CSU Law faculty were well represented at the 2026 Online & Hybrid Learning Pedagogy Conference: Innovating Quality, held September 17-19 at the University of Dayton School of Law. Associate Dean Jonathan Witmer-Rich, Legal Writing Professor of Law Brandon Stump, and P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Center Director Debbie Hoffman each contributed to the conference’s national conversation about effective online and hybrid legal education.

Hoffman presented “Building the Online Professional: Lessons from Teaching Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and the Law,” drawing on six semesters of developing and teaching an online course through Albany Law School. Her presentation focused on practitioner engagement, current-event analysis, applied discussion, scaffolded assignments, and helping students develop the judgment and adaptability needed to practice in rapidly evolving fields.

Witmer-Rich and Stump presented “The Care Bear Stare: Improving Student Engagement and Performance Through Attention and Empathy in the Online Environment,” exploring the role that attention, empathy, and intentional faculty engagement can play in strengthening the online student experience.

The three-day conference brought together legal educators, deans, administrators, instructional designers, librarians, and technologists from across the country to share approaches to student engagement, assessment, professional formation, artificial intelligence, instructional design, and the continued development of online and hybrid J.D. programs.

Together, the CSU Law presentations reflected two complementary dimensions of effective online education: thoughtful course design and meaningful human connection. Both sessions contributed to a broader conversation about how law schools can use online and hybrid learning not simply to deliver content, but to create engaging learning environments that prepare students for professional practice.