By Katy Ibsen
innovation
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Illustration: Adobe Stock
winter 2023
If there is a silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that the experience of remote learning showed how possible it is to learn effectively in a virtual environment. Suffolk Law had the foresight to put that principle to the test well before the pandemic, building an online learning program for students to earn a law degree.
The Hybrid JD program (HJD) offers a traditional first year of learning in person—allowing students to immerse themselves in the law school culture and experience—followed by two years with the freedom to complete coursework remotely. Students, by design, get the best of both worlds.
The HJD is one of approximately 12 JD programs nationwide that the American Bar Association has allowed to offer more than one-third of credits through distance education—and the only one that requires a traditional in-person first-year followed by the option of an entirely virtual upper-level experience.
During the online portion of their studies, students interact with their professors and classmates at a set class time each week. In preparation for that meeting, they are able to watch course lectures online based on their own schedules. “The students get added flexibility, choosing when the core class content is delivered to them,” says Assistant Dean Gabriel Teninbaum, JD ’05, who helped design the HJD.
The program can also help students save money by allowing them to live and work somewhere less expensive than the Boston area. Doing so can help students minimize the financial costs and investment of time associated with commuting to the school regularly.
The online portions of HJD classes are designed to enhance student learning. “We are using technology to engage with students in ways that would be hard to do in person,” Teninbaum says. “For example, I’m able to watch 10 different groups of students negotiate by using breakout rooms in Zoom, and we are able to have threaded discussions about class content using a tool called Canvas.”
“Our primary goal with the HJD is to give the students in the program an opportunity to get a world-class legal education from anywhere,” Teninbaum says. “A positive side effect is that by building out these courses, traditional law students who are not part of the HJD program may be able to take an online course on occasion. That makes it everyone’s program.”
After their first year on campus, 2L students from the initial cohort are now returning to their careers or family priorities, while continuing to attend law school online. At the same time, they also can (if they choose) come back to the physical law school to take as many classes as they want in person.
Just as HJD students can take in-person classes, HJD courses aren’t limited to students in the cohort; as space allows, traditional students also fill spots, giving them added flexibility in their own education. Virtual classes can be more convenient for a student who is nearing graduation, has a part-time job, or is preparing for the bar exam.
Sara Levien, HJD Class of 2024, says she appreciates the program’s flexibility. “Although I do hope to practice in Boston, I’m from the West Coast, and it was nice to know that I would have the ability to go back and forth if I wanted or needed to. I was also excited that I would still be able to participate in law review, moot court, clubs, and other activities,” she says. “I’m not limited to only online classes. I can tailor my schedules to be a mix of online and in-person, all online, or all in person depending on my needs and obligations.”
