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Posts from the ‘Teaching’ Category

18
Jan

Monitor Online Attendance in Canvas

You’ve created a great online class. Your students have started the semester eagerly digging in to your course content and submitting assignments. Everything is going great, but is it really? Are you students really engage? Are they all even logging in to Canvas? With online instruction it can be challenging to gauge how engaged students are in your online course on a daily basis, especially if you only require assignments every few weeks. What are students doing in between those big assignments? Are they reading? Are they watching your videos? Are they discussion a course topic? Do they have smaller assessments to help keep them engaged weekly in your course? All of these additions would make a good online course and make it easy for you see how your students are doing on a weekly basis.

If you design an online course that requires some of these elements, you will be able to check online attendance in Canvas using the New Analytics tool. What exactly does online attendance track? It tracks posts to an announcement or discussion, assignment submissions, conferences using Big Blue Button, page creation, and quiz submissions. Previously the feature only tracked student log ins, but that didn’t really tell us anything. Students log in all the time, look at their failing grade, get discourage and leave again. That would previous count as attendance. But now they’ve turn on the criteria listed above, so it gives us a better picture of who’s doing what in the course.

Here’s a quick video showing you how to set up New Analytics in your Canvas courses and view online attendance.

An added note about assignments: Does the criteria Assignments: Student submits an assignment include assignments that use ‘external tool submission type’?

It depends. If the external tool is using the Canvas API endpoint for submission, it will count toward that criteria. For many tools that use assignment-level integration, this will be the case. 

However, if you are using a third-party tool that only passes average grades back to Canvas, those assignment submissions will likely not be included in the Online Attendance Criteria.

12
Sep

RSI in the Classroom Video Series

The ecourses committee this year is focused on getting GCC online faculty on board with Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI). The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses for which students receive federal financial aid involve “regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.”

What that means is online courses must demonstrate that:

Instructors engage in at least two forms of substantive interaction during each course. That interaction should be regular, scheduled, predictable, and focused on the course subject. In other words, students should know when they can expect to engage with their instructor, and those opportunities for engagement should happen throughout the entire academic term.

We created a video series to show faculty what that might look like in an online course. These are just examples and not necessarily what every faculty should or can do. It’s up to each faculty member to decide which two forms of substantive interaction work best for their course. What works for me, may not be feasible for you.

Below are the first 3 episodes of the video series. Each week we will be adding to the series and you can check for new episodes here: https://app.screencast.com/collections/g000300JyGwQr0SvdKwgAOmRHaG3s

RSI in the Classroom, Ep. 1 Office Hours

Office hours can be considered a form of regular and substantive interaction in online courses, but it depends on how they are conducted and how they contribute to the overall learning experience. Learn more here: https://app.screencast.com/LybDFzcfI5xyK

RSI in the Classroom, Ep. 2 Facilitating Discussion

To facilitate a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency as regular and substantive interaction, you can start by setting clear expectations for participation and encouraging all members to contribute. You can also use open-ended questions to spark conversation and encourage critical thinking. Additionally, it may be helpful to establish ground rules for respectful communication and active listening. Here are a few examples to show you what that might look like: https://app.screencast.com/1Ztpkj5HUlizJ

RSI in the Classroom, Ep. 3 Assessment & Providing Feedback

Regular and substantive interaction refers to the requirement for online instructors to have ongoing and meaningful engagement with their students. Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework is one way to meet this requirement, as it demonstrates a level of involvement in the student’s learning process. This interaction is a fundamental part of the teaching and learning process and plays a crucial role in the student’s academic development. See some examples here: https://app.screencast.com/gk3W0U9ERi5R8

11
Apr

Be Kind, Rewind

Dawn Gibbs hit me with that saying today while I was in the 05 English Office this afternoon. I was reading a sign on Dr. Jennifer Lane’s door that said something about being kind. We laughed about how old we are to remember that saying from the Blockbuster VHS tapes we used to rent. She actually had to remind me of the saying even though I’m older than her, but it got me thinking about my students and how young they are. It’s easy to forget they generally have no idea what the heck we are talking about when we make references to things. I can’t even remember what I was talking about, but one student spoke up after I made a comment about something and said, “Does anyone in this room look old enough to be alive in the 80s?” I did the math in my head and looked around the room. I guess he had a point. They were all traditional college students: 18-23, born between 2000-2005.

