BENEFITS AND RISKS OF THE INTERNET IN LEGAL EDUCATION

Carlos Alberto Arévalo Garza

Friday, February 29, 2008

14.30-15.45

Session 5C

Library, Second Floor

Research Panel in Library

GENERATION RAISED ON INTERNET COMES OF AGE

ONLINE INTERACTION CONSIDERED

JUST A NORMAL PART OF LIFE

GENERATION RAISED ON INTERNET COMES OF AGE

• The Internet has shaped the way these students work, relax and even date.

• They expect assignments to be dispersed online and class handouts to be posted on electronic bulletin boards for downloading after class.

• These students are much more likely to do research online than use the library.

GENERATION RAISED ON INTERNET COMES OF AGE

• The majority of our law professors had no access to the Internet when they were law students.

• Books and libraries were practically the only source of information available for their research.

• It is probable that for the next 15 years we may face a certain level of incompatibility between the old way of thinking and of doing legal research of current professors, and the new mind set of current law students.

THE INTERNET AS A RESEARCH TOOL

• The use of the Internet as a basic research tool for current law students is inevitable and law schools and faculty members must be conscious of the needs of this new generation and accept that some changes must be made in the way we teach law.

• On the other hand, students should also realize that libraries still are the most reliable source of information available and must accept that not everything can be found online.

BENEFITS AND RISKS OF THE INTERNET

• We must make students aware that the Internet has benefits and risks that naturally come with the vast amount of information that is now widely available.

• It is very important to guide students in the proper use of this vast information, showing them the benefits of the Internet while keeping them away from the risks.

1. USING THE INTERNET IN CLASS

• Integrating the use of the Internet during class.

• Interactive class discussions.

• In class research.

• Email interaction between students and professors.

• Electronic services.

2. USING ONLINE CATALOGS AND DIGITAL LIBRARIES

• Libraries can no longer be considered the main source of information, but we cannot deny that they are still the main source of reliable and credible information.

• Professors should encourage students to combine the use of the Internet and libraries for their legal research.

2. USING ONLINE CATALOGS AND DIGITAL LIBRARIES

Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey-Online catalog www.fldm.edu.mx

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León-Online catalog http://virtua.dgi.uanl.mx/cgi-bin/gw_46_3_1/chameleon/?seccion=bibliotecas

-Digital libraryhttp://cd.dgb.uanl.mx/index.php

Universidad Regiomontana-Online catalog http://sib.ur.mx/

2. USING ONLINE CATALOGS AND DIGITAL LIBRARIES

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Online cataloghttp://132.248.84.76:8991/F/-/?func=find-b-0&local_base=L4C01

Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas (UNAM)-Digital libraryhttp://www.bibliojuridica.org/

3. PROMOTION OF REPUTABLE INTERNET SITES AND BLACKLISTING

• It is key to help students identify which are credible Internet sites and which are not.

• The source of the information published in the site is the main factor that must be considered.

• Sites that provide a remunerative service are recommended because the accuracy and reliability of the information is practically guaranteed.

3. PROMOTION OF REPUTABLE INTERNET SITES AND BLACKLISTING

• We should take advantage of courses such as Legal Research Methodology to make students aware of the consequences of plagiarism and the use of unreliable sources.

• Professors should take a more active role in analyzing different Internet sites that provide legal information so that law schools can inform their students about specific sites that are considered reliable and about others that are simply not accepted as a credible source for legal research.

3. PROMOTION OF REPUTABLE INTERNET SITES AND BLACKLISTING

Examples of sites that should be blacklisted:

Monografías.com (Monographs.com)www.monografias.com

El Rincón del Vago (The lazy person’s corner)www.rincondelvago.com

Vagolandia.com (Lazypersonland)www.vagolandia.com

Cópiale (Go ahead and copy!)http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5757/frames.htm

4. Familiarization of professors with the benefits and risks of the Internet

• Professors must be up to date with all the tricks or treats that the constantly changing Internet may have in store for us.

• Faculty meetings and better communication between professors of all courses should be encouraged.

• In brief, good communication between faculty members works both ways; it allows the law school to maximize the benefits of the Internet in legal education, while giving the professors tools to fight the risks that inevitably come together with those benefits.