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Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Courses

As someone who will be teaching fully online course(s) during Spring 25 and/or Fall 25 semesters, please know that your online course(s) might be selected to be reviewed during Cañada Accreditation Process by ACCJC.

 

Actionable Steps for Faculty Teaching Online

Below are three steps we reccommend to Faculty teaching online in Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 take to ensure their courses align with the RSI Rubric.

1. Review past Flex day recordings on the topic:

2. Review the ACCJC RSI Rubric and use the RSI Self Assessment Tool to evaluate your online courses.

RSI Self Assessment Tool

3. Come to the RSI Office Hours

Every Tuesday
11 am  - noon, via Zoom
 
Meeting ID: 819 8244 2822
Passcode: 888753
 
Please let Nada Nekrep (nekrepn@smccd.edu) or Erica Reynolds (reynoldse@smccd.edu) know which Tuesday you will be attending. We are also happy to meet with you outside of this timeframe.

Past Communications

Session Description:

Cañada College is currently undergoing ACCJC accreditation. As part of this process, ACCJC will review our online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses for the presence of adequate RSI interaction. This review is now based on the RSI Rubric. All online faculty need to align all their online courses. The rubric and its standards were reviewed during the January Flex Session. Cañada DE Team has since been assisting faculty to make the necessary changes to their online courses. The April session is planned in an interactive WORKSHOP format. Online faculty will receive hands-on assistance to complete their RSI alignment. 

Access the Slidedeck for the RSI Session that was presented on April Flex Day.

Recording coming soon!

Important Details for Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Your online course can get randomly selected to be reviewed for meeting the RSI standards.

Who?

All Faculty teaching 100% Online courses (Synchronous or Asynchronous) during:

  • Current Spring 2025 Semester
  • Upcoming Fall 2025 Semester

Why?

  • Cañada College needs to meet accreditation requirements to continue offering online courses!
  • RSI ensures meaningful student-instructor interaction and engagement in your online courses.

What Do You Need To Do?

  • Self-assess the RSI in every online course you teach (use the RSI Rubric. to confirm alignment)
  • Review the RSI Resources on the Faculty Teaching and Learning website

Join RSI Office Hours for Support

Dear Online Faculty member,

As someone teaching fully online course (or courses) during the Spring/Fall 2025 semesters, please know that your course(s) may be selected for review as part of the Cañada Accreditation Process by ACCJC.

 

Specifically, their reviewers may assess the RSI (Regular and Substantive Interaction) in your online course(s). Simply put, they will look for clear evidence of one-on-one communication between you and your students within your Canvas shell(s). 

 

For most of you, this will require only a minor effort and time investment! That said, it is CRITICAL that you perform a self-assessment of each online course you teach and implement any necessary improvements.

 

You do not have to do this alone! Our DE and Accreditations Teams have been working tirelessly to develop an efficient process that will make this as easy as possible for you.

 
Please do the following:
  1. Review past Flex day recordings on the topic:
  1. Review the ACCJC RSI Rubric
     
  2. Come to the RSI Office Hours
     
    Every Tuesday
    11 am  - noon,via Zoom
     
    Meeting ID: 819 8244 2822
    Passcode: 888753
     
    Please let Nada Nekrep (nekrepn@smccd.edu) or Erica Reynolds (reynoldse@smccd.edu) know which Tuesday you will be attending. We are also happy to meet with you outside of this timeframe.
 
We are here to support you through this important process and offer assistance every step of the way.
 

You are appreciated! 

Your DE Team

Sent to All Faculty, 12/12/24, from The DE Team

 

Dear Online Faculty member,

As someone who will be teaching fully online course(s) during Spring 25 and/or Fall 25 semesters, please know that your online course(s)might be selected to be reviewed during Cañada Accreditation Process by ACCJC.

Specifically, their reviewers will be assessing the RSI (Regular and Substantive Interaction) in your online courses. In simple words, they will be looking for specific evidence of one-on-one communication between you and your students inside your Canvas shell(s).

For most of you, this will represent a minor effort and time investment! That said, it is CRITICAL that you perform a self-assessment of each online course you teach and apply any necessary improvements.

You do not have to do this alone! Our DE and Accreditations Teams have been working tirelessly to prepare an efficient process that will make it easy for you.

To begin, please complete the following three steps:

 

  1. Register for the Flex Session on January 10

    Online Faculty Accreditation Prep: Align Your Courses with RSI Standards
    1:15 PM  - 2:30 PM
    Multimodal (Zoom & 13-337)

    During January session, we will review the RSI rubric requirements and help you with your initial self-assessment. This will determine your next steps towards a complete RSI alignment. Please invite your online colleagues and make this a productive working session that will help Cañada get accredited. This way, we will continue offering high-quality online courses that remediate equity gaps and improve student retention and success.    

  1. Review the RSI Rubric 

  2. Watch October Flex Day recording on RSI: How to put the ACTION in Our Online Course InterACTION (you can skip directly to minute 13).

We are here to support you through this important process and offer assistance every step of the way.

 

You are appreciated! See you in January!