We had a good laugh at my expense, but it was all good. It gave us an opportunity to chit-chat a bit before we started the lesson. I’ve been teaching so long, that I don’t really think about how I build community in my classes anymore. I’m a competitive person by nature and I love to challenge students, but I usually make them do it in groups. Our classrooms are set up in 4 computer station pods, so technically I already have groups before we do anything. I’ll point at a pod (group) and say if all four people in this group can give me an answer, you can be top dog this week. No one even knows what top dog means, but they’re into it. “Name four NFL teams on the western side of the US.” “Name animals that walk on two legs.” I just make up stuff on the fly which is usually silly, and we debate the prompts before we settle on a good. It’s classic wasting class time. But is it really?

Of course not. We’re building community and building a sense of belonging in the class. I build in 15 minutes for questions and chit-chat at the beginning of each class where I ask them questions and practice their names. And at the end of the class in their digital exit ticket, I ask them three things. List one thing you learned today, one question you still have, and any random fact about anything. I’m always amused by what they write on these exit tickets. They like to joke and give me a hard time about asking dumb questions or how I still can’t pronoun their name, but thanks for trying. I try to keep it light, so students feel comfortable asking for help if they need it. It’s not really anything that’s planned (aside from the time). It’s just my natural way of teaching.

5
Apr

Can AI Grade My Essays For Me?

I made a joke with Beth a few days ago about how I wished AI would grade my essays for me. And then I really thought about that, and now I can’t stop. I mean seriously if AI can write the students’ papers for them, what about us? Why can’t it grade papers too? Well, guess what. It can. I tried it. Shhh. Now don’t tell on me. I used both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s tool built into Bing. GPT is much better.

First off, it was a lot of work, probably equal to if I’d just graded them myself, but the benefit was far better for the student. It spat out paragraph long feedback on what was wrong, how the paper did or didn’t meet each rubric standard, and how to improve the work. I was simply amazed. If I were to leave that kind of feedback on a paper, it would take me days to grade instead of hours. As it is, I’ve already moved to grading by recording my feedback, so I can say more and make it easier for students to understand what I’m saying, but this was amazing.

But like a said. It wasn’t easy or quick. I first began by asking the AI to find a rubric for a news article using a summary lead and following the inverted pyramid style. It quickly pulled up a rubric that was adequate, but it was only on a 10-point scale. I used it anyway to see how it would work. Then my next prompt asked Maud, remember, I named her Maud in my last post. I asked her to grade this news article using that rubric, and pasted in a student’s news article. Surprisingly, it worked. She put the two prompts together and graded the article. It was okay, but there wasn’t much detail and it didn’t really meet the standards I was looking for. I decided instead to ask Maud to build me a rubric and added the essential things and the total points I needed. She created this.

Okay, that was interesting, but could she grade a news article using that rubric? I wondered. Yep! She gave the article a 47/60, provided the tally from the rubric AND added this feedback:

Strengths:

  • The article follows the inverted pyramid structure.
  • The information provided is relevant to the target audience.
  • The article includes quotes from reliable sources.

Weaknesses:

  • The lead is weak and could benefit from being more focused.
  • The article could use more clarity in its presentation of information.
  • The article could be more concise.
  • The article could be more explicit in identifying biases or opinions.

Suggestions for Improvement:

  • The lead should be more specific and focused on the key point of the article.
  • The article should be more clear and concise, with shorter paragraphs and simpler language.
  • The author should explicitly identify any biases or opinions and explain how they might influence the article’s content.
  • The author should consider additional sources to provide a more complete understanding of the issue.

Crazy, right? I probably would have scored it a bit higher, but I noticed Maud didn’t say anything about grammar and punctuation in her feedback and I found a couple of specific errors, so I asked her about them. I typed in, “What about grammar and punctuation?” She replied:

As an AI language model, I don’t have the capability to fully analyze grammar and punctuation, but I can tell you that there are a few errors in the article. For example, in the sentence “This issue goes for not only students but members of the community who live downtown,” the phrase “goes for” should be replaced with “applies to.” Additionally, there are a few instances where punctuation could be improved for clarity and readability. Overall, however, the article is well-written and understandable.

She was right. In another instance, Maud pointed out two run-on sentences in the article and offered a suggestion for how to fix it. Amazing.

