The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/163881
best practices Legal MOOCs: An Alternative to Current Attorney Technology Training by Joseph J. Schwartz The days of attorneys wanting to attend technology training sessions have long since passed. The computer and its software are commodities. New associates are computer literate, if not fluent. And attorney time spent in training is not billable, so associate technology training is often cut back. When attorneys do attend training, additional issues can arise: the material does not always meet their needs, clearing time to attend class can play havoc with schedules, and client responsibilities can interrupt instruction or postpone scheduled attendance. So how can firms deliver legal- and firm-specific technology information to diverse attorney populations in a way that addresses attorney concerns? Perhaps attorneys can selfdesign their own curricula in order to receive the knowledge as best fits their schedules. Perhaps they can adapt the massive open online course (MOOC) model for a legal environment. e-learning tutorials, but can go far beyond this teaching method. They can also incorporate discussion boards, email, instant messaging, real-time online mentoring, peer assistance, selfdirected curricula and much more. However, the traditional MOOC is not ideal for a law firm setting. MOOCs lend themselves to large amounts of online peer interaction and peer instruction, which might not be appropriate for attorney knowledge transfer outside the scope of training new associates. In addition, traditional MOOCs are completely online — an approach that does not always work well with rapid skill enhancement. Therefore, I propose altering the MOOC content delivery method in specific ways geared toward law firms' needs in order to create an online, on-demand hybrid approach to technology information delivery: the Legal MOOC (multitiered open online course). Why Traditional MOOCs Won't Work How the Legal MOOC Works The traditional MOOC has been around since 2008 and has been employed by major universities, including Stanford and MIT, as well as corporations such as Google. MOOCs frequently offer Attorneys are in many ways ideally suited for Legal MOOCs. They are self-directed, independent learners who can determine for themselves their educational goals and request help when needed. 14 Peer to Peer