Hong Kha Students, The Basics

Register for Wireless Network Access

LaptopPepperdine University has wireless networking capabilities throughout the Malibu campus as well as at the other Pepperdine campuses.

Students can conduct research, download research projects, and check e-mail within the accessible area.  For those students considering a new laptop purchase please review our recommendations page here.

You can easily access the WiFi network on your laptop, tablet, smart phone, or other wireless device by registering your device at https://wavesconnect.pepperdine.edu.  To register your device, select “Current Students, Faculty, and Staff” and then enter your wavenet ID and password credentials to access the WiFi network. 

Connection Instructions for Faculty, Staff, and Students

  1. Open a web browser on your device (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) and visit any web page. You should be redirected to the WavesConnect website for your location.  If not, point your browser to https://wavesconnect.pepperdine.edu.
  2. Read and agree to the Computer and Network Responsible Use Policy.
  3. Click “Start” next to the heading of “Current Students, Faculty and Staff.”
  4. Enter your NetworkID and password. (Don’t know your password?)
  5. Select “Student”, “Faculty/Staff – University Owned” or “Faculty/Staff Personally Owned” from the drop down menu.
  6. Click “Continue.”
  7. Wait for the progress bar to complete or reboot your computer.
  8. Registration is now complete. You must register your computer or device annually.

Remember, when you register your device, your registration will last one year.  Registering as a guest user lasts only one day.   

For more information on Network and Internet Access via Computer Registration see Pepperdine University’s IT site here.

David Dickens About Us, Students, The Basics

Security: Protect Your Laptop and Yourself!

sophosbadgeViruses, worms, ad-ware and spyware, and theft, are examples of SEVERE risks to your computer in a public, networked environment. You MUST PERFORM THE STEPS LISTED BELOW if you wish to use your computer at Pepperdine or you could face repercussions including loss of network access, data loss, and system failure.

  1. Maintain up-to-date virus protection software on your computer. The University’s IT department supports Sophos for faculty and staff. For students, University IT recommends Microsoft Defender (no cost) for Windows and Sophos AntiVirus for Macs (home version, no cost).
  2. Regularly install all Critical Updates from http://update.microsoft.com. You should begin checking Microsoft Update constantly, starting now. You can also configure your Windows computer to check automatically for updates every time you connect to the Internet.
  3. Keep your browser up to date! A great browser-based tool for checking how current your web-related tools are is Qualys Browser Check.
  4. Keep your computer’s operating system and office products up-to-date
  5. Do not install peer-to-peer file-sharing software or other high-risk programs. Attempt to eliminate any programs that might already be installed by running a spyware/adware removal product such as Spybot Search & Destroy or Ad-aware.
  6. Buy and use a computer security cable for your computer to lock it down when it is not attended. (Alarm-equipped cables are NOT recommended.) We highly recommend that you NEVER leave your belongings alone, especially in quiet areas like the Law Library, as the School of Law is open to the public. Kensington has a website that will help you find a security cable that was made for your laptop. Note that there are currently at least three different kinds of security cable ports on laptops today so you’ll want to pay attention and select the one that fits your laptop. (Pepperdine Caruso Law does not endorse or recommend Kensington locking cables to the exclusion of other  similar solutions, however we have had very positive experience with Kensington security cables for over two decades and find that their products are reliable).
  7. Do not click on links in unsolicited email messages.
  8. Do not open an email attachment unless you are expecting it or have checked with the sender.

Hong Kha Faculty, Students, The Basics

Microsoft Office Suite – Office 365 is FREE to Students

The Microsoft Office suite is a family of software that delivers almost any tool imaginable to assist users at home and in business. Here, Pepperdine Caruso Law IT helps break down the different applications available.

NOTE: We always recommend that you INSTALL and USE the local copy of MS Word (actually install it on your computer’s hard drive) rather than use the online version (accessed through your web-browser) when working on law school projects or pleadings for court. The features you need for law-specific document creation are not all available to you in the online version of Word.

Students and Faculty can purchase this software at a significant discount through Microsoft’s education store; Office 365 is even available for free.

