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Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

RSI is a mandatory Ed Code requirement of distance learning that demonstrates the presence of the instructor in facilitating the course. RSI differentiates distance learning courses from correspondence education. In practice, RSI's intent is to create a minimum standard for consistent, course-related engagement between students and their instructors. 

Click on a drop-down below for more details on that topic:

    • What is RSI?

      Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is a defined part of federal and California state education code.

      Institutions that offer distance learning courses are held to a standard defined at the federal level through the Higher Education Act (HEA) (CFR 600.2), in which the definitions of distance education state that it must “support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor, synchronously or asynchronously." The state of California has similar requirements in its Ed Code for higher education.

      As with all such policies, the individual institution must interpret its application for the local setting. At Mt. SAC, RSI is defined in the Administrative Procedure on Distance Learning (AP 4105), which includes Regular and Substantive Interaction requirements for Distance Learning Courses at Mt. SAC. This AP is periodically revised. It was last revised in January 2023. This opening paragraph of AP 4105 (immediately below) describes which courses must use Regular and Substantive interaction (RSI).  

      Any portion of a course conducted through distance education must include regular and substantive interaction between the instructor(s) and students (and among students if described in the distance education addendum), either synchronously or asynchronously, through group or individual meetings, orientation, and review sessions, supplemental seminar or study sessions, field trips, library workshops, telephone contact, voice mail, e-mail, or other activities. An instructor is an individual responsible for delivering course content and who meets the qualifications for instruction established by an institution's accrediting agency. 

       

    • RSI History at Mt. SAC
      AY  2018/2019

      2018: A faculty workgroup was tasked to review what was then called Regular and Effective contact (REC) in CA, and create a rubric to evaluate it.

      Spring 2019: a Distance Learning Committee (DLC) subgroup on REC created a proposed rubric and process in response to negotiated language in the Agreement between the Faculty Association and Mt. SAC District.

      Reference: Senate Taskforce Report to Academic Senate, April 11, 2024 (links to references are at the bottom)

      AY 2019/2020

      October 2019: The proposed rubric was approved by the DLC.

      February 2020: The full Academic Senate approved the rubric and process. However, before the process could be negotiated, the COVID-19 pandemic began, creating urgent priorities and the need for processes that allowed the entire campus to move to online operations.

      Reference: Senate Taskforce Report to Academic Senate, April 11, 2024 (links to references are at the bottom)

      AY 2021/2022

      2021: Mt. SAC continued to navigate pandemic conditions. The move to online education across the state and nation during the pandemic prompted a review and revisions to distance learning regulations at the state and federal level. 

      2022: Federal and state language related to distance education changed. California transitioned from using Regular and Effective Contact or REC terminology to Regular and Substantive Interaction or RSI  to align with federal ed code language.

      Reference: Senate Taskforce Report to Academic Senate, April 11, 2024 (links to references are at the bottom)

      AY 2022/2023

      2022: In September 2022, the DLC revisited the topic of REC, now RSI, in response to Article 13.A.4 of the Faculty Contract which states that: 

      There shall be a certification process for regular and effective contact (REC). This certification process is separate and distinct from the SPOT certification process. The Academic Senate in consultation with the Faculty Association and the District will create a rubric that identifies regular and effective contact. The rubric will be used only to determine regular and effective contact. 

      The RSI rubric was moved to the workgroup for Canvas Merging Shells and Related Matters, where an RSI rubric was finalized in June 2023.

      Reference: Senate Taskforce Report to Academic Senate, April 11, 2024 (links to references are at the bottom)

      AY 2023/2024

      March 2024: A Mt. SAC Academic Senate Taskforce on Accreditation and RSI was requested by President Garcia and convened and approved by Academic Senate in March. The taskforce reviewed successful RSI review processes for distance education faculty at other colleges and created a multi-phase plan to institutionalize an RSI review process at Mt. SAC, starting with a short-term mentoring program to address immediate needs and a second phase that would address the ongoing need to support and demonstrate RSI in all online courses. 

      Spring 2024: Mt. SAC received a visit from The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in 2024. The “Commission determined that the College must demonstrate compliance with...Standard II.A.7 and Policy on Distance Education and Correspondence Education (College Requirement 1) ...that the college ensure that regular and substantive interaction takes place in distance education courses.”  

