The International Legal Studies Program at the Washington College of Law launched an interactive "flashmap" on its Web site about two weeks ago to allow prospective students to learn about the program in their native languages and provide information for recruiters who are looking for employees with legal expertise in certain areas.
The purpose of the flashmap, named for its use of the digital animation software Flash, is to attract students to the ILSP, which is composed of 180 lawyers from 61 countries. The flashmap can be found on the WCL Web site at www.wcl.american.edu/ilsp/map.
A viewer can click on the international flag of his choice, see a picture of a current student or alumni from that country and hear a greeting either in English or the student's native language explaining why they chose WCL and the program.
"Our flashmap is an example of the creative ways in which the ILSP seeks to utilize education, scholarship and technology to build a network of international lawyers around the world who are interested in building the rule of law at both the national and international level," Daniel Bradlow, the director of ILSP, said in a WCL press release.
Annika Pettitt, a freshman in the School of International Service, said she thinks the map is a good way to learn more about the school.
"It seems like it would be nice to hear about the school from someone who is from your own country, who is like you," Pettitt said.
Hristo Boyadzhiev, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, said he thinks the map is a good idea because it lets prospective students hear the viewpoints of students from their own countries. However, he said he doesn't think a tool like the WCL's flashmap would have had an impact on his decision to come to AU from Bulgaria.
"I came to AU because I knew someone who had gone here and it was a good school in a big city," Boyadzhiev said. "I don't think it will influence people to come to the school. It is a cool addition, but it won't make a huge difference."
The flashmap was developed by WCL's web, multimedia and audio-visual teams. They incorporated Flash, Google Maps and podcasting into the finished product, according to Kathy Thompson from the WCL public relations office.
This is one of many changes the WCL has made recently to try and cross the language barrier for prospective and international students. WCL launched podcasting in September 2005 to allow students to download audio from an event or a class, Thompson said. This allows non-native speakers to listen to complex material multiple times in order to understand.