Click the link below to view the Pepperdine IT Student Discount page: http://community.pepperdine.edu/it/students/newstudents/student-discount.htm

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word may be the most popular application under the Microsoft Office suite. Word is a powerful word processing software that is heavily used in the field of law, specifically for legal document creation and formatting. Click here for some common Microsoft Word tips and tricks for lawyers.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an all-in-one information manager for personal emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes. It is said to be the second most used Microsoft Office application for lawyer, after Microsoft Word of course. For most interesting information on how to incorporate Outlook’s benefits in a law office, click here.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a slideshow presentation software commonly used for meetings, business proposals and industry talks. PowerPoint is known to boost memory retention when it comes to presenting information.

Microsoft Excel

MicrosoftExcel is an incredibly popular spreadsheet software tool. This application may be valuable for analyzing, presenting and sharing data-intensive cases. Many Excel applications exist for case evaluation and management, as well as law firm budgeting.

Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a database management system, usually utilized to create business applications from templates or scratch. This is frequently used for lawyer contract tracking and appointment tracking.

David Dickens About Us, Faculty, Services, Students, The Basics

Print and Copy Services at Caruso Law

To send a print job start here: print.pepperdine.edu

To setup your printing go here for complete instructions.

Color Printing is $0.35 per side of a page 

Black and White Printing is $0.06 per side of a page

Print accounting and print charges are managed by the University.  

Charges go to your Pepperdine ID card’s linked Waves Cash Global account.

You cannot print if you do not have funds on deposit in your Waves Cash Global account.*

*Students at Caruso Law start each term with a print credit.

Pepperdine University has multi-function devices (MFDs) from Sharp (you can still call them copiers but they’re much more).  You will find two such MFDs in the public area of the Harnish Law Library at Caruso Law.  Additionally, there is another MFD in the Career Development Office.

Students, Faculty, and Staff can print, scan, or copy on the MFDs using an account associated with their Pepperdine ID cards.  Students buy copy and print credit here:   https://get.cbord.com/pepperdine/full/prelogin.php 

All enrolled students can print to all Sharp MFDs in public areas at any of the Pepperdine Southern California campuses (click here to learn about print credit for students enrolled at Caruso Law).   Printing in color or black and white is possible and a document with a mix of color and black and white pages will only incur the higher cost for color on the pages where there is color.

Typically, print jobs are sent via the web using a web-browser interface.  In nearly all circumstances, your document that you want to print must be in PDF format.

You transfer/upload your PDF file to the print.pepperdine.edu site and select your parameters (number of copies, etc.).  If you want to print in color, you want to select a “findmecolor” solution (see more information here) or “findmebw” for black and white.

Then once the document is uploaded, you go to the copier nearest you — Caruso Law? go to Harnish Law Library and see the copiers not too far from the Public Services Desk.

“Tap” your ID card or type in your Wavenet credentials (there’s a slide-out keyboard stored under the copier’s screen), select the print job you want to “release” and you have your document!

David Dickens Students, The Basics

Pepperdine’s Courses – The online course management system at Caruso Law

You may have heard of an LMS or learning management system. An LMS is an online service that hosts your course syllabus, other documents, class discussions, and more.

Caruso Law (and Pepperdine in general) use an LMS that Pepperdine calls “Courses by Sakai” or simply “Courses.”

Courses is the “go to” place for all things associated with your classes including Zoom links for your online classes, syllabi, recordings of classes and more.

To familiarize yourself with courses, the University IT group has developed some great resources here: https://community.pepperdine.edu/techlearn/tools/courses/student/

David Dickens Faculty, Pedagogy Tips, Resources, Services, Students, The Basics

CALI Lessons

CALI Lessons IconCALI [The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction] is a  resource provided by Pepperdine Caruso School of Law for students that includes over 1,000+ interactive online tutorials written by law professors, on 50+ subject areas. This includes, but is not limited to topics such as, 1L-First Year Lessons, 2L-3L Upper Level Lessons, Administrative Law, Tax Law, Constitutional Law, Legal Research, Property Law, Civil Procedure, and Environmental Law. These interactive tutorials are an excellent resource to enhance your studies. You may find that one or more of your professors will require you to use CALI lessons in the course of your studies.

CALI Registration Code: In order to take advantage of the CALI interactive online tutorials, you will need to register with the CALI service.  You will need the institutional registration code to do so. The Caruso Law CALI registration code is available in the Harnish Law Library at the Public Services Desk or you can send an email requesting the registration code to [email protected].

Quick Start:  Once you have your registration completed using the above referenced code, you may find this Quick Start Guide helpful.

