profit organization offering practice quizzes and tutorial videos for virtually every law school subject.  CALI is free to all law students.  You just need a registration code from your law school to get started.

Many students report that Quimbee is helpful during the first year, but Quimbee will cost you extra.  Quimbee, like the other supplemental study resources mentioned above, provides case briefs, outlines, lesson videos, and practice questions.  

Finally, many new law school textbooks come with a registration code, granting you access to free online study resources.  Check the inside cover of your textbook for more details.   

Other Technology Tasks

In addition to familiarizing yourself with these new resources, you may also want (or need) to go online and complete these other technology tasks:

Configure your computer to access the law school's wireless internet

Create an account to print at the law school or library

Set up a calendaring system (paper or digital, your choice)

Learn if your school offers free software downloads to students, such as Microsoft Word or security software

Set up a backup storage solution for all of your files, such as the free version of Dropbox 

(Kirsha Trychta)

Test Driving Khan Academy's LSAT course

Last week I posted about The Future of the LSAT, including LSAC’s collaboration with Khan Academy to provide free online LSAT prep to everyone.  This week I am taking Khan Academy’s LSAT course for a test drive.

Registering for the course was simple.  I just needed to input my name, date of birth, and email address.  Then I selected LSAT prep from the list of available courses.  Once I was officially enrolled, Khan Academy provided me with an overview of their 4 step system:

“1. ... Take a mini-test or a full practice test, and [Khan Academy] will identify the skills you should focus on to improve your score the most.

2. ... Unlock your personalized practice plan. Based on your score goal, schedule, and starting skill strengths, [Khan Academy] will craft a unique practice plan with lessons and exercises at just the right level.

3. ... Step-by-step lessons and explanations will help you understand the questions and concepts on the LSAT, and official LSAT practice tests develop the test-taking and time-management skills you’ll need to reach your goal.

4. ... Your practice plan is divided into stages that start with focused skill practice and end with a LSAT practice test. As your weaknesses turn into strengths, you’ll see your test scores rise towards your goal.”

Because I was strangely curious about how I’d score with 15 years of legal analysis under my wing, I opted to take the 3 hour full-length exam instead of the 70 minute mini-diagnostic.  The diagnostic exam—comprised of four graded sections—did not have an official timer (you had to time yourself), but did let you skip between questions within each section and highlight passages in the reading comprehension section.  I get the impression that the system may allow for timed tests,  however, because under the personal settings tab I was given the option to adjust the testing timer for time-and-a-half or double-time. 

I found completing the diagnostic exam online slightly more difficult than a pencil and paper version because I could not engage in active reading techniques or quickly cross-out obviously wrong answer choices.  Unsurprisingly, I’ve heard the same complaint from law students who are studying for the multiple-choice section of the bar exam using primarily online resources.  My experience this week, combined with my students’ feedback, reinforced a growing concern that I have about LSAC’s decision to explore a digital LSAT exam. 

All that aside, at the conclusion of the diagnostic exam, I received my overall score, as well as my score on each particular section.  I was then given the option to create a personalized study schedule based on (1) my upcoming LSAT exam date and (2) my target score.

I selected a test date three months away (September) and a target score 9 points higher than my diagnostic score.  With that information, the program suggested that I complete 10 full-length practice exams and study approximately 2 hours per week to reach my goal.  I could also opt-in to receive automatic email reminders to help me stay on track.  My personal study plan included “sub-goals” and very specific target areas on which to focus my efforts (e.g. reading comprehension passages dealing with science), based on my diagnostic performance.  This project chunking and mini-goal setting system is definitely a fantastic skill to teach aspiring law students and a welcome feature in the program.  

Regardless of whether I opted to complete the diagnostic exam, I could click on the “lessons” tab at the top of the page to instantly access the full repository of available handouts, videos, and practice problems.  Click here to Download List of Khan Academy's LSAT Lessons.  The 1 to 10 minute lecture videos stream via an embedded You Tube player and include closed captioning, if desired.  The quick guides and handouts had helpful tips, but were entirely online.  I also received “energy points” for each goal achieved and activity completed, in the same vein as a video game.

Overall, the Khan Academy LSAT program appears to be quite robust—especially given its zero dollar price tag.  I would recommend this website to law school hopefuls.  (Kirsha Trychta)

The Future of the LSAT

The LSAT is changing.   

The Law School Admission Council announced four big changes to the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) in 2017.  

First, LSAC is increasing the number of test administrations.  Beginning in 2019, LSAC will offer six tests each year instead of the standard four.  Presumably to soften the transition from four tests in 2017 to six tests in 2019, LSAC quietly added a 5th exam to the calendar for 2018.  Registration is currently open for the newly added fifth test, which will take place on July 23, 2018.  

