Associate Dean for Academic Programs Shannon Gardner is presenting on the College’s online/hybrid JDinteractive (JDi) program at the 2026 Online and Hybrid Learning Conference: Innovating Quality conference on legal education.
Gardner’s presentation, “Mapping the Journey: Launching & Growing a Quality Online/Hybrid JD Program,” explores what Syracuse Law has learned as JDi has grown into an integral part of the law school, and how the questions facing an online program change as it reaches scale. Drawing on seven years of experience and program data, the presentation highlights Syracuse Law’s continuing role in advancing high-quality, accessible, and innovative legal education.
Launched in 2019 as one of the nation’s first two ABA-approved distance-education J.D. programs, JDi has grown into one of the country’s most established and successful online/hybrid J.D. programs. Syracuse Law has continued to innovate online legal education by expanding its curriculum and experiential opportunities, building a national approach to student and career support, and demonstrating strong academic, bar passage, and employment outcomes for JDi graduates.