Is Technology Infused Law Curriculum In the Works?
The upcoming issue of the National Law Journal features an opinion piece written by Berkman Center Executive Director and Harvard Clinical Professor of Law John Palfrey. As evidenced by his recent blog post on technology fueled tools for education, Professor Palfrey has spent time considering the wide variety of levels on which new technologies influence teaching.
In this piece, a focus on law school curriculum is sharp. He writes:
"One question that remains unanswered is whether there's a place for technology in the law school curriculum. Just as the profession has become global in scope-giving rise to new first-year courses in international and comparative law-the practice of law involves extensive use of information technologies."
Building from there, the article introduces an exciting new project that the Berkman Center and Berkman fellow Gene Koo have launched:
"...But the broader question lingers: Can technology play a transformative role in legal education at a systemic level? At the Berkman Center, in partnership with LexisNexis, we've begun a research project this fall to survey lawyers and law faculty about what they think on this front. By the end of the year, we expect to publish the results and highlight some of the most promising ways forward. We don't yet know where this study will lead, but it's pretty clear that the answer doesn't lie in law schools starting to teach technology-specific courses."
If you're interested in learning more about this effort, you can check out Gene's blog to see how he's moving forward.
Professor Palfrey's opinion piece can be found in full here.
In this piece, a focus on law school curriculum is sharp. He writes:
"One question that remains unanswered is whether there's a place for technology in the law school curriculum. Just as the profession has become global in scope-giving rise to new first-year courses in international and comparative law-the practice of law involves extensive use of information technologies."
Building from there, the article introduces an exciting new project that the Berkman Center and Berkman fellow Gene Koo have launched:
"...But the broader question lingers: Can technology play a transformative role in legal education at a systemic level? At the Berkman Center, in partnership with LexisNexis, we've begun a research project this fall to survey lawyers and law faculty about what they think on this front. By the end of the year, we expect to publish the results and highlight some of the most promising ways forward. We don't yet know where this study will lead, but it's pretty clear that the answer doesn't lie in law schools starting to teach technology-specific courses."
If you're interested in learning more about this effort, you can check out Gene's blog to see how he's moving forward.
Professor Palfrey's opinion piece can be found in full here.