Module 5 RSI Compliance as a Foundation for Humanized Online Teaching

What Makes an Online Class Good:
Clear Communication - Prompt responses, clear instructions, regular announcements, and accessible instructors;
Organized Structure - Logical layout, clear modules, and easily accessible materials;
Engaged Instructors - Active involvement, personalized video lectures, robust explanations

About this Page

Complying with Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) regulations is a baseline expectation when teaching online. This page ensures an understanding of RSI requirements as the beginning point for quality online instruction. Two of the three aspects of online classes most mentioned by MiraCosta students as important to them ("clear communication" and "engaged instructors") relate directly to this topic.

What is Regular and Substantive Interaction?

RSI was introduced in Module 1 using the specific terminology of MiraCosta's AP 4105, reiterated in the Requirements section of the MiraCosta Online Class Quality Guidelines:

Maintaining predictable, scheduled, distributed interaction with students
Establishing expectations on the frequency and timeliness of instructor-initiated interaction
Managing unexpected instructor absences
Instructors will use a variety of means to initiate substantive and effective interaction with students, including several from among the following:

1. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency (e.g., weekly announcements, instructor created media, “Questions for the Instructor” forums, and responding to student emails, phone calls, and postings in a timely manner).
2. Providing non-automated assessment or feedback on student coursework.
3. Facilitating group discussions regarding course content.
4. Providing direct instruction, such as instructor-prepared synchronous lectures or other forms of live interaction. (only in synchronous classes)

These requirements are also really elements of RSI:

Create an environment of academic integrity, monitor progress, and track
attendance and participation.
Monitor students’ engagement and success, and promptly and proactively
initiate substantive interaction with students when needed on the basis of
such monitoring and upon request by a student.

Let's simplify this:

Substantive Interaction

Federal, state, and accreditation requirements call for at least two of the following in every distance education course section - but MiraCosta requires "several."

Direct (synchronous) instruction
Non-automated assessment/feedback
Providing content, supplemental information, announcements, encouragement to participate
Facilitating/participating in group discussion

Regular Interaction

Substantive interaction provided on a predictable and regular basis
Monitoring student engagement and success; promptly & proactively substantively engaging with students when needed and on request

RSI among students?

Interaction among students is a good practice in distance education, and many MiraCosta Course Outlines of Record require it. If it is required for a course you are teaching, that means you need to enable student-to-student interaction with the same frequency that students would have in an in-person version of the class.Links to an external site.

Basic RSI Compliance: Practices, Benefits, Challenges

Select each item below to see details.

Establishing Expectations for Instructor-Initiated Interaction; Managing Absences

The MiraCosta Syllabus Checklist requires a policy describing the frequency and timeliness of instructor-initiated interaction and instructor feedback; expectations for student participation in student-to-student interaction; a description of how, where, and when course documents are made available to students; and information about support services available to online students. If you will not be available to provide the documented regular interaction and feedback for any reason, you will need to report your absence so the college can arrange for a substitute instructor.

Benefits: This information can provide clarity to you and your students about reasonable expectations. Many instructors find it valuable, for example, to let students know that while you respond in a reasonable time frame to any student inquiries, you will not be available overnight or on weekends.
Challenges: Ensuring that students have read and understood the syllabus is always a concern for faculty. Making sure students are able and willing to access student support services is another.

Direct Instruction: Synchronous Zoom Meetings

Meeting with students over Zoom can help meet the RSI requirement for "direct instruction."

Benefits: Engaging live with students online can help build class connections and enable the instructor to respond to student concerns or misunderstandings in real time. Synchronous interaction can also help instructors check for understanding in ways that support academic integrity with some types of outcomes.
Challenges: Most MiraCosta online classes are asynchronous, meaning the class does not have scheduled Zoom meetings. Optional or flexibly-scheduled Zoom meetings may be a way to provide direct instruction in an otherwise asynchronous online class, but not all students may be able to attend, and doing so may require a lot of instructor time, without meeting the standard for "regular" interaction.

Non-Automated Assessment/Feedback

Providing timely, personalized feedback on student work is a research-supported principle of high-quality education.

Benefits: Detailed individual feedback, especially when provided in formative settings (on drafts, early versions of projects, etc), can help students move toward outcomes mastery.
Challenges: Providing meaningful individual feedback for every student can require a lot of time. Students express frustration when feedback is delayed and no longer can be used for improvement. Faculty express frustration when it appears that students don't view or process feedback. Automated feedback doesn't "count" as RSI (though it certainly may be valuable for some assessment).

Providing Content & Communication

Students express a clear preference for courses where the instructor is "present" through videos, announcements, and other personally provided content and communication. Weekly announcements and/or brief videos providing a personalized recap of the previous week and preview/reminders about key things happening in the current week are a great way to help students feel your presence in the class throughout the term. Personally created course content such as slide decks, infographics, text, and videos can also help your class feel far more personal and relevant to students.

Benefits: Students do not feel like they are "on their own" to navigate through a course, read material, and complete assignments without support. Faculty can tailor course content and student learning experiences to fit the students they have and the course outcomes, rather than being driven by a textbook's content and organization.
Challenges: It takes time to develop course materials, especially videos. Course materials need to be accessibly designed. Developing culturally-responsive, equity-minded online teaching content and practice does not come naturally to most faculty, but equity gaps are often wider in online classes.

Facilitating and Participating in Group Discussions

Students often express concerns about a lack of social connection in online classes. Group activities such as discussion boards can help these connections to form in ways that build class community and support meaningful learning.

Benefits: Regular group activities can help establish accountability and engagement expectations for students in online classes. These types of activities also can meet requirements for RSI among students in courses where that is an expectation.
Challenges: Some online group activities such as discussion boards can feel rote to students, and may be completed using AI. More involved online group work can feel challenging to successfully facilitate. Assessment of group activities such as discussions can be time-consuming.

Monitoring Student Engagement and Success, and Proactively Supporting Students

In addition to "regularly" providing the substantive interactions detailed above, faculty in online classes are also expected to take note of students who may need additional support in order to succeed. Reaching out to students to help them successfully engage in the class and complete assignments is key.

Benefits: Students may fall behind for many reasons. Students typically choose online classes because they lead busy lives and value the flexibility of online learning. But they may also need guidance with navigating classes, understanding assignment expectations, and knowing how to get academic and technical support when they need it.
Challenges: Determining how best to monitor student engagement and success, when and how to reach out, and what to do if students are not responsive are all challenges that every caring online instructor faces.

RSI and Humanizing Online Education

RSI as described above is a foundation, a starting point for thinking about quality online teaching. RSI compliance does not assure an excellent online teaching and learning experience. At MiraCosta College, our Online Teaching Quality Guidelines emphasize a humanized, equity-minded approach to online teaching which can further inform how we think about those different elements of RSI. We'll get into that on the next page.