Regular and Substantive Interaction

The U.S. Department of Education's regulations require "regular and substantive interaction" (rsi) in distance education courses. This requirement applies to all institutions that deliver online courses and programs for which students may receive federal financial aid. The Department of Education has the authority to audit course and programs at such institutions, including Shawnee Community College, to ensure that they are meeting this requirement.

Distance Education

Distance education is defined -- by the Higher Learning Commission and by Dept. of Ed. regulation -- as education using one or more of the technology tools listed below, "to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors and to support regular and substantive interaction...either synchronously or asynchronously."

The technology tools used for distance learning are:

  1. The internet
  2. One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communications devices;
  3. Audio conference; or
  4. Other media used in a course in conjunction with any of the technologies listed in items 1–3 above.

Regular and Substantive Interaction

Regular interaction must be both "predictable" and "scheduled" based on the length of time and amount of content in a course or competency. It requires that student academic engagement and success be actively monitored by the instructor, and that substantive interaction be provided by the instructor based on their monitoring, or at the student's request.

Substantive interaction must be at least two of the following:

  1. Providing direct instruction
  2. Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework
  3. Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;
  4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency; or
  5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency (such as the Higher Learning Commission).

Importance

These regulations require that regular and substantive interaction be provided in all distance education courses. A good overview of the practical effect of these regulations is provided on this page about rsi from the SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric.

What are some examples of what is and isn't considered rsi?

No is not RSI Yes is RSI
auto-graded quizzes Instructor-initiated discussions
Pre-recorded video lectures Video lectures + discussions
Weekly announcements about due dates Weekly announcements explaining content
Graded assignments without feedback Graded assignments with feedback
An occasional question from a student Regular office hours

Recommendation

At SCC, we recommend that instructors build multiple forms of rsi into their online and hybrid courses each week for a regular 16-week course. Regular and substantive interaction is a necessary but not sufficient part of a quality online course at SCC. RSI is merely the minimum standard for a course to meet federal guidelines for distance education. It is not just a "checklist" item, however. It ensures that an online course is beginning to establish a learning community in support of the course's educational objectives.

For help with developing your course to meet SCC quality standards, contact a member of the educational technology department for technical assistance and design support.