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.

Computer Use for Exams

The faculty has approved the use of laptop computers during final exams. The UNC School of Law uses a secure software program called SofTest (a product of ExamSoft, Inc.) that blocks access to all other Windows applications while it is running, thereby reducing the risk of honor code violations for unauthorized access to materials on a laptop's hard drive. SofTest also blocks access to the Internet and Instant Messenger. 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.

There is no specific brand of laptop that is required for use on exams; however, in order to use SofTest, your laptop MUST meet the following criteria:

  • If you are using a Windows-compatible laptop:
    • You must be running Windows XP with SP2 installed (Home or Professional edition), Windows Vista, or Windows 2000 Professional.
    • You may NOT use Windows 98 or any earlier versions of Windows.
  • If you are using an Apple laptop:
    • You must be using an Apple Macbook or Macbook Pro (i.e., an Intel-based Apple laptop), with Boot Camp and Windows XP SP2 or Vista installed. BootCamp now comes as part of the 10.5 (Leopard) operating system. The beta version is no longer available. Students who have not upgraded from 10.4 (Tiger) to 10.5 (Leopard) are encouraged to do so. Leopard is available from the RAM Shop at Student Stores for $69. For more information on Boot Camp and how it works, please see http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/.
    • Because Apple has made BootCamp part of Leopard, ExamSoft is now fully supported to run under BootCamp/Windows on Apple hardware. If you are still running OS 10.4, plan to use your laptop for exams, and have not already installed the beta version of BootCamp, you must contact Dean Edmunds, edmunds@unc.edu, no later than November 30 to acquire the necessary CDs and documentation to get BootCamp installed.
    • To install Windows onto Boot Camp, you must have a full install CD for Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Vista. You cannot use a Windows update CD or system recovery CD.
    • You may NOT use any Windows emulation software, including Parallels Desktop, Virtual PC, VMWare, etc. Using SofTest with any emulation software is a violation of the honor code.
    • You may NOT use an older Apple computer, such as an iBook or PowerBook, as these models are incapable of running Boot Camp.
  • For all users:
    • You must have a 450 MHz Intel Pentium II processor or equivalent, with at least 256 MB of RAM and 50 MB free hard disk space. Your screen resolution must be 1024x768 or higher.
    • 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 must 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 must disable any anti-spyware or firewall programs (e.g. ZoneAlarm, SpybotSD) you may have running on your computer before using SofTest.

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 2003 Professional (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access) and antivirus protection. Laptop costs and specifications for graduate students can be found at: http://www.unc.edu/cci/incoming_students/gradlaptopspecs.shtml

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 of the latest educational technologies including, LCD projectors, document cameras, DVD/VCR players, networked computers, audio recorders, hearing assist systems and SMART Boards.

Blackboard Learning System

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

Computer Lab

The Law School microcomputer laboratory is sponsored jointly by the UNC-Chapel Hill Law Library, the Law School, and Information Technology Services. It is located in room 3045 of the library. The lab features 28 computers connected to the campus network. Two laser printers are networked, so they can be used to print from all 28 computers and there is also a printer with a USB cable for laptop printing. These computers are connected to the campus network for access to email, the Internet, and other information services.

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.