Welcome to the Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Resource Guide. This guide will help provide important and timely information regarding College of San Mateo’s (CSM) policy on Regular and Substantive Interaction as it relates to our upcoming accreditation visit.
This past academic year the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) developed and piloted the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric, which will now serve as the guide for assessing our online courses.
In Spring 2026 ACCCJC will conduct a review of a random selection of 100% synchronous and asynchronous online courses. They will be reviewing courses offered in Fall 2025. We will not know ahead of time which courses will be selected. Therefore, it is important that all instructors teaching online courses in Fall 2025 be prepared to demonstrate alignment with the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric.
As part of an ACCJC Compliance Requirement all faculty, regardless of the teaching modality, and any previous training, must complete a one-time, 5 hour, self-paced, Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Policy training that is specific to CSM. If you have not completed it yet, please register for the Regular & Substantive Interaction course, as soon as possible.
Click through the tabs below to peruse different pockets of information relevant to RSI expectations for online courses at CSM. We recommend taking the time to explore each section and diving deep into those that seem most relevant to your own needs.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with existing Distance Education and RSI policies at CSM. Click the links below to learn about different policies, guidelines, and expectations:
College of San Mateo Policy on Regular and Substantive Contact (Current)
College of San Mateo Policy on Distance Education Training Requirements
Looking for fundamental training on RSI policies? We got you covered:
(ACCJC Compliance Requirement) College of San Mateo | Regular and Substantive Interaction Policy Training: This 5-hour self-paced course, developed by the DE team at CSM, is required for all faculty at CSM, regardless of teaching modality. Good news! You only complete it once, at your own pace. Have you completed this training yet? If you are not sure, reach out to the DE team to confirm your training status.
(Optional) Microcourse: Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI in Action): This 2-hour asynchronous microcourse, developed by Skyline College, focuses on the revised standards for Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI), as outlined in Title V of the California Education Code.
Peruse the most current version of our CSM Handbook for Distance Education.
The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has recently launched the Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education, which will be used during the upcoming accreditation process to evaluate online courses offered at CSM.
As stated by the ACCJC (2024), the rubric is a "resource to supports institutions in the continuous improvement process to increase the depth and quality of Substantive and Regular Interaction in Distance Education and promote the achievement of equitable student success." (p. 1). The rubric seeks to promote collegial dialogue between institutions, and describes four levels of development in terms of RSI practices: Initial, Emerging, Developed, and Highly Developed. Ultimately, our goal at CSM is that all of our courses meet the Emerging level of the rubric.
Check out some of the frequently asked questions for institutions and peer reviewers involved in distance education evaluations, published by the ACCJC.
We have put together resources you can use to learn more about RSI expectations and review your own courses for alignment with the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric. Explore the following resources on your own time and at your own pace:
SMCCCD RSI Communication Plan template: Sample language that you can review and adapt for your own syllabus and Canvas site. Each section explains to students how different types of regular and substantive interaction will occur in the course.
CSM DEAC | ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education: A collection of practical examples for each criterion in the ACCJC rubric. Take a peak and gather inspiration for your own online teaching practices.
Use the following trackers to review and assess your own courses from the lens of the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric.
RSI Self-Assessment for Online Faculty (Cañada College)
RSI Self-Assessment Tracker (College of San Mateo)
Google Doc | ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education
In Spring 2025 the CSM Distance Education team facilitated two Flex Day sessions. We invite you to view the Flex Day sessions below:
January 2025: “Achieving Excellence in Distance Education” provided an overview of RSI at CSM and introduced the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric.
April 2025: “Ensuring Regular and Substantive Interaction in Online Courses: A Self-Assessment Workshop” was centered around a self-assessment activity that allowed instructors to review their course, gauge where they currently are on the continuum and discuss practices and strategies to get their courses to the “Emerging” level of the continuum.
August 2025: "Continuing our commitment to Regular and Substantive Interaction at CSM" provided a space for faculty to continue to familiarize themselves with RSI guidelines for online courses and explore resources such as the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric, the self-assessment interactive rubric tool developed by the CSM Distance Education Team, and the new SMCCCD Communication Plan template.
January 2025: Online Faculty Accreditation Prep: Align Your Courses with Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) Standards
October 2024: How to be ACTION in Our Online Course InterACTION
Custom "playlist" from the @One professional development network focusing on RSI topics:
Recently, our neighboring college, Foothill College, had their ACCJC visit. Read about their experience in an article published on The Foothill Script “Foothill’s Online Learning Accreditation Close Call.” As a result, the college was instructed to implement extended mandatory RSI training, course evaluations and peer review, and further development of RSI guidelines with specific guidance on expectations for regular, timely, and substantive interactions in their Distance Education courses.
As our campus drafts our Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) in preparation for accreditation, we are also paying close attention to the new ACCJC RSI Policy and Quality Continuum Rubric. In 2019, CSM established a Policy on Regular and Substantive Contact and launched an online self-paced RSI training in response to our ACCJC Recommendation for compliance. In Fall 2020, our Distance Education team engaged in a comprehensive review of all online courses and provided feedback and support for institutional alignment with the RSI policy.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and your continued support in ensuring that students are receiving the high quality online course delivery we know you are committed to. We look forward to building this work together and celebrating the excellent work you have done to be in compliance with our RSI policy.
