Hybrid @ FIU Certification Program

FIU’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), in collaboration with FIU Online and Educational Technology Services, are supporting the Hybrid @ FIU Certification Program. Aligning with FIU’s Experience Impact 2030 Strategic Plan student success and faculty belonging goals, this professional development and certification program explores the potential of hybrid course design to enhance teaching and learning experiences.

In recognition of the time and effort it takes to prepare an effective hybrid course, the Office of the Provost funds a one-time incentive to instructors completing the hybrid certification requirements. Upon completing the program’s requirements, which consist of completing the professional development and teaching the newly-designed hybrid course, faculty will be designated a Certified Hybrid Instructor and thus be able to teach any course in the Certified Hybrid modality as well as continue to teach courses in other modalities. Only faculty who have earned this certification can teach courses in the Certified Hybrid modality at FIU.

Program Overview

FIU's team of teaching, learning, and instructional design experts have designed comprehensive professional development programming to support faculty on the hybrid course design journey. In this program, typically completed the semester before the hybrid course is scheduled, faculty will work on revising or designing one course to be offered in the hybrid modality. Faculty will have the opportunity to submit elements of their course design for feedback from the Hybrid Team at CAT and faculty fellows. They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other faculty across disciplines. In addition, faculty will be asked to evaluate their hybrid course using FIU’s Learning-Centered Hybrid Rubric and to submit this completed rubric to the Hybrid Team. Please contact the Hybrid Team if you would like to review the rubric. Applications will be prioritized based on strategic planning and professional development capacity; applications for undergraduate courses will, therefore, be given priority. Upon completing all of the requirements of this program, faculty will be designated a Certified Hybrid Instructor and thus be able to teach any course in the hybrid modality (as well as continue to teach courses in other modalities).

Faculty Responsibilities

The course assignment as Certified Hybrid is approved by the Academic Unit/Department Chair.
The Certified Hybrid course is scheduled in accordance with the definition of hybrid courses at FIU, meeting on campus once per week with a 50% reduction in in-class time. Any deviation from this standard schedule must be approved by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and meet any requirements from the Office of Class Management.
The instructor is the primary instructor on record for the Certified Hybrid course.
The instructor's Certified Hybrid course reflects a format in which 50% of course content and activities are conducted in-class and 50% out-of-class, including, but not limited to, online components administered through the university's official learning management system (Canvas).
The Certified Hybrid course is taught in the semester immediately following participation in the program, or no later than three semesters after completing the program.
Faculty participate in all scheduled professional development sessions, in their entirety, for their chosen cohort (as outlined in Timelines, below) and complete all in-session and out-of-session activities. Any planned absences are discussed with the Hybrid Team before confirming participation.
Faculty submit copies of their course syllabi and allow the Hybrid Team to access the online portion of their Certified Hybrid course throughout the first semester of the course, and, whenever possible, schedule a visit for the Hybrid Team to observe an in-class lesson.
Faculty self-evaluate their Certified Hybrid course, using a learning-centered rubric, in the first semester of teaching the course.

Academic Unit Responsibilities

The department chair approves the instructor’s application for the Hybrid @ FIU Certification Program. Factors to consider for approval should include:
- Consideration of the course selected to be taught in the Certified Hybrid modality and whether it supports the department's needs and goals;
- Ensuring that the instructor's teaching schedule does not conflict with the scheduled professional development sessions.
The academic unit schedules the Certified Hybrid course’s face-to-face session at a 50% reduction of in-person time, once per week. For example, a three-credit Certified Hybrid course taught in a regular (16-week) session would meet once per week for 75 minutes. Review the Guidelines for Certified Hybrid Contact Hours by Semester and Number of Credits. Any deviation from this standard schedule must be approved by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and meet any requirements from the Office of Class Management.
- The Certified Hybrid course should be scheduled for the semester immediately following participation in the program or within the three semesters immediately following faculty's participation in the program.
Academic units schedule the Certified Hybrid course in MyFIU/PantherSoft using “H” as the Instruction Mode during the schedule key-in period for the semester in which the Certified Hybrid course will be taught.
The course must not be cross-listed or otherwise combined with a course offered in a non-hybrid modality (i.e. traditional face-to-face or online), a different meeting pattern, or ODE (FEEDS) courses.

Compensation

Completion of this program within three semesters after participating in the professional development sessions (e.g. if the hybrid program is completed in Fall 3000, faculty will need to complete all requirements before or in Fall 3001) is accompanied by a one-time $1,500 incentive (please note: graduate students may not be eligible for the stipend). Upon completion of the program, the incentive will be issued by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching during the first semester in which the Certified Hybrid course is taught.

