Regular and Substantive Interaction

As of July 2021, the U.S. Department of Education provided concrete definitions and guidelines regarding regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between instructors and students in the online classroom. Specifically, the presence of RSI is used to identify courses that qualify for federal funds versus those that are deemed “correspondence courses,” and therefore do not qualify. The steps were taken to protect consumers, such as students and their families.

Course interaction must exist between the instructor and student/s. It must be predictable, scheduled, frequent, and initiated by the instructor. This does not include interaction that is optional or initiated primarily by the student. Students primarily interacting with an online textbook or watching video lectures, also does not count. Interaction must be substantive of the course learning outcomes. Instructors must assess and provide feedback on a student’s individual progress. Ideally, the instructor has a weekly assignment where the instructor provides assessment and feedback to each student.

For more details, read this RSI Handout. Also, refer to this Rubric for RSI Assessment.

Source of image: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley