Faculty Professional Development
Northwestern Event Aims to Interest Law Profs in Ed Tech
Faculty from Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law recently participated in TEaCH LAW, an event designed to help encourage them to integrate technology in their classrooms.
"Law schools don't have a reputation for being particularly innovative in their teaching methods, but at Northwestern we have a number of faculty who are using technology in particularly engaging and inventive ways," said Alyson Carrel, assistant dean of law and technology initiatives, in a prepared statement.
The event was structured around demonstrations by other faculty members. Carrel kicked the day off with a talk that highlighted three motivations for incorporating technology into a law classroom — the increased use of technology by clients, efficiency and the potential for social justice — and examined the pros and cons of how some legal educators have deployed technology in the past.
Other highlights of the event included:
- Presentations from instructors and the university IT team in a new classroom designed specifically for blended and active learning;
- Demonstrations of learning tools such as Lightboard, Canvas, Webex and more;
- An invitation to partner with a learning design consultant from Northwestern IT; and
- A closing panel dubbed, "incorporating Technology in the Classroom."
"The challenge as I see it is to think about incorporating technology in ways that foster a vibrant intellectual community and encourage active engagement with the materials," said Deborah Tuerkheimer, the Class of 1940 Research Professor of Law, in a prepared statement. "TEaCH LAW generated a number of concrete ideas in this regard, while sparking a larger conversation — interesting and valuable in its own right — about how we can best serve our students."
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].
