CALL 2004
Academic SIG
Great Expectations: Are we delivering what they need?
Presentation Notes
Laurie Amiruddin, B.A., M.L.I.S.
Manager, Customer Learning & Support
Carswell
Robin Dewe
Vice President, Customer Service
LexisNexis Canada Inc.
One Corporate Plaza
2075 Kennedy Road
Toronto, ON M1T 3V4
275 Sparks Street, Suite 901
Ottawa, Ontario, K2J 1L1
laurie.amiruddin@thomson.com
1-800-342-6288 x 5034 or 416-298-5034
robin.dewe@lexisnexis.ca
(613) 238-3499
Great Expectations: Are We Delivering What
They Need?
1.
Attracting Students To Training Sessions. What Is Working
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Mandatory attendance
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Course work or assignment directly related to online research. Pre-training assignments have
been helpful.
Having the professor in attendance.
Improved attendance when faculty or librarian assists in promoting sessions. Promotion via
Listservs had resulted in better attendance from upper year students.
Having an online signup process operated by the school has improved attendance (however
only a few schools do this).
What Is Possibly Helping
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Online provider website announcements
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Online provider system messages
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Incentives such as giveaways
Challenges Regarding Attendance
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Reaching second and third year students. There is often no course directly related to
online research as part of the curriculum. Therefore there is no incentive for students
to hone their research skills. Third year classes and Advanced Legal Research classes
are better but often only reach committed students.
Students aren’t aware that cost-effective online research skills are required in the “real
world”. First year classes have little awareness of the need for research skills and most
students learn by necessity when they need to know. Therefore it is hard to motivate
students to learn if it is not relevant at that point in time.
Limited faculty participation. Attending the session themselves (even a few minutes at
the beginning to advise students of the relevance of the session to the course and the
students’ legal career). Creating course assignments that require use of online
services.
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Personal time constraints for students
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Belief that the web has all the information they need and it is reliable
2. Challenges to effective training (once we have them attending!)
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Time constraints. Often sessions must be demo format rather than hands on.
Information overload – training on at least four major systems and perhaps CD ROM and
paper products within a short span of time.
Timing. Occasionally, we train students before they have acquired a basic understanding
of legal research in general.
When printed versions of online reference materials exist, it is helpful for students to learn
how to use the print materials before learning them online. Otherwise, they fail to grasp the
structure and function of the materials and treat the service like an online search engine,
merely searching for keywords. We want to help them understand the structure of legal
information in general and how one piece relates to another. By examining the print
products, the students understand the importance of the classification schemes and can
better incorporate them into their online searching.
Keeping students’ interest. Students don't take training seriously unless it is related to
their assignments. Also, students don't realize how important their online research skills
will be until they get into a firm.
Online companies are not allowed to train in some schools.
Challenges To Effective Training (Once We Have Them Attending!)
What Is Working
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Pre-training assignments. We have had success particularly with first-year students in
situations where the Legal Research & Writing Instructor provides the student with prework assignments before the actual training session(s). Students retain what they learn
more readily if their research training is integrated into their classroom work, rather than a
one-time event.
Relevant or humorous search examples.
Pre-training surveys. Having faculty or librarian complete a “needs” survey has assisted
us in tailoring training sessions.
Assigning online tutorials as pre-work.
Online certification testing as post-work. Students find this beneficial as they may add it to
their resumes.
3. Wish List
☺ Having faculty more involved with explaining the importance of online research skills
services in the students’ legal career
☺ Professors remain in session (even for a few minutes) so students pay attention, this
would also show students value of session
☺ More time to train students.
We need at least two hours to cover one online service. Trying
to combine CD and online training into the same small window of time leaves students
confused and unable to use either product effectively. Ideally, we would like to provide
basic level training, and then follow up at a later date with a more advanced course.
☺ Provide an assignment to students shortly following training.
☺ More tying in of student assignments to the use of the online services.
☺ Mandatory “pre-articling” training for 2nd and 3rd year students including a cost-effective
skills assignment
☺ Allow online vendors to do training and to conduct “train-the-trainer” sessions for
academic staff or anyone else who conduct training.
☺ Assist in promoting training sessions to students.
For example, sending emails, posting
and Listservs. Better, more consistent advertising of sessions.
4. What Can We As Information Providers Do To Better Deliver “What They Need”?
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In a training session, we prefer to focus on how to use the service, but realistically
speaking, we also need to provide students with an understanding of how costs will be
recovered once students are working in firms. Students get used to having all of their
research tools provided for free, and there is a concern that once they enter firms, they
may not be cost-effective researchers. We need to know how much, and at what point,
law schools and firms want us to focus on the cost recovery of research.
Question. Would it be more effective to have separate sessions to cover this, so
as not to take away from the regular training on the use of the service?
Work with faculty and librarians to develop “Cost-effective” skills assignment(s).
However, how do we get students to see the relevance?
We would like to have information sessions and/or provide training sessions for
teaching faculty so that they may see the application of online research to their courses.
Developing formal student certification program/courses in conjunction with law school
librarians and law firms.
School and firm librarians would help us by directing students to our online tutorials
and integrating this program into their course assignments in preparation for sessions.
Two-part sessions (a few weeks apart)
5. Difference in training 1st year students and summer students/articling students:
Articling students …
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Take their training more seriously (attendance is usually mandatory)
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Ask more questions and have a grasp of what legal research is about
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Ask questions related to specific research topics
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Ask questions about client billing and cost recovery
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Summer Students …
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Same as articling students except they are a bit less secure
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Anxious to learn and do a good job in the hopes of being rehired as an articling student.
First Year Students …
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Have limited knowledge of real-world application of legal research and client billing and
their importance
Ask fewer questions