| Domain | Role of RSI | Key Requirements | Compliance Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Compliance (34 C.F.R. § 600.2) | Establishes the legal definition of distance education vs. correspondence education | RSI must be regular (scheduled, predictable) and substantive (academically meaningful); includes activities like direct instruction, feedback, Q&A, or guided discussion | Forms the baseline regulatory requirement; failure leads to misclassification of courses and triggers broader compliance violations |
| ACCJC Accreditation | Operationalizes RSI within institutional quality standards and accreditation review | Requires documented, instructor-initiated, ongoing interaction aligned with course outcomes; must demonstrate effective teaching presence in distance education | Noncompliance may result in warnings, sanctions, or loss of accreditation, and jeopardizes federal recognition |
| California Title 5 (§ 55204) | Translates RSI into state regulatory language (“regular effective contact”) for California Community Colleges | Requires frequent, consistent, instructor-initiated contact, including announcements, feedback, discussions, and availability (e.g., office hours) | Violations may lead to state audit findings, course disapproval, or funding issues at the state level |
| Title IV Financial Aid Eligibility | Uses RSI as a determinant of student aid eligibility | Courses lacking RSI are classified as correspondence, making them ineligible for Title IV funding | Institutions risk loss of federal financial aid eligibility, repayment liabilities, and audit penalties |
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