Timelines

When the hybrid class will be taught:	Spring 2027	Summer 2027	Fall 2027
Final Day to Apply	August 2, 2026	November 8, 2026	April 4, 2027
Professional Development Session Location	MMC	BBC	Virtual (Zoom)
Professional Development Session Dates	9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on: September 16, 2026 September 23, 2026 September 30, 2026 October 7, 2026 October 14, 2026 December 17, 2026	9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on: January 20, 2027 January 27, 2027 February 3, 2027 February 10, 2027 February 17, 2027 May 6, 2027	9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on: May 19, 2027 May 26, 2027 June 2, 2027 June 9, 2027 June 16, 2027 August 5, 2027

Hybrid Program Application

Should you need an ADA accommodation to participate in a University event, program, or activity or need to request materials in an accessible format, please contact FIU’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility (CRCA) at 305-348-2785 or accommodations@fiu.edu. All requests for ADA accommodation or accessible materials for this event must be submitted to CRCA at least seven (7) business days prior to the event or at the earliest possible opportunity.

Hybrid FAQ

What is the definition of “hybrid” at FIU?
In keeping with the State of Florida Board of Governors’ definition of hybrid courses, and FIU's Faculty Handbook, Certified Hybrid courses at FIU meet on campus once per week with a 50% reduction of in-class time (e.g., 16-week, 3-credit courses meet once per week for 75 minutes). The remaining 50% of instruction consists of asynchronous learning activities and assignments designed to be reflective, experiential, and skill-building to prepare students for the next in-person session. Certified Hybrid courses do not include virtual class meetings. Certified Hybrid courses must have a primary instructor who is certified to teach them.
Any deviations from this meeting pattern must be approved by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and meet any requirements from the Office of Class Management.
What is the Hybrid @ FIU certification program?
In an effort to promote student learning and better utilization of resources, FIU’s BeyondPossible2020 Strategic Plan aimed to offer 30% of all credit hours at the university in a hybrid format. The Hybrid @ FIU certification program was developed to assist faculty with hybrid course design and pedagogy. Faculty participate in an extensive professional development program focused on hybrid course design, led by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching, receive instructional design support from FIU Online, earn a one-time stipend of $1,500, and receive the designation “Certified Hybrid Instructor.”
How should Chairs, Departments, and Colleges determine which faculty should participate in the Hybrid @ FIU certification program?
Because the design of hybrid curricular materials and instructional design is particularly important to the success of the course, CAT works with department Chairs to identify courses that lend themselves to the hybrid structure. We ask that Chairs/Departments/Colleges consider faculty who may be well-suited to teaching in this format. Since the strategic plan goal is based on student credit hours, it is also important to consider which courses may have more impact, such as those with high enrollment and those that run every semester (vs. low-enrollment electives, for instance). Please also take into account the current unit schedule, noting that many faculty who apply will already be scheduled to teach a full load. Finally, we hope Chairs/Departments/Colleges consider which individual courses lend themselves to hybrid and encourage the faculty who teach those courses to complete the program.
Who schedules Certified Hybrid Courses?
The department/unit schedulers are responsible for scheduling Certified Hybrid Courses. Schedulers enter the Instruction Mode "H" in PantherSoft for courses taught by Certified Hybrid Instructors.
Once faculty have been approved by the Chair to participate in the Hybrid @ FIU program, have been accepted, and have confirmed their acceptance, all chairs will receive a final notice of faculty from their unit who will be participating in the pilot so that the department scheduler may make adjustments to the course schedule and, if necessary, the schedule of the faculty.
How do I know what the scheduling criteria and meeting pattern is for Certified Hybrid Courses?
Certified Hybrid courses must meet on campus weekly with a 50% reduction of in-class time and must be assigned to a primary instructor who is certified to teach Certified Hybrid courses at FIU. Specific scheduling parameters can be found by reviewing the Guidelines for Certified Hybrid Contact Hours by Semester and Number of Credits. Please contact the Hybrid Team with any questions regarding scheduling Certified Hybrid courses for market-rate and self-supporting programs.
How do I know who is a Certified Hybrid Instructor?
You can refer to the List of Hybrid Certified Instructors report to view faculty eligible to teach in the Certified Hybrid modality. That report lists all faculty who have earned the certification, some of whom have earned the certification under a different department. Alternately, please contact the Hybrid team for a list of hybrid certified instructors in your department.
Does scheduling a faculty for a certified hybrid course count as overload?
No, hybrid courses scheduled as part of the Hybrid @ FIU program are considered to be in-load and not added as a faculty overload. This is important to keep in mind when applying for or approving faculty for the Hybrid @ FIU program since teaching a Certified Hybrid course may require adjustments to the teaching schedule.
How do I access and submit my work during the training?
The morning before the hybrid training begins, participants will receive an email from hybrid@fiu.edu with a unique OneDrive link to their hybrid worksheet packet. Participants will work within the hybrid worksheet packet on the redesign of their courses and submit the hybrid worksheet packet to the Hybrid FIU Develop course via the same unique OneDrive link.
How can I confirm that my Certified Hybrid Course is scheduled correctly?
If you are scheduled to teach a Certified Hybrid course, you can confirm that the course is scheduled correctly by following these steps:
- Sign into MyFIU;
- Navigate to your course schedule;
- Click on each course to see the Class Details - the Instruction Mode should be set to "Hybrid/Certified" as highlighted in the image below.
- In addition, please work with your department's scheduler to confirm the class "source" is set to FIU Online.
What if I have more questions?
If you have any additional questions regarding the Hybrid @ FIU certification program, please contact the Hybrid Team.

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