Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

In 2021, Congress made a distinction between the definitions of “distance education” and “correspondence education” for federal financial aid eligibility. The distinction is that distance education courses include “regular and substantive interaction” (RSI), whereas correspondence courses do not. (WCET, 2022) 

"Regular" Interaction means:

• Be with the instructor

• Initiated by the instructor

• Be scheduled and predictable

“Monitoring the student’s academic engagement and success and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.” (WCET, n.d.)

"Substantive" Interaction means:

“Substantive” interaction includes at least two of the following:

• • “Providing direct instruction”;

  • “Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework”;

  • “Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency”;

  • “Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency”; or

  • “Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency” (WCET, 2022).

RSI at Tulsa Community College

Determining what instructional practices meet RSI requirements is not fully defined. "A college’s policy for supporting regular and substantive interaction should be clear and should articulate a procedure for ensuring that the policy is enforced" (D'Agostino, 2022, and Hoffman, 2022). The Online Learning Course Peer Review Checklist that is maintained by the Online Learning Committee of the Academic Affairs Council outlines practices that lead to regular and substantive interactions in online courses (currently in draft form).

Additional Information and Links to Resources from other Colleges and Universities

• DoE Response Letter to questions about implementing RSI 

• Regular and Substantive Interaction Oklahoma State University

• Regular and Substantive Interaction in Online and Distance Learning Ohio State University 

• Background: Definitions of Distance Education and Correspondence Courses Empire State University 

• Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) at PCCC Portland Community College 

• New Rules in Online Learning: Regular and Substantive Interaction  University of Houston 

• Regular and Substantive Interaction Mesa Community College 

Sources

D'Agostino, S. (2022, November 17). Regular and substantive interaction in online college. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/11/17/regular-and-substantive-interaction-online-college  

Hoffman, M. (2022, June 23). How’s your RSI? Community College Daily. https://www.ccdaily.com/2022/06/hows-your-rsi/  

WCET. (2022, November 8). Regular and substantive interaction update: Where do we go from here? WCET Frontiers. https://wcet.wiche.edu/frontiers/2022/11/08/regular-substantive-interaction-update-where-do-we-go/