Yep, I’m obsessed, but that took a lot of work. In fact, I paused playing so I could quickly grade those news articles and get them back to students. This was going to take all day. First, Maud would forget my rubric after a few follow-up questions about the article she graded, so I’d have to start all over. Then sometimes she would ignore my rubric and just give a paragraph analysis of the article or she would leave out key elements. Basically, she was not consistent and I had to keep retraining her. She gave good feedback, but not the same feedback for each student.

4
Apr

Open Pedagogy & Authentic Assessments

I’ve been thinking a lot about assessment lately much to my dismay. It’s probably because I’m working on a workgroup for testing services at the college. There appears to be a need for more testing services for online courses, but it got me thinking about how some of our assessments are the same types of assessments we got when we were in college years ago. Can’t they change? Can’t they be different now since education has changed so much? It’s just a thought, but here I am thinking about assessment.

Now is a good time to be thinking about how you can or may need to change your assessments for the next semester. Whether things went well or they didn’t, or you’re worried about students finding ways to cheat on your online assessments, it’s always good to evaluate how things are going and make adjustments. One thing to consider is open pedagogy and authentic assessments. Authentic assessments are usually designed by teachers to gauge students’ understanding of the material. They are tied directly to the learning objectives of a course, program, or discipline. Some examples of authentic assessments include open-ended questions, written compositions, oral presentations, projects, experiments, and portfolios of student work.

Open pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that emphasizes collaboration and sharing. It is based on the idea that knowledge should be freely available to everyone. Some examples of open pedagogy include students creating and sharing video-based learning objects for their classes, engineering students creating an open online textbook, forestry students creating open conservation case studies, and physics students creating course learning resources.

Here are some practical tips to help you get started with implementing authentic assessments in your classroom:

  • Align assessments with learning objectives. When designing authentic assessments, it is essential to ensure that they align with the learning objectives of your course or unit.
  • Design the curriculum backward from the assessment. This means that you should start by identifying what you want students to learn and then design assessments that will measure their understanding of those concepts.
  • Evaluate along the way using benchmarks. Use benchmarks to evaluate student progress throughout the course or unit.
  • Give students time to revise after self-assessment and peer assessment. This will help them improve their work and deepen their understanding of the material.
  • Continually adjust your assessment tools. Be willing to make changes to your assessments as you learn more about what works best for your students.
  • Be innovative to improve assessment. Use technology, games, simulations, and other innovative approaches to make assessments more engaging and effective.

I hope these tips help you implement authentic assessments in your class!

Resources:

7
Mar

Yep, I Get It Now

I was so excited to start Write 6×6 last week. I was raring to go. Ready to put pen to paper. Super excited. And then I got the writing prompt. Whaaat! A song?

What song represents your career in education, your evolution as a teacher, or your approach to student success?

Lisa

My enthusiasm was immediately crushed. I couldn’t think of a song. I mean how does Coi Leray’s “Players” have to do with my career in education? The lyrics constantly playing in my head, “Yeah, ’cause girls is players too…” Am I player? What does that mean? I can’t even think of another song, and this one is so not appropriate. Sigh.

It got me thinking though. How often do we crush our students’ enthusiasm in our classes? Does it happen on day one as Lisa did mine? Ha! Just kidding, Lisa. But truly does it happen at all? The biggest culprit I see is grades. Often with grades on those first few big assignments, a poor performance on the first few without the others in the grade book to weigh them out can be crushing. I often have students ask, how did my grade go from 95% to 72% overnight? Well, I graded something, and you didn’t do well. Crushed!

Students don’t always get the math, so seeing their grade drop drastically is not encouraging. So years ago I changed my strategy. I still crushed my students if they didn’t do well, but I introduced a policy to not only help students learn from their mistakes but also to keep them motivated and in the game. Assignments submitted on time and complete are eligible for a rewrite. They can resubmit the assignment within a week and earn a better score. Rewrites are optional, but they get feedback on the work and an opportunity to improve and learn. Canvas now makes this convenient for me to suggest rewrites with the Reassign button in Speedgrader.

I encourage them to submit a rewrite by giving them clear feedback using a rubric and comments on the assignment. Often times it’s a simple fix that students resubmit right away. Other times it’s a bit more involved. But the overall grade in the course bounced back up after a rewrite grade is entered, and hopefully, students are motivated to keep going unless, of course, they get stumped by a strange writing prompt and just give up without trying. Yep, I get it now.

23
Feb

Do Your Students Have More Skin in the Game Than You Do?

