Information mapping is a proven tool for effective learning from kindergarten through post-graduate college work.  Simply, by creating and editing visual structures, the process of transferring knowledge works better.  Retention scores improve, recall scores improve, and the ability to transfer knowledge from a learner to someone outside the learning experience (such as a team member) improves.

Legal knowledge, and the challenges of navigating that knowledge, is no different.  Complex, with many variables and exceptions, the law is perhaps the most difficult body of knowledge to be mapped into visual structures.  Yet, for Gen Y professionals and those “born digital”, visual learning is a more dominant mechanism for learning—over 65% of the general population are visual learners.  The numbers are even more dominant for those for whom using a computer and the Internet are second nature.

One of the gratifying reactions we have received to our RitterMaps is the enthusiasm for the visual features and structure, particularly from younger lawyers.  We know our maps uniquely empower better professional learning, but its nice to hear that from professionals that are not comfortable with detailed, text-based treatises.

So, it’s exciting to announce that, later this Fall, our RitterMaps will begin to be used in a law school course to teach electronic discovery.  The course is offered at one of the nationally recognized law schools in the Washington, DC region.  The maps will focus on two topics covered in our current course catalog: how to evaluate whether ESI is reasonably accessible, and how to evaluate whether there has been spoliation, and the sanctions that may be appropriate.

We will be using in the classroom the same proven learning techniques that I have developed over the last five years for live, interactive learning.  This is an exciting time, and a chance to see how law students will directly react to the use of our RitterMaps to navigate the complexities of electronic discovery.

I will look forward to posting the stories of our experiences later this fall.