The Impact of RSI on Failure Cascades

Failure Cascade Trigger	Historically Marginalized Students Most Affected	How RSI Responds	Equity Impact
Missed early assignments or deadlines	Working students, caregivers, and students balancing multiple responsibilities	Regular Interaction: proactive outreach, reminders, and early-alert messages	Signals that missed work is noticed and that recovery is possible
Misunderstanding assignment expectations	Students less familiar with academic norms or college-level work	Substantive Interaction: clarification of expectations and instructional guidance	Corrects misunderstandings before they compound into larger performance gaps
Delayed or absent feedback	Students developing academic language or disciplinary thinking	Substantive Interaction: timely, individualized feedback on student work	Helps students recalibrate strategies and improve before the next assignment
Lack of awareness that improvement is possible	Students who interpret early poor performance as permanent failure	Regular + Substantive Interaction: encouragement, revision opportunities, and guidance on next steps	Reinforces a growth-oriented learning process and supports persistence
Limited instructor visibility in asynchronous courses	Students who may hesitate to reach out when struggling	Regular Interaction: visible instructor presence through announcements and check-ins	Maintains connection and reduces quiet disengagement
Automated course structures with minimal human feedback	Students needing guidance to interpret mistakes or improve understanding	Substantive Interaction: instructor facilitation, clarification, and modeling of reasoning	Provides mentorship and learning guidance beyond automated evaluation
Unnoticed disengagement after early setbacks	Students experiencing structural isolation or limited external support	Regular + Substantive Interaction: engagement monitoring and targeted outreach	Ensures struggling students are contacted before disengagement becomes withdrawal

Examples of How Faculty Can Address Failure Cascades Through RSI

Failure Cascade Trigger	RSI Category	What Faculty Can Do	Example in an Online Course
Students miss early assignments and begin disengaging	Regular Interaction – Category B (Engagement Monitoring & Support)	Monitor participation and reach out to students who fall behind	Send a message to students who have not submitted early assignments inviting them to reconnect and review next steps
Students misunderstand assignment expectations	Substantive Interaction – Category C (Course-Level Instructional Response)	Clarify expectations and common errors	Post an announcement or mini-lesson explaining common mistakes from the assignment and how to improve
Students interpret early poor performance as permanent failure	Regular Interaction – Category B (Engagement Monitoring & Support)	Encourage recovery and persistence	Contact students after low scores to explain that improvement is possible and offer guidance
Students receive delayed or minimal feedback	Substantive Interaction – Category B (Individualized Feedback)	Provide timely feedback with improvement strategies	Leave comments explaining strengths, areas for improvement, and specific steps for revision
Students misunderstand course concepts	Substantive Interaction – Category A (Live Instruction)	Provide additional instruction and clarification	Host a live session reviewing difficult concepts and answering student questions
Students repeat mistakes without understanding why	Substantive Interaction – Category C (Course-Level Instructional Response)	Address patterns of misunderstanding across the class	Share a short video explaining common misconceptions revealed in quiz results
Students disengage from discussions after early difficulty	Substantive Interaction – Category D (Embedded Activity Facilitation)	Facilitate discussions and guide deeper thinking	Respond to posts with clarifying questions and highlight strong examples of reasoning
Students believe missed work cannot be recovered	Regular + Substantive Interaction – Categories B & B	Provide guidance on recovery pathways	Send messages explaining revision options or strategies for improving future assignments