      In response to this recommendation, the Academic Senate approved a recommendation, and a side letter was signed by the District and the Faculty Association in April 2024 to strongly encourage all faculty teaching asynchronous, online courses to complete an RSI Review Fall 2024/Winter 2025. For more on the 2024 Accreditation visit, see the Mt. SAC Accreditation web page.

      Summer 2024: RSI Coordinators and Mentors were appointed for the short-term program and the RSI mentoring program planning began.

      AY 2024/2025

      Fall 2024: The RSI Mentoring Program began with a session at Fall Flex Day announcing the changes and requesting faculty to sign up for the review process. 

      October 2024: The Distance Learning Committee recommended the immediate inclusion of the RSI review as a component of distance learning recertification (SPOT recertification). Working with FCLT, the RSI Mentors prepared RSI workshops and materials to prepare for reivews. An RSI forum was held to support faculty in understanding RSI.

      November 2024: An RSI Summit showcased faculty work on RSI and created real "best practice" examples that others could learn from and follow, meeting the requirements of the RSI Side Letter. The materials from this showcase are hosted in Canvas and linked to the RSI Hub for ongoing use by professors working to complete RSI reviews.

      December 2024: A second side letter was passed extending the RSI Mentor Program through Spring 2025 and requiring those with asynchronous course assignments to complete a review of one course.  In Spring, the RSI coordintators will anonymously evaluate 100 courses through the internal RSI program to assess the success of the RSI review process. 

      February 2025: The Side Letter was amended to require an RSI review of one asynchronous course for each professor teaching asynchronously in the 2024/25 Academic Year and setting deadlines for RSI review sign-up and completion. The Division Deans were given discretion to reassign asynchronous online courses if a professor did not successfully complete the review process. 

      Spring 2025: RSI reviews were completed on over 500 asynchronous courses across the 2024/2025 academic year by the RSI Mentors under the guidance of the RSI Coordinators. In March 2025, Mt. SAC reported to the Board of Trustees updating them on accreditation and RSI (linked below under references).
      The RSI Coordinators completed an anonymous, random review from all asynchronous courses (not only from the single courses included in the formal review- from all courses that ACCJC could potentially review) and prepared a report for Accreditation. 

      Summer 2025: In July 2025, rules were established in a separate side letter for those due for SPOT recertification in 2025 who taught online but did not teach asynchronously thus not receiving a review in the formal mentoring program. Their SPOT recertification due date was extended to November to allow a fall course to be reviewed to complete the new requirement.

      References: (links to references are at the bottom)

      • DLC's RSI Review for SPOT Re-cert Recommendation, Oct 17, 2024
      • RSI Side Letter, February 27, 2025
      • RSI Side Letter, July 8, 2025
      AY 2025/26

      October 2025: The accreditation team will provide a Follow-Up Report to ACCJC on October 1st. In Fall, the ACCJC Team will review 50 Mt. SAC Spring 2025 asynchronous online courses: 85% of these must demonstrate RSI. 

      Fall 2025 - ongoing: RSI reviews were added to the SPOT recertification process. While the formal review is over, professors will continue to participate in RSI course review of online courses (any type) as part of their distance learning recertification process going forward. 

      Winter 2026: ACCJC will provide their determination on the status of Mt. SAC's compliance with Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) based on their review.

      Reference: ACCJC Accreditation Update: Regular and Substantive Interaction, March 8, 2025, page 15 (link below under References).

      References:

    • RSI Mentoring Program 

      The formal RSI Mentoring Program ran from Summer 2024 to Summer 2025 in response to the 2024 ACCJC recommendation and the work of the Accreditation and RSI Taskforce (for more details, see the RSI HIstory section above). 

      RSI Mentoring Program Structure

      The 2024/25 RSI Mentoring Program consisted of two Academic Senate-appointed RSI Coordinators and up to 10  Academic Senate-appointed reassigned faculty who served as RSI Faculty Peer Mentor Reviewers (RSI Mentors).