Have you really thought about that as an online instructor? Do your students have more skin in the game than you do? What in the world am I getting at with that question? Well, there’s been lots of discussion around direct instruction and regular and substantive interaction in online learning. If you don’t remember, I shared about: New federal US Department of Education (DoE) regulatory definitions of distance education require that institutions ensure regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between a student and an instructor(s). And I also wrote about direct instruction in online learning here. Read those to better understand where I’m going here.

The amount of time an online faculty professor should spend teaching an online class can vary depending on various factors, such as the course’s level, complexity, and the number of students enrolled. However, in general, faculty members should expect to spend a comparable amount of time teaching and preparing for an online course as they would expect a student to spend learning in the course. Now is that a bold statement, a personal opinion? Let’s see. The official credit hour definition states:

A credit hour is an amount of student work defined by an institution, as approved by the institution’s accrediting agency, that is consistent with commonly accepted practice in postsecondary education and that reasonably approximates no less than
-One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different period of time;

HEA Definitions – Distance Education (GCC Institutional Effectiveness Office of Compliance Regulatory Reference Series

So basically that means we’re required by HLC to deliver 3 hours of direct instruction and a minimum of six hours of out-of-class work (homework) each week. That’s nine hours for each course. If they are a full-time student taking 5 classes, their skin in the game is that this is a full-time job at 45 hours per week. That’s probably why they call it full-time.

Now for faculty, according to the Quality Matters Program, an organization that provides standards for online course design and delivery, a rule of thumb for the amount of time needed to design and teach an online course is 8-12 hours per week for a 3-credit course. This time includes developing course content, facilitating discussions, providing feedback on assignments, and grading. But let’s break that apart because we’re not always designing and teaching at the same time. And let’s use direct instruction (DI) and regular and substantive interaction (RSI) as our baseline. Much of our DI can be done during the course development phase. We create videos, caption them and sometimes create quizzes to go along with them. No doubt this is time consuming, but once it’s done, often there’s not much design work to do once the class begins. There’s also lots of other engaging content that we develop and provide in an online course that doesn’t require weekly work once the course begins. So we can’t always factor in time for that for time needed to teach an online course.

Now let’s consider the RSI factor. Faculty members should also consider the time they spend communicating with students and providing support outside of class time. This may include answering emails, hosting virtual office hours, posting announcements, and responding to questions on discussion boards or via email. And we have to add in the time spent grading student work. Grading student work is a fundamental component of the teaching and learning process in a college course, and it is critical to assessing student progress and achievement. Providing clear feedback on student work is essential as it provides students with feedback on their progress and helps to guide their future studies in the course and beyond. The best type of feedback for student assessments is one that is specific, timely, and constructive. Specific feedback is clear and detailed, highlighting particular aspects of a student’s work that are well done or require improvement. And it should also be timely. That all takes time.

One major way to ensure RSI is happening in your online course is to make sure you are providing feedback that is specific, timely, and constructive. Auto-graded assessments are not the best example of that if that is all you provide. So would you say you spend at least 2 hours per credit hour or 6 hours a week doing RSI for your online course? Just one course? Well, that is the expectation we have for our students. Nine hours each week. And that should be the expectation for faculty as well. That would mean that your minimum load of 5 courses each semester would require you to spend 45 hours each week. That’s something to consider, but let’s pretend you say, I’m not doing that much RSI in my online courses. Okay, but you are spending that time in other ways that support students and the college. We have required office hours, committee assignments, department meetings, and 4Dx. All of that supports students in some way either directly or indirectly.

So, do you have more skin in the game than your students? Or are you dialing it in? Setting it and forgetting it? Here are some characteristics of bad online teachers: lack of organization, poor communication, limited engagement, inadequate feedback, unavailability, and technical difficulties. Overall, a bad online teacher can negatively impact the learning experience for their students and hinder their academic progress. Don’t be that guy. Get engaged in your own online course.

13
Feb

Robot-Proof Your Writing Assignments

It’s difficult to estimate the exact number of students who are using AI to help with their homework. However, with the increasing popularity and accessibility of AI technology, it’s likely that a growing number of students are using AI-powered tools and applications to assist with their studies, as well as cheat on their assignments. However, AI use is not all bad. For example, some students may use AI-powered learning platforms or tutoring systems to help with specific subjects. We use one for our students in our English composition courses to help students with grammar and punctuation. Others may use AI to generate reports or summaries of academic articles. Additionally, AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools like Grammarly are also becoming more common for students to use when working on essays or other written assignments. But not every student is looking to AI for support. Some are looking for an easy way to get their assignments completed without much effort on their part. But there is something we can do about AI. We can either embrace AI and create assignments that utilize these powerful tools to help students learn, or we start robot-proofing our assignments so it’s not so easy for AI to do it for them.

