Academic Technologies
The Academic Technologies department was founded on the principle of convergence—the convergence of technologies that create, store, manipulate, and present digital data of all kinds, from plain text emails to rich multimedia. Academic Technologies provides desktop, laptop, and mobile device support, and collaborates with Duke’s other IT organizations, especially the Office of Information Technology, to assure a full range of IT services is available to the school. On behalf of the law school, the department maintains computers and printers dedicated to student use. Academic Technologies is responsible for technical aspects of the law school’s web presence and for audio-visual technologies in classrooms and online. The department provides training and support directly to faculty and students who wish to use technology in all aspects of the educational experience. Services are outlined at law.duke.edu/actech.
The law school website has pages for departments and most programs. All the school’s journals have been available online, in full text and searchable, since 1997; conferences and major addresses at the law school are frequently live webcast and, in most cases, archived on the web. The majority of courses have Sakai course sites that provide access for students to course email lists, syllabi, e-reserves, and other materials.
The law school classrooms have built-in capabilities to project from computers, mobile devices, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs. The classrooms have power at nearly every student seat, and network access for all laptops and mobile devices through ubiquitous Wi-Fi. All standard classrooms can be used for videoconferencing, and class sessions can be recorded in most rooms either by schedule or on an ad hoc basis. All A/V equipment can be used by students for classes, or by student groups at other times.
The Scheinman Media Lab has video recording equipment, an all-digital production facility, and knowledgeable staff, who can assist in the production of educational materials, whether faculty or student produced, and who help document key events and presentations at the law school.
The school is a member of the Computer Assisted Legal Instruction Consortium (CALI), and makes CALI tutorials and other resources freely available to students to support the law school curriculum.
Academic Technologies staff members are available to assist law students in making productive use of computers as an integral part of their law school experience. Students can visit the help desk in Law room 2209, email helpdesk@law.duke.edu or call (919) 613-7072. Student computer recommendations and orientation materials can be viewed at law.duke.edu/actech/orientation.
The senior staff of Information Services includes:
Alex Zhang, JD, MSI, Archibald C. and Frances Fulk Rufty Research Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Information Services, and Director of the J. Michael Goodson Law Library
Jennifer L. Behrens, BA, JD, MLS, Associate Director for Administration and Scholarship, Goodson Law Library and Senior Lecturing Fellow
Laura Cappelletti, BS, MBA Assistant Dean for Academic Technologies