Advanced Legal Research  

What is Advanced Legal Research (ALR)?

ALR is a required one-credit hour Credit/No Credit course that covers legal research topics not covered in the first year LARW courses.  There is no classroom component of ALR.  ALR consists of a series on online required and elective modules taught by the librarians.   

This course provides the unique opportunity to learn and practice research skills that you do not use in most other courses.  Many of these skills are highly valued by employers, and mastery of them will make you a more valuable asset to future employers.

Are there any prerequisites/requirements for taking ALR?

Students need to have completed LARW I and LARW II (9200:619 and 9200:620).  ABA Standard 306(e) states that students have to complete 28 credit hours before they can take this course.

How many modules will a student need to take to complete ALR?

The ALR course consists of a series of required and elective modules. A total of 14 module hours must be completed to earn credit for ALR. The modules vary in length depending on the amount of work required to complete the module. The modules range in value from one to five module hours. 

What are the required modules?   

There are two required modules, Federal Legislative History and Federal Administrative Research.  The two required modules must be successfully completed during the semester students initially register for ALR.   Federal Legislative History is worth five module hours and Federal Administrative Research is worth three module hours. 

How many elective modules do students need to take and when do they need to take them?

Students need to complete at least six hours of elective modules. Students can take elective modules during their first semester of ALR or at any other time elective modules are offered.  If students do not complete six elective hours during their initial semester of ALR they will receive a grade of In Progress for ALR.   The In Progress grade will remain on their record until they complete 14 ALR module hours.  Once they complete 14 module hours the grade of In Progress will be changed to a grade of Credit for ALR.

When is ALR offered?

Students can register for ALR and complete the required modules in either the fall or spring semester. A limited number of elective modules are offered during the summer as well as during winter break.  Students beginning ALR in the spring semester have the opportunity to take the required modules as well as elective modules during winter break.    Students enrolled in ALR will receive an email containing information about ALR offerings at the beginning of each semester as well as in the summer and during winter break.  Information about ALR offerings is also posted on Springboard.

Is there a limit to the number of ALR modules that the students can take?

There is no limit to the number of modules students can take.  Students must complete a minimum of 14 module hours.  Students can take more than 14 module hours if they wish.  

How do students enroll in and complete ALR modules?

The ALR modules reside on TWEN (The West Education Network).  To enroll in modules, students sign-on to TWEN using their Westlaw login information and click the “Add Course” button on the “My Courses” menu bar, then select the ALR modules they plan to take, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click “Submit”.     Once a student has added module they will have access to all of the module materials and can begin to work on the module.  A syllabus explaining module requirements and deadlines is included with each module on TWEN. 

How are the ALR modules graded?

The modules are graded on a credit/no credit basis.  

How is the ALR course graded?

ALR is a Credit/No Credit course.  Students are permitted to take the course over a series of semesters.  The two required modules must be completed the initial semester students register for ALR, failure to do so will automatically result in a grade of No Credit for the course and students will have to register and pay for ALR again in a subsequent semester.  As long as the required modules are completed during the initial semester students take ALR, they will have a grade of In Progress on their record until they complete 14 module hours.  As long as students have a grade of In Progress in ALR they will not have to register and pay for ALR again in subsequent semesters.

Where can students find a record of their ALR progress?

Students can use Springboard to locate specific information about their individual ALR progress.  Students log-in to Springboard using their UANet ID and password.  From the student Springboard home page, select Advanced Legal Research from the list of courses under the My Springboard! Student Tab.  On the next screen click on the Grades link in the Course Navigation Bar, a list of all of the ALR modules will be displayed. For each module that has been completed the list will indicate the number of hours the student has earned in that module.  A “0” next to a module indicates the student is currently enrolled in that module. 

Where can students currently enrolled in ALR obtain more information about ALR?

Current ALR students can obtain more ALR information, including detailed module enrollment information, by going to the Springboard course page and clicking on the ALR Information link in the Course Navigation Bar.  There is also general news about ALR posted on the Springboard course page.  Students with additional ALR questions can contact either Kyle Passmore at 330-972-6352, pkyle@uakron.edu or Lynn Lenart at 330-972-6357, llenart@uakron.edu.