Introduction to Regular & Substantive Interaction (RSI)
What is Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)?
In distance education, regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is required for all courses and refers to consistent, quality engagement between instructors and students. While regular interaction is met through routine communication, substantive interaction involves direct, meaningful exchanges to foster active learning, deeper knowledge, and increased support in a digital space.
Who Requires RSI?
The U.S. Department of Education requires RSI compliance as part of Title IV to allocate student financial aid and federal education funds. Both regular interaction and substantive interaction are required between instructors and their students.
Regular Interaction
An institution ensures regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors by:
- Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and
- 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.
Substantive Interaction
Substantive interaction is defined as engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and also includes at least two of the following:
- Providing direct instruction;
- Assessing and/or providing feedback on a student’s coursework;
- Providing information and/or responding to student questions about the course content;
- Facilitating a group discussion regarding course content or competency; or
- Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency.
How You Can Meet RSI Requirements
Meeting RSI can be achieved in varied, manageable ways that work for your course. Remember, for regular interaction, you are establishing routine communication. For substantive interaction, you have several options to choose from. Just pick two!
| Category | Activities that meet RSI | Activities that do not meet RSI |
|---|---|---|
| Office Hours | ✅ Offer regularly scheduled office hours with students. (R) | 🚫 Offer office hours with students on request. |
| Instruction | ✅ Lead synchronous class sessions to facilitate direct instruction with students. Or provide pre-recorded lectures or videos, followed by direct instructor-student interaction, like a Q&A forum. (S) | 🚫 Provide pre-recorded lectures or videos that explain course content and include questions that are auto-graded or receive numerical scores. |
| Announcements | ✅ Send regularly scheduled announcements that address key topics and concepts, class progress, and student questions. (R, S) | 🚫 Send announcements that only cover the general logistics of the course, like class deadlines. |
| Discussion | ✅ Facilitate a discussion forum by moderating and responding to student work within the discussion and/or by providing summative feedback. (S) | 🚫 Post a discussion forum prompt and assign numerical grades to student work. |
| Feedback | ✅ Provide personalized comments on student work. (S) | 🚫 Assign activities that are automatically graded, including AI-based comments and scoring. |
Additional Support for Meeting RSI
We are here to assist you in meeting (or exceeding) this federal requirement in your distance education courses. Here are several ways to receive additional support from DELTA.
- Request a 1:1 Instructional Consultation with DELTA.
- Attend a DELTA workshop about interactive learning by registering through Reporter.
- Complete WolfSNAPS courses on technology, active learning, and assessments.
- Explore “Instructional Tools” for learning technology that supports instructor-student interaction.
Resources
Department of Education. (2020, Sept. 2). Distance Education and Innovation. 85 FR 54742 – A Rule by the Education Department. Federal Register, National Archives
Department of Education. (2024, Nov. 15). 34 CFR 600.2. Code of Federal Regulations, National Archives
EvCC eLearning. (n.d.). Regular and substantive interaction: An overview for instructors of online courses at Everett Community College. Everett Community College
Kerensky, K. (2021, Aug. 26). Regular and substantive interaction refresh: Reviewing and sharing our best interpretation of current guidance and requirements. Frontiers, WCET
Regular and Substantive Interaction. (n.d.) University of Michigan
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI). (n.d.) Austin Peay State University