Skip to main content
Menu

Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

RSI is a mandatory distance education requirement written into the Federal and State Education Codes. RSI's goal is to differentiate distance learning from correspondence education through the demonstrated presence of an instructor who meets a minimum threshold of course facilitation through consistent, course-related interaction with students.  

SPOT Recertification now requires RSI Review

(effective Fall 2024, approved by the Distance Learning Committee [DLC] and Academic Senate).

SPOT Recert Hub

  • detailed information on meeting each RSI criteria
  • sign-up for an RSI review
  • list of RSI reviewers
  • Link to submit the H.13 form (reviewers submit this)

Information in the SPOT Recert Hub supports both reviewers and reviewees. RSI forms are  posted in the Recert Hub Canvas shell. Forms posted on public websites have been getting spammed so we prefer to keep these forms behind the Mt. SAC Canvas login. The SPOT Recert Hub is an open course and does not require enrollment to access the pages. For more details on how RSI Review fits in the full recertification process, see the SPOT Recertification web page.

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. 

    • Who Must Complete an RSI Review?

      RSI Reviews for SPOT Recertification

      RSI Review became a part of SPOT recertification in October 2024. All professors due for SPOT recertification beginning in 2025 must  complete an RSI review during their 4-year window for qualifying activities. RSI reviews conducted as part of the formal review process in 2024/2025 count toward recertification. These appear in the POD transcript alongside other completed professional learning activities.   

      A course must be at least 25% complete before an RSI review can take place:

      Course Length

      Review course after:
      16 weeks Week 5
      8 weeks Week 3
      6 weeks Week 2

       

      References: 

    • To Start Your RSI Review

      RSI Reviews for SPOT Recertification

      Starting in 2026, RSI reviews for SPOT recertification must be completed during the 4-year period leading up to your recertification deadline. You can check your SPOT recertification due date in the SPOT Certified Faculty list. 

      • RSI reviews work best in active courses that are underway. A course must be 25% complete before a reviewer can evaluate RSI. Please plan ahead to complete a review when you are actively teaching a DL course. 
      • Only reviews that successfully meet RSI count toward the requirement for SPOT recertification.
      • RSI reviews completed during the 2024/25 formal accreditation review count toward SPOT recertification. If you participated in an RSI review during that time,  and your recertification is due between 2025 and 2028, no additional review is needed until your next recertification cycle.

      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 Coordinator at rsicoordinators@mtsac.edu.

      If you have questions about the RSI review for SPOT recertification, please email the DL coordinator, Hong Guo distancelearning@mtsac.edu.

      How to Complete an RSI Review for SPOT Recertification 

      1. Review the SPOT Recertification Hub. All current year recertfying professors should be enrolled in this course to support all steps of recertification, including RSI.
      2. Select a course to review, a reviewer, and fill out the sign-up form.
      3. Complete the "self-review" portion, reviewing your own course for RSI and documenting it for the reviewer. If your course is an active course, you can add and remove the reviewer during the process. For past courses, an admin must do these steps, which will be completed based on your sign-up information.
      4. After a quarter of the class is complete, the reviewer can use your info and access to your course to complete their review of RSI. The SPOT Recert Hub is an open course, so reviewers can also use it to see valuable information that supports their review work.
      5. Confer with your RSI Reviewer, working until you meet RSI. Once the review is complete, you both sign the H.13 RSI review form and the reviewer submits it through the RSI Review Form.  

      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. 

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

      Communicating During RSI Review Process

      As a part of your RSI process, you may need to make adjustments to your course. You will provide documentation in the checklist tool in your course. It is up to you and your reviewer to decide how you  will communicate  to help you reach a successful result. If anything is unclear, goes wrong, or if your reviewer cannot be reached feel free to follow up with the RSI Coordinator to learn how to move forward. You are entitled to a second review, per the contract, if issues arise in the first review.

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

    • What if An RSI Review is Not Completed?

      If an RSI Review is Incomplete or Unsuccessful

      • A second review may be requested with a different reviewer if RSI was not found during the initial review process. Those who require a second review may have their online course assignments paused until they can meet RSI. 
      • If a professor decides to opt out of RSI review or fails to comply with the requirements to meet RSI in online courses, their online assignments may be removed by the District.
      • Multiple unsucessful review attempts may required the professor to repeat SPOT certification, SPOT recertification, or receive other training as determined by their manager, per the contract. This is to maintain eligibility to teach distance learning courses and to ensure the institituion meets Ed Code and can pass accreditation. 
      • Failure 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.  For example if your recertification is due in 2028, consider seeking a review before December 2027 if your course assignments allow.

      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 Coordinator, 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

    • RSI Resources  

      RSI Resources

      RSI Resources for Distance Learning Professors

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

      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 History at Mt. SAC
      AY  2018/2019

      2018: A faculty work group 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 work group 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 reviews. 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 coordinators 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 provided their determination on the status of Mt. SAC's compliance with Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) based on their October review. The Commission acted to Reaffirm 
      Accreditation for the remainder of the cycle. The Commission finds that Mt. San Antonio College has addressed the compliance requirements, corrected deficiencies, and meets Standard II.A.7 and Policy on Distance Education and on Correspondence Education. 

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

      References:

    • RSI Mentoring Program 2024/25

      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). The program has now ended. 

      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 Mentors were DL-certified (SPOT-certified) Mt. SAC faculty members with "extensive online teaching experience," and "a self-identified passion for teaching online." Each RSI Mentor 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 participated in ongoing professional learning, norming sessions,  attended monthly check-in meetings, and provided progress reports to the RSI Coordinators. 

      During this process, RSI Mentors completed over 500 course reviews for regular and substantive interaction (RSI), meeting with each reviewed professor one-on-one to discuss the review and make RSI-relevant recommendations and revisiting the professor's course to ensure appropriate updates were made to align to RSI requirements.  Surveys on this process indicate it was well received. 

      First-time DL profesors were also offered assistance from the formal RSI review program. Once an active CRN course shell in Canvas was ready,  the RSI coordinators could be contacted for a review to ensure RSI after 25% of the course was completed, upon request of the professor. 

      Because RSI Review was added to the 2025 recertification cycle, a side letter extended SPOT recertification deadlines to November 3 for professors who did not teach asynchronously or participate in the formal review but were due for recertification in that year. Professors who did not teach any online courses in 2024/25 were given a one-time exception to instead complete a workshop in lieu of an RSI review so they could complete SPOT recertification. 

RSI Coordinator

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

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