Aligned

The course includes opportunities for student-to-student interaction focused on course content. The instructor's role in facilitating these interactions is explained.

Why This Is Important (select to expand)

Why This Is Important

Student-to-student interaction helps learners engage with course content, exchange ideas, and learn from one another’s perspectives.
In online courses, meaningful interaction among students must be intentionally designed and facilitated.
Activities such as discussions, collaborative work, and peer responses can deepen understanding and support engagement with course material.
This element focuses on structured opportunities for students to interact about course content and on the instructor’s role in guiding or facilitating those interactions.
Facilitating student interaction supports Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) by encouraging ongoing engagement with course material and peers.

How to Implement This in Your Course (select to expand)

How to Implement This in Your Course

Aligned courses include structured opportunities for students to interact with one another about course content, along with clear instructions and instructor facilitation.

➡️Common Types of Student Interaction

Discussion forums where students respond to content-related prompts and engage with peers
Peer review activities with guided feedback
Group or collaborative assignments
Case studies, debates, or problem-solving activities

➡️Provide Clear Instructions for Interaction

Students should understand:

The purpose of the interaction
What they are expected to contribute
How they should respond to classmates

➡️Explain the Instructor’s Role

Create a clear explanation for how you, as the instructor, will guide and facilitate student interaction throughout the course and/or in specific activities.

👉 What this looks like for the instructor:

Participating in discussions
Asking follow-up questions
Highlighting strong ideas or connections
Providing feedback or clarification

Examples of Instructor’s Role in Facilitated Student Interaction

Consider the following instructor statements that reflect ACCJC RSI standards. After reading each statement, you could select the statement that best reflects your intentions, in general, and communicate this in multiple places.

In our weekly discussions, I will provide prompts, questions, or topics to engage you in the course content, but I will not actively participate or comment.
In our weekly discussions, I will occasionally comment or provide guidance to ensure the focus is on course content and the discussion is productive.
In our weekly discussions, I will frequently provide comments or guidance to enhance course content, help improve content mastery, and ensure the discussion is productive.
In our weekly discussions, I will actively participate in discussions to pose questions, propose alternative viewpoints, connect ideas, and ensure the discussion is productive.

Example Language to Use in Your Course Design

Discussion Activity
After posting your initial response, reply to two classmates. In your responses, build on their ideas, ask questions, or share a different perspective supported by examples from the reading.

The goal of this discussion is to explore how different interpretations of the material can deepen understanding of the topic.

In this discussion, I will occasionally comment or provide guidance to ensure the focus is on course content and the discussion is productive.

Checking for Alignment (select to expand)

Checking for Alignment

Where this May Appear in the Course

Student interaction activities commonly appear in discussions, peer review assignments, group work, or collaborative activities within modules.

What Demonstrates Alignment

The course demonstrates alignment when it includes opportunities for students to interact with one another about course content and explains how the instructor will facilitate these interactions.

Evidence may include:

Discussion activities that require engagement with peers
Peer review or collaborative assignments
Clear instructions guiding how students should interact
An explanation of how the instructor will guide or support interaction

Common Issues that Prevent Alignment

Students complete activities independently without interacting with classmates
Discussion activities require posts but do not encourage meaningful responses
The instructor’s role in facilitating interaction is not explained

When interaction is structured and supported, students are more likely to engage meaningfully with both the content and each other.

Accessibility and Design Tips (select to expand)

Accessibility and Design Tips

Accessibility Tips

Provide clear, written instructions for all interaction activities. Ensure any tools used (e.g., video discussions or external platforms) meet accessibility standards.

Design Tips

Use consistent formats for interaction activities (e.g., similar discussion structures each week) so students know what to expect and can focus on engaging with the content.

Design activities that require students to engage with ideas, not just complete a task.

Provide clear guidelines for interaction.

Example:
“In your responses, build on your classmates’ ideas, ask questions, or offer a different perspective supported by examples from the reading.”

Using AI to Enhance UDL

AI tools can help enhance UDL options within your discussion prompts or interaction activities, but they should be reviewed and revised to ensure:

Prompts are clearly connected to course objectives
Activities encourage meaningful engagement, not just completion
Instructions are specific and easy to follow

Avoid using generic prompts that do not connect with the course content or guide students on how to engage with each other.

AI Note:

Working with AI is often a conversation, not a one-step process. This example prompt is just a starting point. The quality of the output depends on the information you provide, so it’s important to give enough context, check what AI generates, and keep refining it until it fits your course and what you want students to understand. Even after you get a strong result, manual revision may still be needed to ensure the final version reflects your voice and intent—AI is a tool, but you are the author.

Going Beyond Aligned

✨ Exceptional courses demonstrate active instructor facilitation of regular student-to-student interaction through structured activities and thoughtful prompts that include clear guidelines to help students stay engaged and foster inclusivity.

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