{"id":937,"date":"2026-03-06T14:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/?p=937"},"modified":"2026-03-06T14:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:45:38","slug":"how-rsi-supports-equity-by-countering-the-hidden-curriculum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/2026\/03\/06\/how-rsi-supports-equity-by-countering-the-hidden-curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"How RSI Supports Equity by Countering the Hidden Curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Impact of RSI on the Hidden Curriculum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidden Curriculum Barrier<\/th>Historically Marginalized Students Most Affected<\/th>How RSI Responds<\/th>Equity Impact<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Unclear assignment expectations<\/td>Students with less exposure to academic writing and disciplinary conventions<\/td>Substantive Interaction:<\/strong> explanation of expectations, examples of strong work, clarification of prompts<\/td>Makes academic expectations visible and understandable rather than assumed<\/td><\/tr>
Ambiguity about what constitutes \u201ccollege-level\u201d work<\/td>First-generation students and students from under-resourced schools<\/td>Substantive Interaction:<\/strong> feedback explaining strengths, areas for improvement, and disciplinary reasoning<\/td>Helps students understand standards of quality and how to improve<\/td><\/tr>
Uncertainty about participation norms in discussions<\/td>Students unfamiliar with academic dialogue or scholarly debate practices<\/td>Substantive Interaction:<\/strong> instructor-facilitated discussions and modeling of academic dialogue<\/td>Demonstrates how to participate effectively in scholarly conversations<\/td><\/tr>
Difficulty interpreting instructor feedback<\/td>Students developing academic language or disciplinary thinking<\/td>Substantive Interaction:<\/strong> scaffolded feedback explaining how to revise or improve work<\/td>Translates feedback into actionable guidance<\/td><\/tr>
Lack of familiarity with appropriate help-seeking behaviors<\/td>Students unfamiliar with academic culture or faculty communication norms<\/td>Regular Interaction:<\/strong> clear communication policies and proactive outreach<\/td>Normalizes contact with instructors and reduces uncertainty about when to ask for help<\/td><\/tr>
Uncertainty about course expectations and academic processes<\/td>Students new to higher education systems<\/td>Regular Interaction:<\/strong> announcements, course guidance, and clarification of procedures<\/td>Provides consistent guidance that reduces guesswork<\/td><\/tr>
Implicit academic norms around persistence and improvement<\/td>Students unsure how to respond to setbacks or feedback<\/td>Regular + Substantive Interaction:<\/strong> revision opportunities, encouragement, and guidance after mistakes<\/td>Reinforces that learning involves revision, persistence, and growth<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Examples of How Faculty Can Counter the Hidden Curriculum Through RS<\/strong>I<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidden Curriculum Barrier<\/th>RSI Category<\/th>What Faculty Can Do<\/th>Example in an Online Course<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Students unsure how to interpret assignment prompts<\/td>Substantive Interaction \u2013 Category C (Course-Level Instructional Response)<\/strong><\/td>Clarify assignment expectations and explain evaluation criteria<\/td>Post an announcement or video explaining how to approach the assignment and what strong responses look like<\/td><\/tr>
Students unfamiliar with academic writing or disciplinary standards<\/td>Substantive Interaction \u2013 Category B (Individualized Feedback)<\/strong><\/td>Provide feedback explaining strengths and areas for improvement<\/td>Leave comments explaining how to strengthen argument structure, evidence use, or analysis<\/td><\/tr>
Students unsure what \u201ccollege-level work\u201d looks like<\/td>Substantive Interaction \u2013 Category A (Live Instruction)<\/strong><\/td>Demonstrate how to analyze readings or construct arguments<\/td>Host a live session modeling how to interpret sources or structure a response<\/td><\/tr>
Students unsure how to participate in academic discussions<\/td>Substantive Interaction \u2013 Category D (Embedded Activity Facilitation)<\/strong><\/td>Model scholarly dialogue and guide discussion<\/td>Respond to discussion posts by connecting student ideas to course concepts and asking follow-up questions<\/td><\/tr>
Students unsure when or how to ask for help<\/td>Regular Interaction \u2013 Category A (Course Structure & Presence)<\/strong><\/td>Provide clear communication expectations and support policies<\/td>Include an Instructor Communication Policy and encourage students to reach out with questions<\/td><\/tr>
Students unfamiliar with course procedures and expectations<\/td>Regular Interaction \u2013 Category A (Course Structure & Presence)<\/strong><\/td>Provide consistent course guidance<\/td>Use weekly announcements and module introductions to explain tasks and expectations<\/td><\/tr>
Students unsure how to interpret feedback or improve work<\/td>Substantive Interaction \u2013 Category B (Individualized Feedback)<\/strong><\/td>Provide feedback that includes revision strategies<\/td>Suggest specific ways students can strengthen their work on future assignments<\/td><\/tr>
Students unaware that revision and persistence are expected<\/td>Regular Interaction \u2013 Category B (Engagement Monitoring & Support)<\/strong><\/td>Encourage improvement and follow-up after poor performance<\/td>Contact students after low scores to offer guidance and encourage revision or continued effort<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Impact of RSI on the Hidden Curriculum Hidden Curriculum Barrier Historically Marginalized Students Most Affected How RSI Responds Equity Impact Unclear assignment expectations Students with less exposure to academic writing and disciplinary conventions Substantive Interaction: explanation of expectations, examples of strong work, clarification of prompts Makes academic expectations visible and understandable rather than assumed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rsi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":963,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937\/revisions\/963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccser.org\/seamypath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}