Law Center News
SULC launches student success initiative based on equity and innovation
As students adjust to virtual and hybrid courses, it is vital that they have access to course materials and research guides to ensure success along their law school journey. Gone are the days of law students toting large books to class. To coincide with its mission, the Southern University Law Center has launched Urban Law and Technology Research Academy (ULTRA), a student success initiative that seeks to provide accessibility, innovation, and equity.
“At the Law Center, we want to ensure that our students have access to cutting-edge technology that will enhance their legal educational journey,” said John Pierre, chancellor of the Southern University Law Center. “Our new digital initiative, ULTRA, is transforming the Law Center’s educational environment from not just focusing on quality but innovation, sustainability, and equity. By implementing Apple solutions, we can provide a rich, diversity-related campus experience, even in an online environment.”
Before the shift to the “new normal”, the Law Center used technology within several courses, including Law and Technology, Urban Legal Problems, and Intelligence Legal Systems, to develop social justice apps, such as “Hello Officer”, “Mortal Portal”, and other tools. Beyond the classroom, recently, a group of students pitched a business idea during an entrepreneurial competition for free digital service that provided legal documents and data services using a blockchain. In an effort to create a digital ecosystem, Pierre saw the need to create an initiative that served as a catalyst for creativity and accessibility. From here, ULTRA was birthed into existence.
In the most recent phase of the initiative, all first-year law students received an iPad and Apple Pencil. These devices will allow faculty and students to collaborate in ways that are meaningful, purposeful, and creative, regardless of their physical location to the campus. The iPad and Apple Pencil were coupled into the student’s tuition and fees which allow for the purchase and usage of the institution’s technology resources.
“Receiving the iPad devices was a relief,” stated Theo Kadia, a first-year law student. “Now, I do not have to worry about securing equipment for class. Also, because I am an Apple user, my iPad can connect with my other devices.”
“It's convenient having the iPad included into our required fees,” said Janade Amos, a first-year law student. “This initiative is a step in the right direction for the Law Center.”
“We chose the iPad because it is the most secure device, as well as the best tool for learning with our students,” said Pierre. “They have the ability to integrate the devices for online learning, collaborate with classmates to create study groups, or connect them with other Apple devices if they have them available.”
In an ever-increasing mobile world, the iPad and Apple Pencil enable our students the ability to tap into a vast ecosystem of content. These features and apps allow law students to work within, and service, clients in the Law Center’s law clinics. Moreover, the law students will be able to apply these new techniques during their trial advocacy courses. In addition to many free productivity apps, students will be utilizing the popular litigation software, TrialPad. It is an easy-to-use iPad app to organize client meetings, annotate documents, and present evidence.
“Because we are creating 21st-century leaders, our students are deserving of technology that will allow them to be transformative agents in and beyond the classroom,” said Pierre. “We want to thank Apple for partnering with us on this effort. Because of their foresight and insight into the technology industry, we are creating something great.”
As the Law Center continues to unfold ULTRA, Pierre sees the initiative opening doors for students in every specialty of law. In the near future, his goal is to create additional apps and software that can be placed on the market.
For more information regarding the initiative, contact Jasmine D. Hunter, director of external affairs and communications, at jhunter@sulc.edu.
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