Regular & Substantive Interaction - Crafton Hills College
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Purpose

Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) is required by federal law (34 CFR §600.2), California Title 5 (§55204), and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). RSI ensures that online courses are not correspondence courses, but structured, instructor-led learning experiences. It is both a compliance requirement and a hallmark of high-quality, student-centered online teaching.

Core Principles

To meet RSI requirements, faculty must:

  1. Provide predictable, faculty-initiated interaction that is scheduled and visible to students.
  2. Engage in at least two forms of substantive interaction weekly (examples below).
  3. Monitor student engagement and progress and reach out proactively to support learning.
  4. Ensure interactions are documented and trackable in the LMS or other approved systems.

Recommended Faculty Practices

Feedback and Assessment (Core Priority)

    • Provide individualized, actionable feedback on assignments, quizzes, or discussions.
    • Use SpeedGrader annotations, rubrics, audio/video comments, or written responses.
    • Offer whole-class feedback highlighting common strengths and areas for improvement.

Trackable in: SpeedGrader, LMS gradebook, announcements, tools like GoReact.

Responding to Student Questions and Providing Course Guidance

    • Maintain a Q&A discussion board or FAQ page in Canvas.
    • Respond to student messages within 2 business days (excluding weekends/holidays).
    • Use announcements to clarify concepts, provide reminders, or address common questions.

Trackable in: Canvas Inbox, Announcements, Discussion boards, Pronto.

Facilitating Student-to-Student and Group Discussion

    • Create and guide discussion forums related to course content.
    • Provide instructor facilitation of discussions that deepens learning (e.g., posing follow-up questions, connecting student ideas to learning outcomes).
    • Use group work, peer review, or collaborative projects where appropriate.

Trackable in: Canvas Discussions, group assignments, Canvas Studio, GoReact.

Regular Course Presence and Monitoring

    • Post weekly announcements that summarize learning, preview upcoming tasks, and provide encouragement.
    • Monitor student engagement through course analytics, submission tracking, and gradebook.
    • Proactively contact students who are falling behind, using Canvas “Message Students Who” or direct outreach.

Trackable in: Announcements, Analytics, Inbox.

Direct Instruction

    • Direct instruction in RSI refers to live, synchronous faculty-led teaching (e.g., Zoom lecture, demonstration, office hour mini-lessons).
    • It should supplement - not replace - ongoing interaction and engagement activities.
    • When used, direct instruction should be:
      • Accessible (captioned, recorded, or transcribed).
      • Purposeful (aligned with SLOs, reinforcing core concepts).
      • Scheduled and announced clearly in the syllabus and LMS.

Trackable in: Zoom logs, Canvas calendar/events, module introductions.

Summary for Faculty

RSI is not an “add-on” but part of effective online teaching. Faculty are expected to:

  • Be visibly present each week through announcements, feedback, and interaction.
  • Provide opportunities for meaningful engagement beyond content delivery.
  • Use the LMS as the central hub for communication so that RSI is documented and reviewable during accreditation.
  • Design courses with a weekly rhythm of interaction: deliver content, facilitate learning, monitor progress, and follow up with support.

Accreditation Alignment

  • Federal and State Compliance: Meets 34 CFR §600.2 and California Title 5 §55204.
  • ACCJC Requirements: Aligns with the Pilot DE Rubric (2024), which requires:
    • At least two forms of substantive interaction (feedback, guidance, facilitation, or direct instruction).
    • Regularity and predictability of instructor-initiated engagement.
    • Monitoring student academic progress with timely, proactive intervention.