If you have any questions not addressed below, please contact Victor Galindez (email), a reference librarian by email, chat, or visiting us at the reference desk.
What is the Procertas Legal Technology Assessment?
The LTA is a competence-based learning platform focused on core technologies for delivering legal services. Users are placed in legal scenarios and asked to perform common tasks with standard software.
For example, a user might be provided a marked-up contract as a Word document and asked to prepare it for execution (in a sequence of separate tasks) by turning off tracked changes, accepting all changes, deleting all comments, fixing numbering, updating cross-references, removing metadata, and converting to a PDF.
Do other law students have to do this?
Many law schools and firms offer Procertas in a variety of contexts, from mandatory class assignments to voluntary competitions.
What computer applications and skills are covered?
You can receive training on Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Adobe PDF. There is a long list of skills for each module; highlights include: inserting/updating cross-references, comparing documents, creating a table of authorities, pivot tables, redacting, and removing hidden information.
How do I earn the Law Practice Technology Certificate?
Prior to graduation:
- Complete 3 modules with a score of “Qualified” or above in Procertas. You may choose any 3 modules from the following list: 1) Word for Legal Assessment, 2) Excel for Legal Assessment, 3) PDF for Legal Assessment, and 4) PowerPoint for Legal Assessment; AND
- Attend 5 library-approved programs on important law practice technology topics OR successfully complete the Advanced Legal Research Law Practice Technology class.
The quickest way to achieve a score of “Qualified” in Procertas is to first complete the Trainer associated with each Assessment: Word For Legal Trainer, Excel for Legal Trainer, and PDF for Legal Trainer. All of the Assessments and Trainers, along with a tutorial walking you through the system, will appear on your Modules List when you log into the system.
How do I sign up?
To sign up for the Maloney Library Law Practice Technology Certificate, use this form or visit the main webpage for more details.
Students who completed Procertas during 1L Legal Writing already have accounts – log in at https://learn.procertas.com; you can resend an activation email or reset your password from there.
1Ls will get sign-up information directly in their inboxes during their fall semester.
How do I log in?
Go to https://learn.procertas.com and log in with your username and password. You can resend an activation email or reset your password from there.
How do I start?
When you first log in, you will be brought to a “Settings” page, where you select the Operating System you are working on (Mac or PC) and the version of Word you will use. For the program to work correctly, you must fill this out. After you select your operating system and version of Word, you will see a page called Modules List that will include a Tutorial and all the other modules. Complete the Tutorial first.
If you do not currently have Word, you can download it for free from Fordham, https://www.fordham.edu/info/25689/microsoft_office.
How do I complete tasks?
After you log in, complete the Tutorial that will show you how to use the system. For step-by-step instructions, see this document, http://procertas.com/LTA_UserIntroduction.pdf. After you log in, there is a tutorial that will show you the steps as well.
The basic rhythm of the LTA is Download-Edit-Upload. You start a task by downloading one or more files. Upon download, task instructions will appear in the browser (e.g., turn off tracked changes). You open the document on your own computer and perform the task using your own software. You save, close, and upload the modified file. Once uploaded, the file is reviewed by the LTA’s grading engine.
When selecting the program, it says Word 2016, but I have Word 2013 – is this ok?
Yes – the program is compatible, but the further away you get (for example, Word 2007), the more problems you may have and the more likely it is that the methods have changed.
How long will this take?
It varies depending on the module and the user’s existing skill level. The average time for completion of the Microsoft Word assessment is 45 minutes.
What’s the difference between the Trainer and the Assessment?
The Trainers and Assessments are built on the same platform and contain the same tasks. The Assessments, however, are linear. The user completes one task after another with no option to retry a task. The Trainers are navigable and includes a “Teach me” button, which opens task-specific training, and the opportunity to retry the task.
The Assessments, by contrast, are closer to a real-world experience. Their value is as a diagnostic and validation tool. A pre-training Assessment provides a baseline measure of proficiency. A post-training Assessment captures improvement and retention.
Trainers and Assessments are complementary but can be used independently.
Should I do the Trainer or the Assessment first?
The suggested workflow is test-train-test. Take a benchmark assessment, and find out what you know and what you don’t know, then train on what you don’t know and finally do a validating assessment to confirm learning has occurred.
For the Maloney Library Law Practice Technology Certificate, the quickest way to achieve a score of “Qualified” in Procertas is to complete the Trainer associated with each Assessment: Word For Legal Trainer, Excel for Legal Trainer, and PDF for Legal Trainer. All of the Assessments and Trainers, along with a tutorial walking you through the system, will appear on your Modules List when you log into the system.
Do I have to do everything at once?
No – There is a ‘Stop’ button in the trainers and assessments. If you press it, you will be returned to the main Module screen. From there, you can continue where you left off whenever you are ready.
Can I train on an individual task without opening an entire Trainer?
You can view training videos, although you cannot complete tasks for review outside of the trainers and assessments. Using the top menu in Procertas, hover over “Modules” and select “Content Library.” Here you can watch training videos for individual skills such as tracking changes in Word or redacting PDFs.
I have questions about how to complete a task in a module. Who do I ask?
Email Procertas Help at [email protected] or use the internal Procertas Help page after you are signed in.
The program tells me I completed something wrong, but I’m sure it’s correct. Who do I talk to?
Email Procertas Help at [email protected] or use the internal Procertas Help page after you are signed in.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
If you have any questions not addressed above, please contact Victor Galindez (email), a reference librarian by email, chat, or visiting us at the reference desk.