DE Policies & Procedures

Online Course Requirements and DE Policies

GCC online courses must meet federal, California, accessibility, accreditation, and local requirements.

Use this page to find the core requirements, understand what they mean for faculty, and get help with policy or course-design questions.

Have a DE Policy Question?

Ask about online-course requirements, the DE Essential 6, certification, recertification, or GCC policies.

Ask the DE Helper Bot (opens in a new tab)

Core DE Requirements

Federal

Federal regulations define distance education and establish requirements for regular and substantive interaction, accessibility, student privacy, and student authentication.

Federal Definition of Distance Education and RSI (opens in a new tab)

FERPA and Student Privacy (opens in a new tab)

Title II Accessibility Fact Sheet

California

California regulations address DE course approval, regular and substantive interaction, accessible course design, and services for distance education students.

California Title 5 Guidelines for Regular and Substantive Interaction (opens in a new tab)

ACCJC Accreditation

ACCJC requires institutions to maintain equivalent quality, accountability, and attention to student outcomes across all instructional modalities. Distance education review also examines substantive and regular interaction in online courses.

ACCJC Distance Education Resources and Review Tools (opens in a new tab)

ACCJC Accreditation Standards and DE Policy (opens in a new tab)

GCC Local

GCC requirements address local DE course approval, faculty certification, annual recertification, instruction, accessibility, and student support.

AR 4105: Distance Education

GCC DE Addendum and Course-Approval Process

DE Faculty Certification

DE Annual Recertification

What Faculty Need to Do

Before Teaching a DE Course

Complete GCC-approved DE certification or equivalency.
Maintain annual DE Instruction Eligibility.
Confirm that the course has an approved DE addendum and modality.

While Teaching a DE Course

Provide regular and substantive instructor interaction.
Use accessible course content, activities, and media.
Communicate expectations and provide timely feedback.
Connect students with academic and technical support.

Put the Requirements Into Practice

The DE Essential 6 turns federal, California, accreditation, and GCC expectations into six practical requirements for online courses. Use the Campus Guide to review each requirement, see examples, and check your course.

DE Essential 6