CALI also provides additional services including (but not limited to):eLangdell Icon

  • eLangdell: Free eBooks for Legal Education – before purchasing textbooks, consider checking out this resource to see if your textbook is available for free.
  • Classcaster: Free blogging and podcasting tools/network designed for law professors to supplement their course materials and link them to other colleagues around the country.
David Dickens Faculty, Students, The Basics

Caruso Law School Computer/Technology Recommendations

If you are just starting out at Caruso Law, or heading back to school and looking to upgrade your system, please review the below information before purchasing your new laptop!

Nearly all Pepperdine Caruso Law Students use laptops for class, exams, and homework. While laptops are not required, they can be a very valuable tool in law school.  The following recommendations take into account services and applications that are often used in conjunction with Caruso Law classes and other curricular and extra curricular activities.

The Information Services team at Caruso Law provides assistance in configuring your laptop for the network. Please think very carefully before choosing a laptop brand or other hardware/software choice outside the recommended list, as you may be limiting your potential sources of support.

As a law student your laptop computer is a key tool.  Please keep this in mind as you think about how you will use it, the software you install on it, the websites you visit with it, the files/attachments you choose to download and where you store it when you are not using it.  You will want it to be functioning at optimum levels.  Theft, drops, malware, and other untoward variables will detract from your laptop’s ability to help you succeed in law school.

Below are the minimum Computer/Technology Recommendations:

  • Internet: Strongly recommend a rock solid internet connection with a minimum 20 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up.  This exceeds the minimum requirements for synchronous Zoom sessions (the absolute minimum is 600 kbps in both directions while recommended minimum is 1.5 mbps) but note that if you share your internet connection you will need more bandwidth to ensure a reliable, continuous connection.  Also please note that the age of your hardware (router, modem, cabling, computer) will play a significant role in reliability.
  • Manufacturer/Model: Dell Latitude Series/Apple MacBook Pro or MacBook Air
      • NOTE: We strongly discourage the use of Microsoft Surface computers.  Microsoft Surface systems may provide some challenges with ExamSoft software, this software is used by most students to take exams at Caruso Law and is used by the California Board of Bar Examiners for the state bar exam … along with most other state jurisdictions. 
  • Display: Minimum 11” screen – for improved readability, consider 13” or larger
  • Operating System: Windows 10 /Mac OS 11 or better
  • Processor: Intel i5 processor, Apple M1 processor, or greater (Make sure your system is compatible with ExamSoft)
  • RAM: 12GB – 16GB is recommended
  • Solid State Drive (SSD): 120GB or higher
  • Integrated WiFi or WiFi adapter: Newer is often if not always better
  • Media Drives: None necessary, but it’s always good to have a few flash drives handy. Keep in mind that these don’t last forever, don’t rely upon one flash drive to keep your work safe. AND have a backup solution.  LESS DOWN TIME
  • Battery Life: 4-6 hours, much longer is much better.  MORE UP TIME.
  • Spare Laptop Charger: If you plan to bring your laptop with you, keep one for home and one for travel.  If you lose one you have a spare.  NO DOWN TIME.
  • Warranty: 3 year parts/on-site labor. LESS DOWN TIME.
  • Security Lock/Cable: Don’t ever walk away from your laptop if it isn’t secured.  LESS DOWN TIME
  • Malware Protection Software: Make sure you have Anti-Malware installed.  Use the firewall that is build into your computer’s operating system.  MORE UP TIME.
  • Personal Printer: We strongly recommend HP Laser Printers with an extra toner cartridge.  NO DOWN TIME.
  • BACKUP System: There are two ways to do this, traditional backups where a copy of all your files (or just critical files) is made to another storage device either over the web or to an external drive of some kind OR storing your files in the “cloud” to start with where they are backed up by that service provider (think Apple iCloud or Google Drive).  We strongly and urgently recommend a reliable automated backup system AND synchronizing your law school materials on a cloud-based service like Google Drive or iCloud. LESS DOWNTIME

Please visit the Minimum System Requirements page for the ExamSoft/Examplify system requirements to ensure that your system is compliant.

The Dell Latitude series is designed for a professional enterprise user and is not what you will find in a consumer-focused retail store.  We have found these systems to be very reliable and strongly recommend them to both students and faculty for their personal computing needs.  This recommendation is not meant to dissuade you from other manufacturers or even other lines of Dell computers, however, we know this line to be a great fit for a law student who needs a solid, reliable system for three years of challenging work (plus the Bar exam).

