Teaching online or hybrid gives you new ways to connect with students and support their learning. The practices on this page will help you build clear structure, a strong instructor presence, and regular interaction into your course. The Distance Learning Handbook contains The Citadel’s policies for online, hybrid, and hi-flex courses.
Course Formats
| Format | How it works |
|---|---|
| Asynchronous online | Students complete course work online on their own schedule, within set due dates. |
| Synchronous online | Students meet online at scheduled times, such as on Zoom, and also complete work in Canvas. Required meeting dates and times are listed in the schedule of classes. |
| Hybrid | Students meet on campus for part of the course and complete the rest online. |
| Hi-flex | Students choose to attend each class session in person or online through video conferencing. |
Many online courses combine synchronous and asynchronous elements. See the Distance Learning Handbook for full definitions.
Build a Community of Inquiry
The Community of Inquiry framework describes three kinds of presence that work together to create meaningful online learning (Garrison et al., 2000):
| Presence | What it means | What it looks like in your course |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching presence | How you design, facilitate, and guide the course | Clear module overviews, weekly announcements, timely feedback, and active discussion facilitation |
| Social presence | How students connect with you and with each other as real people | Introductions, small group work, video replies, and a welcoming tone |
| Cognitive presence | How students build understanding through reflection and discussion | Discussion prompts that ask students to apply, analyze, or debate, and assignments that build on each other |
Regular and Substantive Interaction
Federal regulations require online courses to include regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and their instructor (34 CFR 600.2). RSI is what separates distance education from a correspondence course. If a course does not show RSI, it can be classified as a correspondence course, which affects students’ eligibility for federal financial aid.
What RSI Means
Substantive interaction relates to the course content and includes at least two of these activities:
- Providing direct instruction
- Assessing or giving feedback on a student’s work
- Providing information or answering questions about the course content
- Facilitating a group discussion about the course content
- Other instructional activities approved by the accrediting agency
Regular interaction means two things:
- You offer substantive interaction on a predictable, scheduled basis that fits the length and content of the course.
- You monitor each student’s engagement and success, and you reach out promptly when a student needs help or asks for it.
What Counts and What Doesn’t
| Counts as RSI | Does not count as RSI |
|---|---|
| Personalized feedback on a student’s assignment or exam | Auto-graded quizzes with no added feedback |
| Instructor-moderated discussions | Entering grades without comments |
| Scheduled live sessions where students can interact with you | A live webinar with no chance to interact |
| Regular office hours that you schedule and announce | Office hours only when a student asks |
| Announcements or videos about the course content | Reminders about due dates or the attendance policy |
| Reaching out to students who are struggling or falling behind | Recorded lectures with no related assignment, discussion, or activity |
| Instructor-moderated small group work | A welcome message and one mid-semester check-in |
Plan RSI into Your Course
Build RSI into your course design so it happens every week, not only when you have time. For example, a weekly plan might include:
- Start of the week: an announcement or short video that introduces the content and connects it to last week
- During the week: active participation in the discussion board, with replies that ask questions and push thinking deeper
- After assignments: personalized feedback that students can use on the next assignment
- Every week: scheduled office hours, and a check of Course Analytics to find students who need outreach
Monitor Engagement with Course Analytics
Course Analytics in Canvas shows how students are engaging with your course, including weekly online activity and grades. You can also message students directly from Course Analytics, such as students who haven’t submitted an assignment or haven’t been active in the course. Reaching out to these students early is part of regular interaction. See How do I view Course Analytics in a course as an instructor?
See the Distance Learning Handbook for The Citadel’s specific requirements.
Design Your Online Course
- Use a consistent structure. Organize modules the same way each week, starting with an overview, outcomes, and a clear list of what to do.
- Make expectations visible. Post due dates, response times, and grading criteria where students can find them.
- Break up content. Use short videos, readings, and activities instead of long lectures.
- Build in interaction. Plan student-to-instructor, student-to-student, and student-to-content interaction every week.
- Design for access. Build accessible content from the start. See Accessible Canvas Content and Universal Design for Learning.
Online courses at The Citadel go through an online course review based on Quality Matters standards.
Teaching Asynchronous Courses
- Set a weekly rhythm. Open modules and set due dates on the same days each week so students can plan.
- Show up often. Post announcements, join discussions, and give feedback throughout the week.
- Use short videos. Brief overview and explanation videos help students hear from you and connect with the content.
- Check engagement. Use Course Analytics to spot students who haven’t logged in or submitted work, and reach out early.
Teaching Synchronous Online Sessions
- Make live time active. Use live sessions for discussion, problem solving, and questions, not only lecture.
- Use Zoom tools. Breakout rooms, polls, and chat help every student take part.
- Prepare students ahead of time. Post readings or short videos before class so live time can focus on applying ideas.
- Connect sessions to Canvas. Post the agenda, materials, and any follow-up activities in Canvas.
Teaching Hybrid and Hi-Flex Courses
- Connect the two formats. Use online work to prepare students for class, and use class time for discussion, practice, and application.
- Make online work count. Online activities should be required, graded or discussed, and clearly tied to what happens in class.
- Plan for both audiences. In hi-flex courses, design activities that work for students in the room and on Zoom at the same time, and check in with online students often.
- Keep everything in Canvas. Post materials, recordings, and announcements in one place, so every student has the same information.
For more ideas, see Active Learning Techniques and Zoom.
Online Teaching and AI
Generative AI affects online courses in specific ways, because much of the work happens outside of class.
- Design discussions that need students’ own thinking. Ask students to connect ideas to their own experience, respond to specific points from readings or classmates, or reply by video. Generic prompts are the easiest to answer with AI.
- Use process and live interaction. Drafts, checkpoints, short video explanations, and synchronous sessions help you see how students think. See Assessment, Grading, and Rubrics.
- Keep your presence personal. AI can help you draft announcements or feedback, but students need to hear from you. Review and personalize anything AI helps you write.
- Remember that RSI must come from you. Regular and substantive interaction must come from a qualified instructor. Feedback generated by an AI tool and not reviewed by you does not meet this requirement.
- Set clear expectations. State your AI expectations in each assignment’s directions, especially in asynchronous courses, where students can’t ask you in the moment.
Want help designing or improving an online or hybrid course? Schedule a course design and teaching consultation.
Sources
Distance Education, 34 C.F.R. § 600.2 (2026). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-600/subpart-A/section-600.2
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105.
Have a question? Contact CEITL by phone, email, or in person in Bond Hall, Room 363.