 

Your DE Team

Need a breakdown of RSI Rubric Criteria?

Check out the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education, which breaks down each criteria that the reviewers will look at.

ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education
users discussion icon to the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education

Additional Information on RSI

Faculty presence is an important factor in the success of online courses. Online instructors were previously required to meet the requirements for “Regular Effective Contact”, using both synchronous and asynchronous channels, as appropriate, to connect with students in their online courses. In 2021 the Department of Education updated the definition to “Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) between students and their instructors. Clearly-defined RSI became a primary requirement for all online courses eligible for federal financial aid, setting them apart from correspondence education with limited interaction.  

Regular, scheduled and predictable interaction is a central component of learning that ensures high-quality course design and delivery. Studies have shown that RSI improves student retention, motivation and success, as well as fosters a sense of community. Faculty should be prepared to encourage student interaction, build multiple opportunities for instructor-student and student-student contact, encourage students to ask questions, and provide feedback in a timely manner, as specified in the course syllabus. Communication within the LMS (e.g., Canvas Inbox) is strongly encouraged as it ensures compliance with FERPA, and is also easily trackable, which is critical during potential accreditation reviews. 

 

Learn more about RSI on the ACCJC's 2024-25 Strategic Initiative: Distance Education Rubric

RSI Best Practices

Interaction is initiated early, before the online course begins. This ensures that students have plenty of time to learn about the structure of the course, course expectations, and read the syllabus in detail.

Syllabus contains clear and specific information about the expected interaction e.g., interaction types, frequency, instructor response time, requirement for synchronous meetings (mandatory or not). Cañada’s best practice guidelines suggest that, during the work week, instructors should answer student questions as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Instructors should clearly indicate when they are not available (e.g., vacations, holidays, or weekends, if appropriate).

Ice-breaker activity is included at the beginning of the course. The students and the instructor introduce themselves and begin to form an online community.

The bulk of the interaction is instructor-initiated and guided. This ensures student understanding that the interaction is expected, not optional.

  • Instructor-facilitated discussions where students can ask questions (and receive instant response when synchronous).
  • Personal email to a student (immediate when student is absent or has missed an assignment).
  • Personalized feedback on assignment submissions.

Interaction can easily be initiated by a student so be sure to have outreach options available.

  • Office hour schedule is available
  • Email to instructor (personal asynchronous response to a student’s question)
  • Create a Canvas Q&A Discussion forum covering a specific activity of the course.
  • Use Canvas Chat, which enables instant communication between students who are online simultaneously.

Ensure that interaction remains consistent and regular throughout the semester. No longer time lapses occur.

  • Instructor closely follows student progress in the course, ensuring no student is left behind.
  • Highly-structured weekly discussions with clear expectations (e.g., synchronous attendance, length and number of written contributions).
  • Weekly announcements.
  • Review sessions before exams
  • Announcements are focused on weekly content previews, wrap-ups, brainstorming questions, or clarification of more challenging topics/content.
  • Instructor shares relevant media links from daily life.
  • Mid-course survey collects student feedback on the course content, potential issues, or any additional needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Review the ACCJC Distance Education Review - Frequently Asked Questions

Who will be reviewing, when will the review process begin, and how will I know if my course is selected?

  • ACCJC Reviewers will be granted access to fully online courses in Canvas. Members of the DE team will not be reviewers. 
  • ACCJC will begin looking at courses in Spring 2026.
  • At this stage, we do not have the details to provide on how you will know if your course is selected.

 

Does the ACCJC Review apply to cross-listed courses? 

Yes, but if your course is cross-listed with an in-person course, only the online section will be reviewed.

 

Are Hybrid courses selected in the ACCJC Review?

Hybrid courses are not subject to the upcoming RSI accreditation review, only courses taught 100% online. However, we will continue sharing resources widely as the robust RSI greatly benefits our students taking courses in any DE modality. 

 

What is a communication plan? And, are there examples of a communication plan?

A communication plan is established by the Instructor at the beginning of the semester and details how they will be communicating to students. Typically, a communication plan will outline when communications will be sent out, what purpose the communication serves, and how the communication will be delivered to students (i.e. Announcements, Modules, Canvas Inbox, etc.)

Example Communication Plans

 

If I primarily use Outlook email to communicate with students, how do I prove I am having those interactions in my online courses?

We highly suggest that you capture screenshots of these email communications and add them to an unpublished module within your Canvas course. This will ensure that the review team has access to external communications you make with students.

 

For multi-modal classes, do I have to publish recordings of my zoom meetings?

No, it is not required, but it is a helpful resource for students.

 

Does having robust in-person feedback apply to RSI Rubric criteria B,C,D? 

No. Feedback given in-person only applies to criteria A. 

 

Will reviewers be able to see communications in Pronto?

At this stage, we don’t know if they will have access to Pronto or other third-party integrated content.

 

Will Panopto videos fulfill substantive interaction?

No. Unless they were made to provide feedback or increase learning

 

Is the ACCJC Review more challenging than a POCR review?

No. In most cases, people find the POCR review process to be more robust, time-consuming, and detail-oriented than the ACCJC review.