Making assignments that are “AI proof” can be challenging, as artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly sophisticated and can potentially be used to complete assignments on behalf of students. However, there are some strategies that instructors can use to create assignments that are more difficult for AI to complete. Here are some tips:

  1. Use personalized or creative prompts: Assignments that require students to draw on their own experiences or creativity can be more difficult for AI to complete. For example, instead of asking a question with a clear answer that could be found through a search engine, ask students to write a personal essay or create a piece of art that demonstrates their understanding of a concept.
  2. Randomize questions and answers: Rather than using the same set of questions and answers for each student, consider randomizing them. This can make it more difficult for AI to predict the questions and prepare answers in advance.
  3. Use short answer questions: Questions that require a short answer or explanation can be more difficult for AI to generate. In addition, you can change the questions from year to year to make it more difficult for AI to find pre-existing answers.
  4. Use open-ended questions: Open-ended questions require students to think critically and engage with the material, which can be more difficult for AI to complete. This could be questions that require students to analyze a case study or explain a concept in their own words.
  5. Use plagiarism detection software: Plagiarism detection software can help to identify assignments that have been completed by AI or copied from other sources. This can serve as a deterrent and help to ensure that students are completing assignments on their own.

Overall, making assignments that are completely “AI proof” may be difficult, but by using a combination of these strategies, instructors can create assignments that are more challenging for AI to complete and promote student learning.

Robot-Proof Writing Assignments

Here are some examples of how students might be using AI to help with their homework but don’t have to be considered cheating:

  1. AI-powered tutoring systems: Some students are using AI-powered tutoring systems to receive personalized feedback and guidance on specific subjects. These systems can help students understand challenging concepts and improve their problem-solving skills.
  2. AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools: Students often use AI-powered writing and grammar-checking tools to improve the quality of their written work. These tools can catch spelling and grammar errors, suggest word choices, and provide feedback on writing style and tone.
  3. AI-powered study aids: Students may use AI-powered study aids, such as flashcard apps or educational games, to reinforce their understanding of specific subjects. These aids can provide customized learning experiences based on the student’s progress and performance.
  4. AI-powered research tools: Students can use AI-powered research tools to quickly summarize academic articles or search for relevant information on a particular topic. These tools can save students time and help them focus on the most important information.
  5. AI-powered language translation tools: For students studying foreign languages, AI-powered language translation tools can help them understand and translate written material and other sources of information.

These are just a few examples of how AI is being used to help students with their homework. The use of AI in education is still in its early stages, and new applications are being developed all the time.

Reading:

Here’s an article with some more strategies to prevent students from using AI tools. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2023/01/19/ways-prevent-students-using-ai-tools-their-classes-opinion

28
Jan

Do You Have Direct Instruction in Your Online Class?

Direct instruction is a teaching method that emphasizes the delivery of clear and explicit information, instructions, and explanations by the instructor. This method has been widely used in traditional classroom settings and has been adapted for use in online learning environments. This post will explore the research on direct instruction in online teaching and learning, including its advantages and limitations.

One of the main advantages of direct instruction is that it provides a consistent and structured approach to teaching. This can be especially beneficial for students who may struggle with self-directed learning. Research has shown that students who receive direct instruction perform better on assessments of content knowledge compared to students who receive less direct instruction (Rosenshine, 2012). Additionally, direct instruction can provide clear explanations of complex concepts, which can be especially helpful for students who are struggling to understand the material.

Another advantage of direct instruction is that it can be easily adapted for use in online learning environments. For example, pre-recorded video lectures, slide presentations, or written resources can be provided by the instructor for students to watch or read at their own pace. This allows for flexibility and convenience for students who may have busy schedules or live in different time zones. Additionally, assessments or quizzes can be used to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.

However, direct instruction also has some limitations. One limitation is that it can lead to a lack of student engagement. When the instructor is the primary source of information and students are expected to listen and follow along, there may be less opportunity for students to actively participate in the learning process. Additionally, direct instruction can limit opportunities for students to apply what they have learned. Research has shown that students who have opportunities to apply their knowledge perform better on assessments of content knowledge compared to students who do not have those opportunities (Bransford, et al., 2000).

