The Impact of RSI on Access to Academic and Social Capital

Academic or Social Capital Barrier	Historically Marginalized Students Most Affected	How RSI Responds	Equity Impact
Uncertainty about how to contact instructors or ask for help	First-generation students and students unfamiliar with higher education norms	Regular Interaction: proactive outreach, invitations for questions, clear communication policies	Normalizes help-seeking and reduces uncertainty about when and how to approach instructors
Limited familiarity with academic expectations (the hidden curriculum)	Students from under-resourced educational backgrounds	Substantive Interaction: explanation of expectations, examples of strong work, clarification of feedback	Makes implicit academic norms visible and teachable
Lack of familiarity with strategies for academic recovery	Students new to college-level expectations	Regular + Substantive Interaction: instructor check-ins, guidance after poor performance, revision opportunities	Helps students understand how to recover from setbacks and continue progressing
Limited access to informal academic mentoring networks	Students without family or community members familiar with college systems	Substantive Interaction: personalized feedback, explanation of reasoning, guidance on improvement	Provides mentorship and guidance that might otherwise occur through informal networks
Uncertainty about appropriate participation norms	Students less familiar with academic discussion practices	Substantive Interaction: instructor-facilitated discussions, modeling of academic dialogue	Demonstrates how to participate in scholarly conversations
Lack of guidance on how to interpret feedback or improve work	Students developing academic language or disciplinary thinking	Substantive Interaction: scaffolded feedback and revision guidance	Helps students translate feedback into actionable improvement strategies
Limited sense of belonging within academic environments	Students from historically marginalized racial, socioeconomic, or educational backgrounds	Regular + Substantive Interaction: relational communication, recognition of student contributions, encouragement	Strengthens academic identity, confidence, and persistence

Examples of How Faculty Can Improve Access to Academic and Social Capital Through RSI

Academic or Social Capital Barrier	RSI Category	What Faculty Can Do	Example in an Online Course
Students unsure when or how to contact instructors	Regular Interaction – Category A (Course Structure & Presence)	Clearly communicate communication norms and expectations	Include an Instructor Communication Policy explaining response times and preferred ways to ask questions
Students unfamiliar with academic help-seeking norms	Regular Interaction – Category B (Engagement Monitoring & Support)	Initiate outreach rather than waiting for students to ask for help	Send messages to students who miss assignments inviting them to discuss next steps
Students unsure how to interpret assignment expectations	Substantive Interaction – Category C (Course-Level Instructional Response)	Clarify expectations and provide examples of strong work	Post an announcement explaining what successful responses looked like in a recent assignment
Students unfamiliar with academic discussion practices	Substantive Interaction – Category D (Embedded Activity Facilitation)	Model scholarly dialogue during discussions	Respond to discussion posts by demonstrating how to reference course concepts and build an argument
Students unsure how to interpret instructor feedback	Substantive Interaction – Category B (Individualized Feedback)	Provide feedback explaining strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for improvement	Leave written or video feedback showing how a student could strengthen their thesis or analysis
Students unaware that academic recovery is possible	Regular Interaction – Category B (Engagement Monitoring & Support)	Provide encouragement and outreach after poor performance	Contact students who scored below a threshold to discuss strategies for improvement
Students lacking access to informal academic mentoring networks	Substantive Interaction – Category B (Individualized Feedback)	Provide mentorship through detailed feedback and guidance	Record short video feedback explaining how to approach research or analysis more effectively
Students unsure how academic reasoning works in the discipline	Substantive Interaction – Category A (Live Instruction)	Demonstrate disciplinary thinking and problem-solving	Host a live session explaining how experts analyze evidence or structure arguments
Students uncertain about participation expectations	Substantive Interaction – Category D (Embedded Activity Facilitation)	Guide students in building on peer ideas and using course concepts	Ask follow-up questions in discussion threads that prompt deeper analysis