NO TABLETS, NO NETBOOKS: We do not recommend tablet-based systems. Nor do we recommend netbooks or Chromebooks.  You are certainly welcome to buy them but we don’t believe they will meet your needs in law school.  In fact, these systems do not work with ExamSoft Examplify at all so that should be a compelling reason to avoid the Chromebook/tablet acquisition unless you already have a serviceable laptop that meets the ExamSoft minimum requirements. Essentially, you can bring any device you want to law school. However, if you want to take exams and keep pace with the challenges of law school, you should purchase a high-quality, business class laptop, not a cheap, or off-brand version found on sale at a big box retailer. Remember, you want a system that is reliable and will last you through completing the BAR EXAM. You don’t want a machine that may crash in the middle of an exam!

MacBook ProThe Pepperdine University Computer Store (an online referral site) offers generous discounts to Pepperdine University students on software (MS Office is no cost to Pepperdine students and employees) and hardware. These discounts are often more than the typical education discounts that you will find online. The Computer Store can be accessed 24/7 online.

For purchasing as an enrolled Pepperdine student, please visit the Pepperdine University IT Department’s discounts for students web page or call Pepperdine University Tech Central at (310) 506-4811.

Please note that using a computer on the University network requires that you agree to the University Computer and Network Usage policy.

David Dickens The Basics

A Guide to Personal Data Backup

In order to migrate your data off of Pepperdine sponsored data storage services, you will need to have some place to store all of your files. This article will serve as an overview of data backup solutions to keeping your data safe and secure in one place.

Common ways to back-up data include the following:

  • Flash or physical drive
  • Online backup services
  • Online cloud storage (like Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive or Apple iCloud)

Each of these options has its benefits and drawbacks in the areas of price, ease of use, security, and storage capacity.

Backup Option Comparison

Below is a basic comparison of data backup solutions. These are categorized by paid cloud backup services (I-Drive, etc.) at the top of the list, a physical drive option (flash drive, and lastly cloud storage services (Google Drive, etc.) at the bottom of the list.

ServiceCost /yrEncryption Remote AccessibilityStorage CapacityAdditional Features
I-Drive$79.50 ($59.62 for first year)Private encryption key availableFiles accessable from multiple devices 5 TBMobile app for remote access, can order a physical drive of all your data 
Carbonite$58.99Basic encrypted cloud dataFiles accessable from multiple devices UnlimitedAvailable integrated anti virus software for extra cost
Backblaze$70Private encryption key availableFiles accessable from multiple devices UnlimitedMobile app for remote access, can order a physical drive of all your data 
Flash DriveFixed Cost, $20-$80NANAHowever much you want to buy
Google Drive*$19.99, $29.99, $99.99Basic encryptionAccessible from any device on your Google account100GB for $19.99, 200GB for $29.99, 2TB for $99.99Integration with Google suite applications
iCloud$11.88, $35.88, $119.88Basic encryptionAccessable across Apple devices and online 50GB for $11.88, 200GB for $35.88, 2TB for $119.88Integration with Apple products and services like iPhone photos
One Drive (Microsoft)$19.99, $69.99Basic encryptionAccessable from any device on microsoft account100GB for $19.99, 1TB for $69.991TB option includes Microsoft Office suite of applications (Word, Excel, etc.)
*NOTE: Google Drive storage is included for no cost to current students as part of their Google Suite access that includes Pepperdine’s Google email service, Sheets, Slides, and Docs.

Why You May Need a Backup

Getting a backup drive for your files all has to do with assessing your need to protect your data and access your data remotely from the backup. Potential hazards to your data security that may warrant getting a drive include:

  • Viruses and malware that could corrupt, take or delete your data
  • Stolen or damaged computer
  • Corrupted files or accidentally deleted files

Good Practices for Data Backup Maintenance

Wherever you have your data backed up, it is important to make sure you follow some steps to maintain your backup system.

  • Backup Schedules; Set a regular interval to back up your data manually, or set your backup service to update data at a regular time interval. Additionally some services, either automatically or by your choice, will back-up data continuously every time you edit it.
  • Separate your backups – If you are storing your data on physical drives, it may be best to keep your primary device and your backup as disconnected as possible when not updating your files in order to minimize the risk of spreading malware or viruses that could corrupt your data on the backup drive.