      RSI Faculty Peer Mentor Reviewers

      To serve as an RSI Mentor, the faculty member had to be DL-certified (SPOT-certified), have "extensive online teaching experience," and "a self-identified passion for teaching online." They also completed professional development training in distance learning best practices and ACCJC's appreciative inquiry approach prior to serving as an RSI mentor. Appointments sought proportional distribution of mentors from across Instructional Divisions. 

      Mentors were tasked with reviewing the course shells of professors alongside a professor's completed RSI rubric in which they reviewed and documented the the regular and substantive interaction (RSI) within the course. After the review, the mentor met with the professor to discuss the review and make recommendations relevant to RSI. If changes were requested, the mentor revisited the professor's course to ensure appropriate updates had been made and communicated with the professor as needed. 

      Mentors participated in ongoing professional learning, norming sessions,  monthly check-in meetings and provided progress reports to the RSI Coordinators.  See the RSI Hub for a list of Mt. SAC's current RSI mentors. 

    • Who Must Complete an RSI Review?

      For the Formal RSI Review

      During the 2024/2025 academic year, every professor teaching an online asynchronous course was required to submit one course to the formal review process.

      For SPOT Recertification in 2025

      Professors with a SPOT recertification due date in July 2025 were required to submit one course in any online modality for RSI review.

      • If the professor participated in the formal RSI review, this review counted toward SPOT recertification.
      • If the professor taught no online courses in any modality during the 2024/2025 academic year, the side letter offered a one-time exception for 2024-2025 to allow SPOT Recertification to be completed with an RSI workshop in place of the RSI review.
      • If the professor taught synchronous or hybrid online courses in 2024/2025, and did not participate in the formal review (because they taught no asynchronous courses), the RSI Side Letter from July 8, 2025 extended their SPOT recertification deadline to November 3. They are asked to complete an RSI review in Fall 2025. 

      For SPOT Recertification 2026 and Later

      All professors due for SPOT recertification after 2025 need to complete an RSI review.

      • The RSI review must be completed within the 4 years leading up to their SPOT recertification due date.
      • RSI reviews conducted as part of the formal process in 2024/2025 count toward recertification. These appear alongside other professional learning activities in the individual's POD transcript. 

      Since the requirement for an RSI review (per faculty contract) is for a course to be at least 25% complete:

      Length of course Reviewer can begin review in or after:
      16 weeks Week 5
      8 weeks Week 3
      6 weeks Week 2

      For First-Time DL Professors

      If you are teaching an online course for the first time, you can receive assistance from the RSI review program. Once you prepare your spring course shell in Canvas, reach out to the  RSI coordinators for assistance. When 25% of the course is complete, mentors will complete the review of your course. 

      References: 

    • To Start Your RSI Review

      The Formal RSI Review is Closed  

      The formal RSI review process related to accreditation is finished. Sign-ups for the formal review closed on Tuesday April 1, 2025. RSI reviews for SPOT recertification are assigned through POD and do not require sign-up to participate.  

      To Start RSI for SPOT Recertification

      Starting in Fall 2025, RSI reviews for SPOT recertification are assigned to professors through POD. 

      The RSI review for SPOT recertification must take place in the 4-year period leading up to your recert deadline to count (check your due date in the SPOT Certified Faculty list) It is recommended to complete the RSI review between the start of your qualifying period and December of the academic year when your review is due. 

      If you participated in the formal RSI review, it counts toward your SPOT recertification for recert dates in 2026-2028.

      Reviews only happen after 25% if a course is complete. RSI is reviewing interaction, so some interaction with students must take place before the course can be evaluated. 

      • If you have questions about the RSI review process, contact the RSI Coordinators at rsicoordinators@mtsac.edu.
      • If you have questions about the RSI review for SPOT recertification, please email the DL coordinator, Catherine McKee, cmckee@mtsac.edu.

      To Complete an RSI Review for SPOT Recertification 

      Remember that a reviewer cannnot review your course until it is 25% complete. Start your part of the process by accessing the RSI Hub. This open course provides you with a copy of the self-review form, plus information, templates, and videos: basically everything you get started with self-reviewing your course RSI. 

