Missing your LR&W colleagues from across the country? Wondering how to make your online classes engaging? Want more Zoom sessions in your life? If you answered yes to two out of three, then please join William & Mary as we host an online conference dedicated to excellence in teaching LR&W online. While no law school has currently decided to begin its fall semester online, it seems wise to prepare in case the coronavirus requires some, or even all, fall classes to take place online. This conference will focus on the best practices for online teaching, tailored to legal writing faculty and law librarians.
Date: June 18, 12:00-5:00 p.m. EST & June 19, 12:00-5:00 p.m. EST (later start to accommodate our West Coast friends)
Conference Fee: $0.00
Travel Costs: also $0.00
Registration: If you'd like to register, please raise your blue hand on Zoom, or preferably, register here as soon as possible. Although the conference is free, we need to prepare our technology.
Interested in Presenting? Although we have some content currently planned (see FAQ below), we are also looking for presenters and panelists. If you would like to present, please email Laura Killinger or Leslie Street.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Will there be a gala?
No. Although you may wear your finest gown or tux at any time.
- Will there be food provided?
Also no. But on the other hand, no one will know whether you are wearing shoes for this conference.
- Will there be opportunities to meet other people and network?
Yes! We will be providing informal networking breaks. Interested attendees will sign up to meet each other in groups of 2-3 people. We will provide some possible discussion topics for these breaks, which participants are free to ignore. We will also hold a happy hour at the end of each day for anyone who is interested. If there is significant interest, we'll organize an online game session or two on the side. We recognize how important it is to network and meet other people, and we will be providing dedicated time to this endeavor.
- What topics have you currently slated?
Current topics include:
--Remote peer editing and group work/effective use of breakout rooms
--Maintaining student focus during online class sessions
--Conducting online writing conferences
--How to conduct in-class writing exercises
--Teaching electronic legal research and giving students practical research experiences remotely
--Effectively using alternative teaching tools and resources in an online environment
--How to help students feel connected
- I think I might want to present. What types of presentations and panels are you looking for?
We are looking for anything related to teaching legal research and legal writing online. We also ask that presenters think about how to best present their information in a high-energy and interactive way. The conference will take place over Zoom, and we would like to keep the presentations as dynamic and engaging as possible. Proposals should include:
The presenters' names, email addresses, and phone numbers (preferably cell numbers, as presenters may not be at their office).
The title of the presentation.
An abstract of no more than 250 words.
Additionally, please indicate specific techniques you will employ to keep the presentation dynamic and engaging.
Contact Leslie Street, Director of the Library at William & Mary School of Law, with any questions.