Second, LSAC has begun to conduct Digital LSAT field tests.  LSAC is exploring the possibility of transitioning to a computer-based exam, instead of the traditional paper-and-pencil version.  The results of the first field test, which was conducted in October 2017, have not been made available to the public yet. 

Third, LSAC eliminated the maximum-of-three-tests-in-two-years restriction.  Applicants may now take the LSAT exam as many times as they would like, limited only by the frequency of test administrations and cost.    

Lastly, LSAC partnered with Khan Academy to offer "free personalized LSAT prep for all."  The Khan Academy LSAT program launches this week (June 1, to be exact).  I plan to enroll and test-drive the program.  Look for a follow-up report soon. 

Meanwhile, in April 2018, the American Bar Association's Standards Review Committee of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recommended eliminating the LSAT requirement altogether, allowing law schools to focus on other admissions credentials.  The committee's proposal was then considered by the section's council at their May 11th meeting, and after some small changes, the council adopted the committee's recommendation.  The changes to Standards 501 and 503 would eliminate the requirement of a “valid and reliable test” as part of a law school’s admissions process.  "Significantly, the Council also adopted a new interpretation ... that would establish a “rebuttable presumption” that recognizes the centrality of a valid and reliable admissions test in law schools’ admissions policies and practices. It provides that a school whose admissions policy and process were called into question by the Council would presumptively be out of compliance with the revised Standard 501 if it did not include a valid and reliable admissions test as part of its policy.”  The Council's recommendation will now be forwarded to the ABA's House of Delegates , who could consider the issue as early as this August. 

LSAC's President responded to the May 11th ABA vote with a short press release, stating that LSAC "anticipates that most law schools will continue to use the LSAT in the admission process because of its proven validity and reliability for predicting success in law school."

(Kirsha Trychta)

 

Building a Lightboard

Yesterday Steven Foster mentioned in his blog post entitled SWCASP Takeaways  that I built a lightboard at my law school.  Here are the details, should you wish to do the same.

First, for those who don't know, a lightboard is essentially a glass dry erase board used for creating video recorded lectures and presentations.  You stand behind the glass and lecture, while drawing on the glass board in front of you.  The setup allows you to write on the board without having to turn your back to the audience.  You may be thinking, but isn't the text backwards to the audience?  Yes, it is!  But, through either a specialized camera setup involving a mirror or using post-production software, the images on the glass can be "flipped" so that they appear right-ways to the video viewing audience.

If you'd like to create a lightboard of your own, I recommend buying the frame online and then having the glass cut locally.  We purchased our frame from New Revolution Tools and are happy with the product.  We chose a 4 x 6 frame, on casters, with built-in rope lighting ($1,600).  The frame came with blueprints  and dimensions to help our local glass cutter fit the glass to the frame.  While some lightboards use real glass, we opted for a more cost-effective clear polycarbonate glass, a.k.a. plexiglass.  At just over $500--and one-fifth the price of real glass--the polycarbonate glass allowed this project to stay on budget.

You will also need:

• a video camera,
• a mirror or image reversing software,
• additional stage lighting,
• a dark colored backdrop curtain or wall paint,
• lightboard markers ($20),
• a microfiber cleaning cloth to avoid scratching the glass ($10), and
• white vinegar/water cleaning solution in a spray bottle ($5).

The entire project cost us about $2,500 because we already owned a video camera and some stage lighting.  Additionally, I secured a $2,000 technology grant from our larger University, which brought the out-of-pocket departmental cost down to about $500. 

The lightboard permanently stores against a wall inside a small classroom in the library.  The classroom tables can be moved out of the way for filming.  (See photo below.)

We plan to use the lightboard in a variety of courses, including enhancing our existing online LLM program, creating a few new online summer courses, and developing an on-demand academic support video library.  For the ASP library, I plan on asking students and professors to record 2-10 minute videos addressing both skills and substantive topics.  In the skills category, my wish list already includes case briefing, outlining strategies, study tips, and accommodations FAQs.  On the substantive front, I hope to have a short video that discusses one particularly difficult case in our criminal law textbook, tips for drafting a question presented, and some flowcharts and mindmaps, to name a few.  All of the videos will be housed on a private WVU Law You Tube channel.

If anyone would like additional information on the project, please feel free to reach out to me.  (Kirsha Trychta)

Podcasts Offer an Alternative to Case Reading

Some (or perhaps, most) law students get tired of reading judicial opinions every single day. I have found that giving students the option to listen to audio files or watch movies in lieu of reading a case helps to create some variety and spices up the learning process. For example, last week my Criminal Procedure students had the option to watch the 1980 movie “Gideon’s Trumpet” or read Gideon v. Wainwright and the corresponding notes in the textbook. I included both the audio and textbook options expressly on the syllabus. About half the class opted to watch the movie while the other half read the case; importantly, the whole class was able to engage in the discussion. Similarly, next week students will have the option to read the portion of the textbook discussing jury selection or to listen to More Perfect’s “Object Anyway” podcast.

