Ms. Hoffman is the Director of Academic and Instructional Innovation at Samuel Merritt University, a health sciences university, where she oversees a team of instructional designers who specialize in teaching and learning in higher education. Her own area of specialization is in ensuring quality, consistency, and rigor of online and hybrid programs. With a background in instructional design and online teaching, she focuses on faculty development and student success. Ms. Hoffman realizes that keeping online faculty engaged is a key factor in keeping online students engaged. She is driven by the knowledge that not all online/hybrid education is equal, and great effort, collaboration, and creativity are required to produce robust online and hybrid learning and to keep learners engaged. Ms. Hoffman continues to teach multiple subjects online to ensure she keeps her online teaching “chops” fresh, and because she loves to teach online! She possesses an M.A. in English, an M.A.Ed in Education/Instructional Technologies, and a certificate in Human Resources Management.