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Demystifying the “Substantive” of Regular & Substantive Interaction (RSI)

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Did you know that Merriam-Webster has a Word of the Day podcast? I learned this as I was searching for the dictionary definition of “substantive” and synonyms for “substantive.” Due to it’s spelling, I assumed that it was closest in meaning to “substantial,” but it is actually closer to “significant.” Here’s the Word of the…Continue Reading Demystifying the “Substantive” of Regular & Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Make Group Projects Easier with Pronto

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Do you ask students to work together on any type of course project? Then you should check out Pronto! This versatile and simple tool flexibly supports group coordination and helps you manage group projects. Peer collaboration is a great practice in all types of classes, but Canvas doesn’t have the greatest tools to support group…Continue Reading Make Group Projects Easier with Pronto

DEI Collaborative

At the Peralta Equity Conference in 2022, I attended a session about the DEI Collaborative. I loved what they were doing and signed up to participate. The DEI Collaborative is a cross-institution project to connect quality course design standards to best practices for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion so they can be cross-referenced. Here’s a short…Continue Reading DEI Collaborative

Student Connect: Virtual Appointment Booking Using Canvas

Are you tired of the hassle of scheduling 1-on-1 appointments with your students through email? Look no further, as Student Connect has got you covered! The FCLT has recently introduced the LTI tool “Student Connect” into Canvas, which makes booking virtual appointments with teachers more convenient for students. Many of you might remember that our…Continue Reading Student Connect: Virtual Appointment Booking Using Canvas

Being Creatively Predictable for Online Student Success

RSI with Creative Predictability The “regular” in regular and substantive interaction (RSI) emphasizes that courses taught online are best organized in a predictable way. Distance learning professors probably know this already quite well. A predictably organized course helps online students even more than those in face-to-face classes, and especially those in asynchronous classes, because of…Continue Reading Being Creatively Predictable for Online Student Success

Unpacking Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

RSI (regular and substantive interaction) is a key part of teaching online courses. Our local distance learning policy (AP 4105) interprets the federal and state education codes, where RSI is a critical requirement that distinguishes distance education courses (which students can take using federal financial aid) from correspondence courses (which do not qualify for such…Continue Reading Unpacking Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Equity Resources: Teaching from the ‘HIPS’ (High Impact Practices)

It can be a challenge to think of specific things we can do using educational technology to ensure success for our impacted students as well as Gen Z. High-Impact Practices (HIPS) are tried and true means for engagement that can push the needle forward for student achievement. Here are just a few resources that can…Continue Reading Equity Resources: Teaching from the ‘HIPS’ (High Impact Practices)

Accurate Video Captions: Tips for Completing SPOT

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Guest post by Catherine McKee, Assistant Distance Learning Coordinator at Mt. SAC Wait. Shouldn’t that be “See Spot run.”? Yes, it should! In this blog post, we’ll address another challenge commonly faced by faculty going through the SPOT certification process: accurate captioning of videos. (If you missed it, the first challenge was using accessible headers.)…Continue Reading Accurate Video Captions: Tips for Completing SPOT

Using Technology to Alleviate Student Stress

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EDUCAUSE recently published an article by Jill Anderson called “Out of Crisis, Compassion: Using Instructional Technologies to Alleviate Student Stress.” This article points out how professors have upped their technology skills not just to move content into the online environment, but to extend compassion to their students. The article defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of…Continue Reading Using Technology to Alleviate Student Stress

SPOT FAQ

SPOT: Frequently Asked Questions This is a guest post from Assistant Distance Learning Coordinator and SPOT Facilitator, Catherine McKee. This post is for the many professors currently working to finish SPOT, otherwise known as Skills and Pedagogy for Online Teaching, the certification required to teach online courses beginning in Fall 2021. FOMAR is no longer…Continue Reading SPOT FAQ