Laptops Good for Law Students

Erik Even — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:56:29 +0000

From the 2008 Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) [PDF], published by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University at Bloomington: while many law schools (and other post-secondary schools) are banning laptops from the classroom, this might be a mistake.

Laptop computer use and its educational implications have sometimes generated heated debate among legal educators. LSSSE findings show that student use of laptops for keeping and reviewing notes and calling up previously briefed cases goes together with high levels of engagement in courses. So when used effectively, laptops may well enhance learning, rather than being a substitute for other kinds of course engagement or simply a distraction.

Also from the report: More than 90% of 1L students regularly come to class prepared, but only 75% of 3Ls do so. And 18% of students feel that their law school contributes very little to developing a personal code of values and ethics.

BTW, did anyone else notice that the LSSSE authors forgot to pay for their images? Oops.

Via The Chronicle of Higher Education via The UW Law Library.

JD Journal » Law School Survey of Student Engagement

Laptops Good for Law Students