Even if you don’t teach a substantive law course, the audio files can be helpful to aid any student who is struggling to connect with the written material. Earlier this semester a high-performing first-year student stopped by my office concerned that she had lost her fall semester spark. In the fall semester, she was excited about law school and thus enthused to work hard. Her hard work paid off, earning her very high grades in December. But, when she returned in January, she just couldn’t connect with the cases and material like she had done before. The spring semester courses of Constitutional Law and Property weren’t peaking her curiosity the way the fall semester courses of Criminal Law and Torts had. After chatting with her for a few minutes, I could tell that she needed a new way to engage with the material. I suggested some legal podcasts, especially ones that would give her the story behind the litigation. She needed to be able to relate to the parties on a more personal level, and I thought a well told story about the litigants could help. After just a few podcasts, she has already reported that Con Law has become more interesting to her now that she’s “getting to know” the justices’ personalities and she enjoys learning what happened to the litigants before and after the lawsuit.

If you’re interested in introducing an audio option to one of your courses or academic support arsenal, consider:

Oyez “is a multimedia archive devoted to making the Supreme Court of the United States accessible to everyone. It is a complete and authoritative source for all of the Court’s audio since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. Oyez offers transcript-synchronized and searchable audio, plain-English case summaries, illustrated decision information, and full text Supreme Court opinions. Oyez also provides detailed information on every justice throughout the Court’s history and offers a panoramic tour of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of several justices.” 

According to More Perfect’s creators “Supreme Court decisions shape everything from marriage and money to public safety and sex. We know these are very important decisions we should all pay attention to – but they often feel untouchable and even unknowable. Radiolab's first ever spin-off series, More Perfect, connects you to the decisions made inside the court's hallowed halls, and explains what those rulings mean for "we the people" who exist far from the bench. More Perfect bypasses the wonkiness and tells stories behind some of the court’s biggest rulings.”

Legal Talk Network is a podcast network for legal professionals with hosts from well-known organizations and brands in the legal community.  Over 20 different active podcasts cover important legal news and developments, including access to justice, law school, industry events, legal technology, and the future of law. The most relevant podcast within the network is the ABA Law Student Podcast, which covers issues that affect law students and recent grads.

In addition, Learn Out Loud offers numerous legal podcasts and audio files for free download. (Kirsha Trychta)

Professional Development on the Go

Academic Support is a great community with how we all share ideas and try to pick each other up.  The outpouring of support is invaluable, but I have to admit it sometimes makes me feel like I lack enough knowledge to help students.  I hear about all the great new ideas at AASE that others are trying based on research and books read about cutting edge neuroscience research.  I listen amazed at great new ideas, and I wonder where everyone finds time to both read the research and formulate ideas.  My typical day races through my head with teaching, student appointments, committee meetings, and class preparation followed by images of evenings and weekends filled with coaching youth sports, which is much more fun than reading learning science.  Extra time didn't seem to exist in my schedule.

Professional development is critical to progress for both me and my students.  I recently discovered a way to continually develop daily without missing my other obligations. Since I don’t listen to much music, I decided to listen to new literature while commuting to work.  I live in a suburb of OKC, so my drive is about 20-30 minutes each way.  Many of you have much longer commutes, which is an even bigger opportunity to grow.  Audiobook apps are abundant, s0 I spent a few days looking through the options like audible and audiobooks.com.  This was a new commitment for me, so free apps were the most appealing.  I decided to try the free OverDrive app.  OverDrive is connected to library systems across the country.  It allows users with a library card to check out audiobooks from local libraries.  They may not have every audiobook, but depending on the library, the selection is pretty good.

Downloading the app was the first step.  The next step was to create a habit of listening.  My library checks out books for 2 weeks before deleting them from the app.  Committing to 20-30 minutes would be necessary to make it through the book.  I constantly tell students getting better requires little decisions and discipline each day.  Practice exam writing for 30 minutes a day or adding in small substantive reviews throughout the week make a difference.  I needed to take my own advice.  Turning off ESPN radio and committing to professional development would be difficult, but I decided to listen to at least 1 book.

OverDrive made a huge impact on my development.  I started last October, and I am still listening to new books.   While reading an entire book during a busy day may seem daunting, listening to a book for 20-30 minutes while driving home isn’t difficult.  Since October, I listened to Grit, How We Learn, Make It Stick, Eureka Factor, Learned Optimism, and some of Chazown.  For general business leadership tips, I listen to Craig Groeschel’s Leadership podcast.  It is specific to leading a business (he leads one of the largest church organizations in the nation), but many of the tips are helpful in leading students.  I am on the waitlist for Power of Habit.  I hope to listen to it this semester.

