Online sections: RSI Review Process
Highline College is required by the Department of Education to regularly review asynchronous online class sections to ensure that they are meeting the requirement for instructor-initiated regular and substantive interaction (RSI). At Highline, this means courses that occur entirely online, and the online asynchronous portion of hyflex courses, if the "clustered sections" approach to hyflex is used.
To comply with this regulation, the HCEA and college administration have agreed to a self-assessment process described below.
Process
Each quarter, a group of instructors scheduled to teach an online section are required to submit a self-assessment. Instructors selected choose one of their online sections to self-assess. The group is selected as follows:
- During Fall Quarter, 50% of instructors scheduled to teach an asynchronous online section will be chosen randomly;
- During Winter Quarter, any instructors scheduled to teach an asynchronous online section, except those who completed a self-assessment in the fall;
- During Spring Quarter, any instructors who are scheduled to teach an asynchronous online section and have not completed a self-assessment during the current academic year; and
- During Summer Quarter, any instructors who are scheduled to teach an asynchronous online section and have not completed a self-assessment during the academic year.
Completing the Self-Assessment
The self-assessment includes:
- A completed RSI checklist for each week of the quarter (See the guidelines Download See the guidelines, and a template for the self-assessment report Download a template for the self-assessment report).
- Documentation of the Syllabus Information, practices for Monitoring Student Progress, and First Week Assignment.
- Documentation of examples of interactions in Canvas or related app for weeks 3, 6, and 9 of the quarter.
- An optional narrative of RSI practices in the class.
The RSI Self-Assessment Template for Fall 2022 Download RSI Self-Assessment Template for Fall 2022 is a Microsoft Word document that includes weekly checklists, and all the other questions required for the self-assessment. The completed RSI self-assessment can be turned in by either:
- Uploading the completed template, with all documentation included, via the RSI Self-Assessment Online Form Links to an external site..
- Completing the longer version of the RSI Self-Assessment Online Form Links to an external site., and uploading documentation for each of the sections.
After the self-assessment
Self-assessments will be reviewed by the Director of Educational Technology and faculty will be notified of the results during week 1 of the following quarter. If the section is determined to meet RSI standards, the instructor does not have to complete another self-assessment for at least 3 quarters. If a section does not meet RSI standards, the instructor will be required to self-assess a course the following quarter. For more details, see the 2022-2025 HCEA Agreement.
Fall 2022 Schedule
|
Date/Week |
Process step |
|---|---|
|
Opening Week (Sept 20-23) |
A description of the process and the checklist will be sent to all instructors teaching asynchronous online sections. |
|
Week 1 (Sept 26-30) |
All instructors who are required to complete a self-assessment during that quarter are notified; instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 2 (Oct 3-7) |
EdTech workshops about RSI and the new RSI process; instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 3 (Oct 10-14) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities and gather documentation of those activities. |
|
Week 4 (Oct 17-21) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 5 (Oct 24-28) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 6 (Oct 31 - Nov 4) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities and gather documentation of those activities. |
|
Week 7 (Nov 7-10) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 8 (Nov 14-18) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities. |
|
Week 9 (Nov 21-23) |
Instructors who are selected complete checklist of RSI activities and gather documentation of those activities. |
|
Week 10 (Nov 28-Dec 2) |
Self assessment, including all supporting documentation, due.* |
|
Week 1 of Winter (Jan 9-13, 2023) |
Instructors notified of results |
* Note: This year, Week 9 is a short week due to holidays. If that precludes the required two RSI activities, and documenting them, you can use Week 10 instead: document RSI activities for Week 10, then submit your full self-assessment by the end of Week 11 (Dec 9, 2022).
Resources
HCEA Agreement, 2022-2025 (see MoA #8, the last four pages of the document)
Highline College definition of Regular and Substantive Interaction