Compliance Resource Updates for Online Teaching

Tierra Tresvant is a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, who served as the Center for Academic Innovation’s (CAI) Education Policy Fellow during the summer of 2025.

As we settle into a new academic year, the Center for Academic Innovation is excited to share that Online Teaching’s compliance page contents have gotten a refresh! 

Most articles have been edited for clarity, broken links have been removed, and resource lists have been updated. Major changes have been made to the Students with Disabilities and Digital Accessibility page to offer a breakdown of new federal accessibility regulations ahead of the approaching compliance deadline on April 24, 2026. We have also added a new page on generative AI to call attention to the unique risks involved with using GenAI tools and content in online courses. 

Keep reading below to see what each page has to offer and what has changed! 

Financial Aid Requirements for Distance Education

Credit Hours. Have you ever wondered if a credit hour looks different in an online course rather than one that occurs in person? Our overview on assigning credit hours for distance education courses provides key definitions along with methods for estimating credit hours based on anticipated student engagement with course materials and activities. Information regarding attendance-taking in online courses was previously included with this same resource; however, these topics have now been split up to receive more focused attention (see the Academic Engagement and Attendance section, below). A credit-hour-estimate table included with this resource was also recently updated to be more representative of the average online course. Finally, we encourage you to review Planning For Credit Hours Compliance in an Online Course, for a more practical overview of this topic. 

Regular and Substantive Interaction. Our Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) overview provides information on the federal rules impacting instructor engagement and availability expectations tied to federal student aid eligibility. Specifically, this RSI primer offers key definitions, examples, and a detailed FAQ section all in one place. Recent updates include moving information regarding academic engagement to its own standalone resource and clarifying the application of the RSI rule where artificial intelligence is used for assessing student work or interacting with students. 

Academic Engagement and Attendance. Understanding definitions and examples relating to academic engagement and attendance-taking in distance education is also critical for ensuring programs remain eligible for federal student aid. Determining a student’s last date of attendance is dependent on the ability to monitor academic engagement. Monitoring academic engagement is also helpful in demonstrating compliance with the Regular and Substantive Interaction rule described above. This resource was designed to help connect all of these dots as well as offer specific examples of activities that would meet academic engagement and attendance requirements. 

Student Conduct and Academic Integrity

Deterring Academic Misconduct. Unfortunately, academic misconduct still occurs online. The good news is that there are a number of emerging strategies that can be employed to help deter fraud and other forms of misconduct that occur in online classrooms. Visit Deterring Academic Misconduct to learn more about preventing academic misconduct in your classroom. 
Deterring Prohibited Student Conduct. It is important to remain vigilant when it comes to deterring and quickly addressing instances of harassment and bullying in online classrooms. It is likewise important to understand how existing harassment, bullying, and sexual and gender-based misconduct policies will still apply in these digital and remote learning environments. The Deterring Prohibited Student Conduct page shares guidance on all of the above.

Student Data Privacy

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students’ academic records have strict privacy protections. Moreover, a number of other privacy laws and ethical considerations can be implicated more easily in technology-rich learning environments. Recording an online class or using third-party software, for example, will trigger additional considerations for protecting and respecting student privacy. To learn more, visit the Student Data Privacy page.

Students With Disabilities and Digital Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require that students with disabilities be provided accommodations that allow them equal access to education. In 2024, the Justice Department reaffirmed that this right applies to digital environments by adding web and mobile accessibility guidelines to ADA regulations. The University of Michigan has until April 24, 2026 to ensure all digital services, programs, and activities – including all public and academic materials – are compliant. The Students with Disabilities and Digital Accessibility resource has been updated to provide more details about these new requirements.

Copyright

Copyright. When sharing resources with your students online, it is important to be aware of copyright laws impacting your ability to share third-party materials. To learn more about copyright considerations for online classes and where to find usable materials, visit our Copyright page. While no major updates have been made to the resource itself, a previous section on open educational resources has been moved to its own subpage. 

Open Educational Resources. The cost of course materials can be a major barrier for students pursuing postsecondary education. Our Open Educational Resources (OER) resource describes the many benefits to using OER and shares options for locating available open resources for use in online courses.

GenAI

This is an entirely new compliance page that offers guidance for navigating emerging controversies associated with the use of artificial intelligence in educational settings. It also provides resources and practical insights focused on how existing requirements can be applied in unique ways when it comes to the adoption or use of GenAI tools in online learning environments. Check out the current guidance on the GenAI page.

Conclusion

Online Teaching’s compliance resources provide key information on the laws and regulations governing your online classroom. By reviewing the pages above, we believe you will gain a strong foundation of knowledge on a wide variety of compliance issues likely to impact your teaching and research and assist the University of Michigan in its compliance efforts.