Professional development is hard to fit into our schedule, especially since many times, immediate benefits don’t flow from reading new research.  However, students are engaging new technology at a rapid pace. We have to stay ahead on new information to help our students succeed, which is worth the 20-30 minutes driving home.  Not only that, you may be the presenter with great ideas at future conferences from the small amount of time spent each day.

(Steven Foster)

Lineup Announced for 6th Annual SWCASP Workshop

Join your ASP colleagues on Friday, March 9, 2018 at UNT Dallas College of Law for a one-day conference focused on innovative ideas for supporting the current generation of law students.  The conference theme is "Assisting the Modern Law Student: Academic Support in Changing Times." 

The conference will kick off on Thursday evening with a welcome dinner at 6:30 p.m. at Wild Salsa, sponsored by BarBri. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 1700 Commerce Street, directly across from the street from the conference. Rooms can be reserved using the link included in the registration form. The tentative schedule for Friday, March 9 is below.

8:45 a.m.        Registration and Breakfast at UNT Dallas College of Law

9:00 a.m.       Scrapbooking for 1Ls: A Hands-On Approach to Legal Synthesis with Preyal Shah and Jessica Haseltine, UNT Dallas College of Law

10:00 a.m.    Emerging Adults with Rebecca Flanagan, University of Massachusetts School of Law

11:00 a.m.    Helicopter Professors with Emily Grant, Washburn University School of Law

12:00 p.m.    Lunch at UNT Dallas College of Law

1:00 p.m.    For Technical Assistance, Please Press 9 with Kirsha Trychta, West Virginia University College of Law

2:00 p.m.    Law Success after Year One: Using a Mandatory Skills Curriculum to Tackle Bar Passage Rates with Zoe Niesel and Mike Barry, St. Mary’s University School of Law

Call for Proposals: ILTL Technology Conference

The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning invites proposals for conference workshops addressing the many ways that law teachers are utilizing technology in their classrooms across the curriculum. With the rising demands for teachers who are educated on active learning techniques and with technology changing so rapidly, this topic has taken on increased urgency in recent years.  The Institute is interested in proposals that deal with all types of technology, and the technology demonstrated should be focused on helping students learn actively in areas such as legal theory and knowledge, practice skills, and guided reflection, etc.  Accordingly, we welcome proposals for workshops on incorporating technology in the classrooms of doctrinal, clinical, externship, writing, seminar, hybrid, and interdisciplinary courses.  

The Institute invites proposals for 60-minute workshops consistent with a broad interpretation of the conference theme. The workshops can address the use of technology in first-year courses, upper-level courses, required courses, electives, or academic support roles. Each workshop should include materials that participants can use during the workshop and when they return to their campuses. Presenters should model effective teaching methods by actively engaging the workshop participants. The Institute Co-Directors are glad to work with anyone who would like advice on designing their presentations to be interactive.

To be considered for the conference, proposals should be one page (maximum), single-spaced, and include the following information:

• The title of the workshop;
• The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the presenter(s); and
• A summary of the contents of the workshop, including its goals and methods.

The Institute must receive proposals by February 15, 2018. Submit proposals via email to Professor Sandra Simpson, Co-Director, Institute for Law Teaching and Learning, at [email protected].

The conference is self-supporting. The conference fee for participants is $450, which includes materials, meals during the conference (two breakfasts and two lunches), and a welcome reception on Monday evening, June 18, 2018. The conference fee for presenters is $350.  The conference workshops will take place all day on Tuesday, June 19, and until the early afternoon on Wednesday, June 20. Gonzaga University School of Law is hosting a welcome reception on the evening of June 18, 2018, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Barrister Winery, located in the downtown area.  

Presenters and participants must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Local hotel accommodations and additional information can be viewed here: Download Call for Proposals Gonzaga Summer 2018.  (Kirsha Trychta)

The World Health Organization's Proposed Classification of Video Gaming as a Disorder

Ever had a law student who fails courses because of time spent video gaming? I have seen it occur.

The BBC Future article discussed in today's other post mentions WHO's classification of video gaming as though it is finalized. Here is a post in Inside Higher Ed explaining more about the proposed classification and the controversy around it: here. (Amy Jarmon)

Social Media from BBC Future

BBC Future is running a series of articles this month on social media and the pros and cons of its use. Today's posting looks at concerns over possible "social media addiction" and the difficulties with defining it. More studies are needed. The link is here. (Amy Jarmon)

Top Ten Award

In case you missed his post while you were on the semester break, you may want to read Scott John's December post "The Road Less Traveled" which was awarded a Top 10 Blog Post award by Texas Bar Today. The link to the post can be found here. Congratulations to Scott on scooping another Top 10!