This information will be used by the Technology Committee, the Standards Review Committee and the Accreditation Committee to suggest permanent standards and interpretations. If a school should have, or desire to establish, a course which is not described in these Guidelines, it will continue to be necessary for the school to obtain a waiver or approval of the course from the Accreditation Committee. It involves more than the mere delivery of information or simply learning facts, history or even logic. During a law school education a student is expected to participate in a learning community whereby he or she will ultimately learn, experience, and develop skills and knowledge that will advance the legal system, society and his or her career. This law school experience involves interaction with faculty not only in the classroom, but also in other places and at other times.
Students also learn from each other by inquiry and challenge, review and study groups.
In sum, law school is an educational process in which a student matures with the law and his or her ability to use and develop it. As new methods of education develop, legal educators must be aware and ready to implement them in order to provide the best possible legal education to the greatest viable student body. In the last few years various methods of distance education have become available and, certainly, more will present themselves in the future. As legal educators we must consider which of these new methodologies provide appropriate legal education tools. In a desire to gather information on distance learning for ultimate incorporation into the Standards, the Accreditation Committee of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has directed the Consultant's Office to consult with the law schools on the use of distance education in legal education.