Student Technologies

Laptop Policy

While not required, many students find that a laptop computer is a vital tool for succeeding in law school. One of the most important reasons students choose to own a laptop is to be able to take exams electronically.

Exam Software Information 

For several years now, The UNC School of Law, with the full support of the faculty, has used secure software for the administration of exams. In the fall of 2009, the school will be switching to a new secure exam software package, Electronic Bluebook (EBB). EBB runs natively on both Windows Vista or XP and Apple's OS X operating system. The software is required for students who choose to type their exam answers.

Like other secure exam software products, EBB blocks access to all other applications while it is running, thereby reducing the risk of honor code violations for unauthorized access to materials on a laptop's hard drive. EBB also blocks access to the Internet. The software serves as a simplified word processor for essay responses, similar to Microsoft Word; once it begins, you can only work on the exam and cannot regain access to your files until you exit the exam.

Although the law school does not have a laptop requirement for students, there are a few specifications your laptop must meet in order to run EBB.

  • If you are using a Windows-compatible laptop:
    • You must be running either Windows Vista or Windows XP with SP2 installed (Home or Professional edition)
    • You may NOT use Windows 2000, 98 or any earlier versions of Windows.
    • You may NOT use any Windows emulation software, including VMWare, VirtualBox, etc., in combination with EBB. Using EBB while running any emulation software is a violation of the honor code.
  • If you are using an Apple laptop:
    • You must be using an Apple Macbook, MB Pro, or MB Air (i.e., an Intel-based Apple laptop); earlier models such as iBooks and PowerBooks are not supported.
    • You may NOT use any Windows emulation software, including Parallels Desktop, VMWare, VirtualBox, etc., in combination with EBB. Using EBB while running any emulation software is a violation of the honor code.
  • For all users:
    • You must have an AC power adapter. Because School of Law exams can last longer than the life of a battery, you are required to plug in your laptop during exam taking. All classrooms have electrical outlets for this purpose.
    • The laptop should be your own. The School of Law IT department has a limited number of loaner laptops available for student use. However, the school will only provide you with a loaner laptop to use during exams under extenuating circumstances, such as personal laptop failure or severe hardware/software problems.
    • Your laptop must be registered for the campus wireless network. You can do so via http://onyen.unc.edu/ by scrolling towards the bottom of the page and clicking on "DHCP registration."
    • You should disable any anti-spyware or firewall programs (e.g. ZoneAlarm, SpybotSD) you may have running on your computer before using EBB.

Software licensing fees for Electronic Bluebook are covered by an annual student fee of $20. Students taking law courses from other UNC departments or other law schools will need to pay $20 to the Registrar's office in order to use the software for taking exams. The links to download the software will be distributed early in the fall semester through an announcement on My Carolina Law and the daily "Today at Carolina Law" email.

Please note: If you are having computer problems or need to have your wireless internet connection configured for use at the law school, do not wait until the last minute to get it fixed! If you need help with a laptop that you will be using for your exams, please bring it to the main IT office (room 5128) at least one week prior to the start of exams.

For more information about installing, downloading, or using Electronic Bluebook, please contact the IT department or email Doug Edmunds, Assistant Dean for Information Technology.

All other concerns or questions regarding exams should be directed to Dean Smith.

A Note About Purchasing Laptops

If you do not own a laptop, but are interested in purchasing one, the law school recommends purchasing one of the Carolina Computing Initiative (CCI) laptop models, for several reasons. In addition to being an excellent value, CCI laptops include a full warranty and free support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you experience any problems with your laptop it will be serviced on campus, and CCI will provide you a loaner until the repair is completed. CCI laptops are compatible with UNC's network without additional configuration and include built-in wireless connectivity. The computers also include a comprehensive software package, including MS Office 2007 Professional (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access) and antivirus protection. Laptop costs and specifications for graduate students can be found at http://cci.unc.edu/.

Email

While you are a student at UNC Law, you are entitled to a free UNC email account, which you can access via the Internet from your own laptop or home computer, as well as from computers located around the law school, law library or from any public terminal with Internet access.

Access to Law Databases

The Carolina Law Library provides access for law school students, staff and faculty to a number of legal databases including LexisNexis and Westlaw. Most law students use these resources heavily.

High-Speed Internet Access

The School of Law's network is part of the main UNC-Chapel Hill campus network, and currently provides 100Mb Ethernet ports scattered around the law school and the law library. There is wireless 802.11a and 11.b/g Internet access throughout the building as well.

The School of Law's wired and wireless networks are only accessible to students who have registered their 10/100 ethernet network adapter or wireless 802.11a and 11.b/g compatible network adapter (with WEP capability) with the campus ITS department. The wired and wireless network is not open to the public - only to campus faculty, staff and students who register their network cards with campus.

AFS Disk Space

AFS is a file system used by UNC to provide personal and group disk storage. Files stored here can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet via special AFS client software. Law students, faculty and staff each get 250MB of AFS disk space. You can keep important files and web pages in your personal AFS space, or you can use it to transfer files from one place to another.

Technology in Classrooms

Carolina Law classrooms employ many standard educational technologies, including data projectors, document cameras, DVD players, automated classroom capture, and hearing assist systems.

Blackboard Learning System

UNC and Carolina Law use the Blackboard e-Education learning platform. For more information on Blackboard visit http://www.blackboard.com/.

My Carolina Law

Carolina Law has an internal site, My Carolina Law. On this site, students can stay informed about events, news, and upcoming deadlines at Carolina Law, request that online calendar items be added, visit student organization sites, seek IT support, and read law news blogs. My Carolina Law contains a wealth of other valuable information to currently enrolled students and is considered a daily go-to page among not only the student body but also faculty and staff.

Video Conferencing

The School of Law owns a Polycom VSX 7000 video conferencing system. This system is available for many uses including long-distance interviews with prospective employers and special speakers for class sessions.