To overcome these limitations, online teachers should consider using various methods in addition to direct instruction. For example, problem-based learning, discussions, interactive activities, and self-reflection opportunities can be incorporated to promote student engagement and application of knowledge. Additionally, online teachers should provide opportunities for students to interact with their peers and instructors, as research has shown that social interactions can lead to improved learning outcomes (Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005).

In conclusion, direct instruction is a teaching method that has been widely used in traditional classroom settings and has been adapted for use in online learning environments. While it has some advantages, such as providing a consistent and structured approach to teaching and being easily adapted for use in online learning environments, it also has some limitations, such as a lack of student engagement and limited opportunities for application of knowledge. To overcome these limitations, online teachers should consider using various methods in addition to direct instruction and provide opportunities for social interactions.

The following is a list of examples of “direct instruction” in online teaching and learning

  1. Pre-recorded video lectures: The instructor records a lecture on a specific topic and posts it for students to watch at their own pace.
  2. Slide presentations: The instructor creates a slide presentation with information and explanations on a specific topic and posts it for students to view.
  3. Written resources: The instructor provides written resources, such as a reading assignment or a textbook, for students to read and study.
  4. Online quizzes and assessments: The instructor creates online quizzes and assessments to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.
  5. Online discussions: The instructor provides a forum for students to discuss the material and ask questions.
  6. Interactive activities: The instructor creates interactive activities, such as simulations or games, to help students better understand the material.
  7. Self-reflection opportunities: The instructor provides opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned and how they can apply it.
  8. Live online lectures: The instructor conducts live online lectures, providing explanations and answering questions in real time.
  9. Office hour: The instructor hold office hour sessions where students can ask questions and receive feedback.
  10. Feedback on assignments: The instructor provides feedback on assignments to guide students’ understanding and progress.

These examples illustrate how direct instruction can be adapted to an online teaching setting, but it’s important to remember that direct instruction methods should be used in conjunction with other methods to enhance students’ engagement and apply the knowledge acquired.

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington DC: National Academy Press.

Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2005). Facilitating cognitive presence in online learning: Interaction is not enough. American Journal of Distance Education, 19, 133-148.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15389286ajde1903_2

Rosenshine. (2012, Spring). Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. American Educator, 12–39.

27
Jan

DoE Requires Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Courses. What is it?

Online courses have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer a convenient and flexible way for students to continue their education. However, one of the biggest challenges in online education is maintaining regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors. New federal US Department of Education (DoE) regulatory definitions of distance education require that institutions ensure regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between a student and an instructor(s).

Regular interaction refers to the frequency of communication between students and instructors, such as through discussion forums, email, or video conferencing. Substantive interaction refers to the quality and depth of the communication, such as the exchange of ideas and feedback.

RSI compliance is the legal federal requirement that distinguishes the status of courses between distance education and correspondence courses. Correspondence courses are not eligible for financial aid. Institutions risk losing access to student financial aid if the institution is audited by the US Department of Education’s (DoE) Office of Inspector General, or as part of a periodic Departmental financial aid program review, and found to be out of compliance. Institutions may be required to repay financial aid associated with the correspondence courses and students (SUNY Online).

Aside from that, one of the key benefits of regular and substantive interaction is that it helps to keep students engaged and motivated in the course. When students feel that they are part of a community and have regular opportunities to interact with their instructors and peers, they are more likely to stay on track and complete the course.

Instructors can promote regular and substantive interaction by providing opportunities for students to collaborate on projects, participate in online discussions, and give and receive feedback. For example, online discussion forums can be a great way for students to share their ideas and get feedback from their peers, while video conferencing can be used for virtual office hours or to hold interactive lectures.

Another way to promote regular and substantive interaction is to use technology tools like Learning Management System (LMS) or collaboration tools like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. These tools can help to create a sense of community and facilitate regular communication between students and instructors.

Regular and substantive interaction is not only beneficial for students, but also for instructors. By interacting with students on a regular basis, instructors can get a sense of how well students are understanding the material and adjust their teaching accordingly. Additionally, instructors can provide feedback to students on their work and help them to improve.

In summary, regular and substantive interaction is essential for the success of online courses. By providing opportunities for students to interact with their instructors and peers, online education can be just as effective as traditional classroom-based instruction.

The below graphic from OSCQR – SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric is a great representation of where regular and substantive interaction stands between correspondence education and distance education.