      Use these resources to ensure your course being reviewed meets RSI. Remember: while only one course is reviewed, all online courses must meet RSI. This process is meant to help you ensure that you are in compliance in all assigned online courses.  Once you've completed your self review, wait to be assigned an RSI Reviewer.

      Only one online course is reviewed with the expectation that you apply your RSI knowledge to ensure all of your online courses comply with RSI requirements. 

      Work with Your RSI Reviewer

      Once you have an RSI Reviewer, you will submit your RSI review in the RSI Canvas Checklist for this purpose.  Once 25% of your online course is completed and you have communicated with your reviewer, you are free to submit.

      You must also add your mentor as an RSI Reviewer into the course being reviewed. If you need help adding your mentor, see the instructions for adding people into courses offered in the RSI Hub. You cannot add people into past courses. For that you will need help from your mentor.

      RSI Review Meeting

      As a part of your RSI process, you will have a Zoom meeting with your RSI Reviewer to go over your results. You may need to make adjustments noted by your reviewer to meet RSI. You may also receive optional recommendations to follow best practices, which you can implement based on your preferences. Whether something is required or simply nice to have will be communicated by your reviewer. If anything is unclear, feel free to follow up and ask which changes are required and which are optional.

      Once your reviewer agrees that your course meets the RSI requirements, your review is complete. Your completion is recorded in your POD transcript. 

      If an RSI Review is Incomplete or Unsuccessful

      • A second review may be requested by the professor with a different reviewer if RSI was not found during the initial review process. Those who refuse to comply with the recommendations of the peer reviewer after the second review may have their online asynchronous assignments removed by the District.
      • If, upon completion of the RSI Review, RSI is not adequate for compliance, a professor may be required to repeat SPOT certification, SPOT recertification, or its equivalent in order to maintain eligibility to teach distance learning courses.
      • Failture to complete an RSI Review before your SPOT recertification due date will result in your distance learning certification expiring. You will no longer be eligible to teach online courses unless you complete the SPOT requirements to reinstate your certification. 
      • RSI reviews take time. You can complete them with any active online course in the 4-year window before your recertification is due. It is recommended that you complete the RSI review by December of the year that your recertification is due. 

      Need to change the course for review? If you decide to change the course you'd like to submit for review, please email your mentor or the RSI Coordinators, who will change your entry or send you an update request so you can make the changes to your original entry.

      For more information, or for clarification and full language on these points, please review the Faculty Contract and RSI Side Letter in full.

      Reference: Mt. SAC RSI Side Letter, Dec 20, 2024

    • About RSI Review Completion

      About RSI Review Completion

      RSI Mentoring & Distance Learning Professors

      Here are a few useful things to know about RSI Review Completion. You may wish to review the RSI Hub or the references provided in each section on this page to learn more details about any specific part of RSI. 

      • SPOT Recertification now requires the completion of a successful RSI Review (effective Fall 2024, approved by the Distance Learning Committee (DLC) and Academic Senate). Please see specific details on the SPOT Recertification page.
      • RSI & SPOT Recertification: Only reviews that successfully meet RSI count toward the requirement for SPOT recertification. 
      • Where is RSI Review recorded? Successful RSI review completions are added into your POD Transcript so you can download the certificate and include it in your SPOT recertification form.

      Getting Support for RSI

      • Several RSI-related workshops are available to support faculty, but no specific workshops is required. RSI workshops count toward SPOT recertification and are not paid through PGH/PGI because SPOT certification is tied to salary. In addition to live workshops, see the Canvas Faculty Center Self-Paced Workshops page for the self-paced RSI Essentials workshop option (Canvas log in required).
      • Get Help from FCLT the FCLT can offer help with any specific questions you might have to try to implement RSI-related changes to a course design, or for help with courses that are not eligible for RSI review at this time. You can make an RSI appointment with FCLT for a consultation - just know that this is NOT an RSI Review in the formal mentoring program and does not count toward the RSI requirements. 

      Reference: Mt. SAC RSI Side Letter, Dec 20, 2024

RSI Coordinators

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the RSI Coordinators, rsicoordinators@mtsac.edu  

Name Title Email
Sheila Wright Professor of English rsicoordinators@mtsac.edu
Jenny Gernhart Professor of Biology rsicoordinators@mtsac.edu