If you have any questions about the information in this article, please feel free to contact Information Services at [email protected] or (310) 506-7425.

Hong Kha Students, The Basics

Zoom: A Guide for Students

Pepperdine University has a university-wide site license for the popular video conferencing product, Zoom, for all students, faculty and staff at Pepperdine. This site is great for joining or hosting meetings, study groups, workspaces and webinars–whether it be for attending a remote class lecture or creating a personal audio/video chat.

Usage and Benefits

As opposed to FaceTime’s often unreliable quality of connection when conversing with multiple users, Zoom’s webinar feature allows you to host large online events with video, audio and screen sharing for up to 100 participants and 10,000 viewers (note that the webinar feature is dependent upon special access to a webinar license – make sure to coordinate your event through the Caruso Law Events Team). Or just use the regular Zoom meeting functionality for remote club meetings or group project sessions! You may even record and save a meeting (with a complete transcript) on your local device or to the Cloud.

Note that Zoom is more than just a competitor to other video conferencing products like FaceTime and Skype. It also integrates seamlessly into your Google Calendar if you use Google Chrome for your browser. It also can be used as a telephone alternative and/or a conference phone system, so there is no need to use the video component if you don’t need or want that feature.

Downloads and Installation

Students automatically have a Pepperdine University account under their user name and password via Central Authentication Service (CAS). To log-in and use the online web browser version, simply go to zoom.pepperdine.edu and use the SSO (single sign-on) option. If you are prompted for a “domain” enter Pepperdine.

You may also install the Zoom browser extension on to your personal computer. Once the Zoom extension for the Chrome Browser is installed, you can schedule a Zoom meeting right from your Google Calendar! This feature automatically fills in the Zoom meeting link and other information including optional phone numbers for folks to dial in from a regular phone to participate in your meeting.

For tips on how to maximize your remote internet experience, please click here.

For training, support information, and links related to Zoom at Pepperdine please click here: https://community.pepperdine.edu/it/tools/zoom/training.htm.

Hong Kha Faculty, The Basics

Top 5 Tools in Courses by Sakai

Courses by Sakai is Pepperdine’s open-source, learning management system that offers faculty and students a collaborative online environment to support teaching and learning. As we begin to utilize Courses as our main learning management system, here are the top 5 tools that may be used to the benefit and convenience of faculty and their students.

For instructions on how to add tools to your Courses left-side tool bar, please scroll down to the bottom of this article for the step procedure.

Here is an all-encompassing video that goes through the top 5 Courses tools and how to best utilize them.

For a quick tool summary, read the text briefings below. For an in-depth dive on the tool, visit the hyperlink below the coinciding tool summary to be redirected to a specialized post.

Top 5 Courses Tools:

Zoom Pro Tool

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Zoom is an online meeting platform that will be used for holding classes online. The University’s web conferencing software is Zoom, and you can use it to host online class sessions, record your classes, and host office hours. Zoom can be used on laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

For more information and a video tutorial on integrating Zoom with Courses, such as scheduling or important class sessions, please click here.

Syllabus Tool

The Syllabus tool provides a place in the course site for the instructor to post a syllabus and for students to access the syllabus. Faculty can input their syllabus as a file attachment, a Courses webpage document, a multi-part, or a point-to-webpage.

For more information and a video tutorial on how to utilize Courses’ Syllabus, such as which syllabus type is right for you and/or instructions on how to input a syllabus, please click here.

Roster Tool

The Roster tool displays the names and pictures of site participants, in this case, your class section students. The Roster tool is a helpful way to learn students names, take attendance, and verify identities during class assignments and assessments.

For more information and a video tutorial on how to utilize Courses’ Roster, such as managing participants and viewing student pictures, please click here.

Resources Tool

The Resources tool allows faculty to compile and categorize important information to share with your students in an organized and central manner. Through the Resources tool, you can: share files or website links; post lecture notes, PDF documents, or presentations; release resources based on Gradebook conditions or to specific groups.

For more information and a video tutorial on how to utilize Courses’ Resources, such as how to attach files, links and create folders, please click here.

Messages Tool

The Messages tool allows you to send and receive messages to students in your course or project site. On this tab, you may view your received, sent, deleted and drafted messages.

For more information and a video tutorial on how to utilize Courses’ Messages, such as how to send messages and select specific message recipients, please click here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Information Services at [email protected] or (310) 506-7425.