Regular and Substantive Interaction

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses for which students may use Title IV funds (federal financial aid) “ensure that there is regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.” The Department of Education has the authority to review distance learning offerings at colleges and universities that receive federal funds. In fact, at least three community colleges in Washington have been subject to such reviews since late 2017.

Regular and substantive interaction is more than a federal requirement, however. It is also a hallmark of effective teaching. Decades of research have established that teacher-student interactions are an essential component of learning. So while it may be tempting to see the Department of Education’s mandate as a burden imposed from outside the college, the reality is that ensuring regular and substantive interaction is entirely consistent with EvCC’s purpose and values as an educational institution.

The EvCC policy related to Regular and Substantive Interaction, has some excellent guidelines and suggestions - the resources below outline and summarize The 4 Connections of RSI, which serves as a great starting point!

Use the accordion below to review even more strategies and sources:

Interact with students by name

Take time to establish norms for being present, mindful, and safe.
All replies (e.g. within a threaded discussion board) should use the intended student's name.
Ask students to post an introduction. Provide a prompt that would elicit some personal details. Instructors should post an introduction as well, preferably using video.
It's important that "getting to know you" is a two way street, and students often welcome and appreciate honest vulnerability.
Help students discover how to edit their own Canvas settings to show their preferred first name, pronouns, photo, self-description.
Make sure that your own Canvas profile has a photo and some personal information.

Check in regularly

Cultivate what Dave Stuart calls "moments of genuine connection."
Try a mid-quarter Plus/Delta course assessment.
Send a check-in email to each student during week one asking if they have any questions and opening up a line of communication.
Have students respond to some kind of low-stakes formative assessment, check-in, or reflection task every 3 days or 4 days. Instructors can elicit suggestions for prompts from students after a few weeks.
Have students take a weekly low-stakes quiz to help them check their understanding of course concepts.
Stay on top of grading these items!

Schedule one-on-one meetings

Whenever possible, schedule a virtual video chat (10 min) with students during the first 15 days. Before the meeting, provide a basic outline of the purpose of the meeting and the issues or questions you might discuss.
If video isn't an option, then try to connect with them by phone. Real-time interaction is preferable to email or text.

Practice paradox

Structure your course clearly. See Canvas shell organization and navigation
Communicate your expectations frequently. Use the Transparency Framework on as many assignments as you can.
And then, when life happens to students, be reasonably flexible when students come to you with concerns. High expectations require strong support.
Give student choices for how they submit to discussion board (video, audio, written)
Explore all the variations of due dates... Some people have everything due at the end (no such thing as late work), some people tell students to complete 10 out of 14 assignments/activities (student chooses which).

Sources

Cooper, K.M., Haney, B., Krieg, A., & Brownell, S.E. (2017). What’s in a name? The importance of students perceiving that an instructor knows their names in a high-enrollment biology classroom. CBE Life Sciences Education, 16(1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5332051/

Igwe, N. (2016). Getting students' names right: It's personal. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/getting-names-right-personal/

Korbey, H. (2017). The power of being seen. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/power-being-seen?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=twitter

Loes, C., Saichaie, K., Padgett, R., & Pascarella, E. (2012). The effects of teacher behaviors on students’ inclination to inquire and lifelong learning. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 22. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060207

Lundberg, C., Kim, Y., Andrade, L., & Bahner, D. (2018). High expectations, strong support: Faculty behaviors predicting Latina/o community college student Learning. Journal of College Student Development, 59(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2018.0004

O'Brien, M.T., Leiman, T., & Duffy, J. (2014). The power of naming: The multifaceted value of learning students' names. QUT Law Review, 14(1). https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/31373/2/01_O'Brien_The_Power_of_Naming:_The_2014.pdf

Stuart Jr., D. (2021, May 3). Moments of genuine connection: A piece of paper, a clipboard, and a goal. Dave Stuart Jr. https://davestuartjr.com/moments-of-genuine-connection-a-piece-of-paper-a-clipboard-and-a-goal/.

Winkelmes, M.-A., Bernacki, M., Butler, J., Zochowski, M., Golanics, J., & Harriss Weavil, K. (2016). A teaching intervention that increases underserved college students' success. Peer Review, 18(1/2). https://www.aacu.org/peerreview/2016/winter-spring/Winkelmes

Winkelmes, M.-A., Boye, A., & Tapp, S. (Eds.). (2019). Transparent design in higher education teaching and leadership: a guide to implementing the transparency framework institution-wide to improve learning and retention. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.