Here are the results of the survey I sent out to teknoids and law-lib on
the issue of allowing students to use computers to take law school exams.
Thirty-two (32) schools responded.
(1) Does your school allow law students to take exams using a laptop or
other computer?
- Not at all or only disabled students allowed to use computers 19
- Yes, but only computers in the law school computer lab 1
- Yes, but only for take home exams 2
- Yes, but only for open book exams 3
- Yes, for all exams 7
(2) Does your school have a formal policy regarding use of laptops or
other computers for exams, or is the decision left up to the individual
faculty member?
- Yes. The school has a formal policy. 13
- No. The school has no formal policy. 12
- The decision is left up to the individual faculty member. 6
(3) If your school does allow laptops or other computers to be used for
exams, does your school have any special policies on this topic? For
example, separate rooms for laptop users, pre-test inspection of the
computer, etc.
There were a variety of responses here. Generally, the schools which
allowed computers to be used for all exams attempted to control the
computer which will be used to take the exam, either by conducting a
pre-test examination of the computer or by requiring the student to use
law school computers. One school required that computers be brought in
for inspection one week prior to exams. The computing staff then removed
all materials that were not part of the word processing program. Two
schools are experimenting with special software designed to restrict
access to the computer. Of those schools which allow only disabled
students to use computers, generally the student must "prove" the
disability somehow and is required to use law school computers which are
pre-screened for any exam-related material and which are setup in special
rooms.
Schools responding to the survey: American University Law School, Baylor
Law School, Campbell Law School, Case Western Reserve University School of
Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Creighton Law School, Golden Gate
University School of Law, Harvard Law School, Hofstra Law School, Howard
Law School, Lincoln Law School of Sacramento, Mississippi College School
of Law, Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, Pepperdine
University School of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law, Saint
Louis University School of Law, St. Mary's University School of Law,
Stanford Law School, Tulane Law School, UCLA Law School, University of
California Hastings College of Law, University of Georgia School of Law,
University of Western Ontario School of Law, University of San Francisco
School of Law, University of Houston Law School, University of Nebraska
School of Law, University of Oregon Law School, Vermont Law School,
Villanova University School of Law. Some schools asked to remain
anonymous.
Darin Fox
Assistant Director for Information Technology and Computer Services
University of Southern California Law School
dfox@law.usc.edu
http://www.usc.edu/dept/law-lib/index.html
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