REGULAR & SUBSTANTIVE INTERACTION IN ONLINE COURSES 

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses for which students may use Title IV funds (federal financial aid) ensure that there is regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors. Ensuring RSI is not merely regulatory; it is also an effective teaching practice to increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes. This resource provides definitions of RSI components and suggestions for incorporating RSI in online courses.


 REGULAR INTERACTION

  • Interaction is Predictable & Scheduled 
  • Includes Monitoring of students’ academic engagement and success 
  • Proactively engaging in substantive interaction


 SUBSTANTIVE INTERACTION (Instructor Must Do 2 of the Following)

  • Provide direct Instruction Assess or Provide feedback on student work 
  • Provide information or respond to questions about course content 
  • Facilitate a group discussion regarding Course Content 
  • Other Instructional Activities approved by LSUA


 EXAMPLES OF RSI

  • You post a discussion question on weekly concepts and actively facilitate the conversation. 
  • You provide personalized comments on individual student assignments. (some or all) 
  • You post weekly announcements pertaining to activities in the course. 
  • You actively facilitate an online discussion for each module. 
  • You provide a summary post to clarify key concepts addressed in the weekly readings.


EXAMPLES OF WHAT RSI IS NOT

  • You update grades in the course gradebook. 
  • A student submits an auto-graded quiz.
  • You send a welcome message during the first week of class and a mid-point check in message before the midterm. You encourage students to participate in an optional, one-time online review session before the final exam. 
  • You remind students of the course attendance policy. 
  • You post an announcement about an upcoming assignment deadline.


5 Factors of RSI : 

  1. Appropriate form of media 
  2. Instructors meet accreditation requirements 
  3. At least 2 of the 5 “S” activities are used 
  4. Scheduled and predictable interaction opportunities 
  5. Instructor responsiveness to student requests 


NOTE: The RSI terms apply to the Instructor of Record. If an Instructor of Record is working with an Academic Assistant, the RSI duties can be divided, but should not be turned over entirely to the Academic Assistant.