Law Commons^™

The Seminar Paper Topics Graveyard, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

I often teach one-off academic research instruction sessions for law students, for either those working on a journal or those in a writing seminar.

My approach to these sessions is relatively standard—demonstrate the sources and strategies for academic legal research—but tailored to the individual needs and overall topic of each course. One of my favorite ways to personalize a session is to demonstrate the research process using a topic that matches the class itself. A “fake paper,” if you will.

Oh No, Another Chatgpt Post: Incorporating Ai-Powered Chatbots Into Legal Research Exercises And Assignments, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

Since it was launched at the end of November 2022, the discourse around ChatGPT and AI search tools has been unrelenting. What impact will AI-powered chatbots have on education? Will students submit ChatGPT-written essays and homework assignments? Will AI make lawyers obsolete? Look, this chatbot just passed the bar exam! Wait a minute—is this thing. . . sentient?

The “Food Blog” Scroll And Its Impact On Online Legal Research, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

After transitioning from a written to a “live” format for assignments in my Advanced Legal Research class, I noticed a vaguely familiar pattern of students unintentionally scrolling past relevant information on their screens.

Using “Live” Assignments For Formative Assessment, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

At the Teaching the Teachers Conference a few weeks ago, I gave a demonstration of a formative assessment style we’ve been using at my institution for the past year and a half: a live assignment, AKA the Research Practicum. The presentation was virtual; COVID struck, of course, and I couldn’t get on a plane and fly to Portland. Fortunately, the nature of this assessment lends itself beautifully to a pivot to virtual because it is already entirely virtual. The Research Practicum uses Zoom or some other video conferencing platform and asks students to research while sharing their screen as their …

Using The “Scholarship As Conversation” Frame To Explain The Importance Of Inclusive Citation, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

It’s been nearly two years since the largest civil rights movement – the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a police officer – swept the United States. That means it has also been nearly two years since law schools across the country released statements and created taskforces and enacted initiatives to inject principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the school halls.

Dare To Dream: How Would You Teach 1ls Legal Research With No Restrictions?, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

When I started in my current role as an instructional librarian, I was given space to make the changes I thought necessary to improve an already-changing legal research program. I’ve made changes – some small, some more major – in both the 1L and upper-level research curriculum, but there is more to do. In particular, I’m not entirely satisfied with how we teach legal research to 1Ls.

Law Students, Covid-19, And Big Feelings, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Publications

It’s Fall 2021 and well . . . we’re back. Or rather – some of us are. Along with a patchwork of universities requiring vaccinations and/or masks for students comes a patchwork of modes of instruction: fully online, hybrid, fully in-person (and subject to change). Some employees have shifted to occasional work-from-home models while others are required to be in-person every day. It’s all very complicated. Honestly, right now everything is complicated. With big, complicated situations come big, complicated feelings, and our students’ feelings are certainly that: big.