Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Colleges and universities offer various online modalities for courses and programs, including (1) distance education, (2) correspondence education and (3) competency-based education (CBE). Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer (1) distance education and (2) competency-based education.

Tri-C is approved by the HLC to offer and teach:

1) Distance education courses/programs

• Use one or more of the technologies listed below to deliver instructions to students who are separated from the instructor and support RSI between the students and the instructor, synchronously or asynchronously. Technologies that may be used to offer distance education include:
  • Internet
  • One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communication devices
  • Audio conferencing
  • Other media used in a course in conjunction with any of the technologies listed above
• At Tri-C, distance education course modalities are online (asynchronous and synchronous) and blended.

2) Competency-based education courses/programs (Tri-C currently offers a competency-based, distance education post-degree certificate in cybersecurity only.)

• In this course/program, student academic performance is demonstrated through the mastery of competencies, not by tallying credits or clock hours. Direct assessments include projects, papers, exams, presentations, performances and portfolios that are tied to learning goals.
• At Tri-C, competency-based education courses are listed as Online: Competency-Based Course.

Tri-C is not approved by the HLC to offer and teach:

Correspondence education courses/programs

• These courses/programs provide instructional materials via electronic transmission, including exams, to students who are separated from the instructors. Instructor and student interactions are limited, not regular and substantive, and are primarily initiated by the students.

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all distance learning for which students may use Title IV funds (federal financial aid) include regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors. RSI is one of the key elements distinguishing distance education from correspondence education and is one of the central determinants of a student's ability to use Title IV funds.

Five other critical factors distinguishing distance education from correspondence education:

• Distance education should be delivered through an appropriate form of online media.
• Distance education must use instructors that meet accreditor requirements for teaching the subject matter.
• There should be at least two forms of substantive interaction (see above).
• There must be regular (scheduled and predictable) opportunities for instructor/student interaction (see above).
• Instructors must be responsive to the students’ requests for support. (U.S. Department of Education Issues Final Rules on Distance Education and Innovation | NC-SARA, 2020)

For more information on distance and correspondence education:

• U.S. Department of Education Distance Education and Innovation
  • Final Rule — Sept. 2, 2020
  • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking — April 2, 2020

There are several ways to promote RSI. Characteristics of RSI should include interactions that are instructor initiated, regular, scheduled and predictable, and focused on course content.

These are general suggestions for incorporating interaction into your course, but you should freely adapt and personalize them to support the course objectives, the needs of your students and your own teaching goals.

Instructor Initiated

To count as RSI, interactions need to be started by you. This does not mean the students should be discouraged from contacting you or asking questions — far from it! But you should expect to take an active role in initiating and guiding a range of interactions with your students throughout the semester. This ensures that these interactions are not optional and left up to each student’s discretion — they are an integral part of your instructional plan for the course.

Examples of instructor-initiated interactions:

• Post a discussion question and actively facilitate the ensuing conversation.
• Ask a student to visit you during office hours or to schedule a phone call or videoconferencing.
• Provide personalized comments (in any medium) for an individual student’s assignment.

The interactions below can be embedded in your courses. However, these do not qualify as instructor-initiated interactions and cannot be used exclusively in your course:

• A student happens to drop in during your regularly scheduled office hours.
• You add numeric grades to the course grade book.
• A student submits a quiz that is automatically graded.

Regular, Scheduled and Predictable

The method of communication may vary depending on your goals and students’ needs, but interaction should remain frequent and consistent. Try to interact with students at least once a week. You should also log in to the course every one to two days.

Examples of regular, scheduled and predictable interactions include the following:

• Posting announcements or sending messages about the course
• Leading a required online discussion for every course unit
• Holding optional, regularly scheduled online review sessions

While you can embed the interactions below into your courses, they do not qualify as regular, scheduled and predictable interactions. Examples include:

• Sending a welcome message during the first week of class and a mid-semester message
• Encouraging students to participate in an optional, one-time online review session before the final exam

Focused on Course Content

Interactions should be related to the course subject and contribute to the students’ progress toward course, program and College learning objectives. Routine interactions, such as reminders of upcoming deadlines or assigning grades with no personalized feedback, are not “substantive” on their own. While interactions that welcome students or build a classroom community are important, they are insufficient by themselves.

Examples of focusing on course content:

• Sending an announcement previewing the concepts introduced in the next unit and listing questions for students to consider while reading the textbook chapters
• Posting an example from last night's baseball game in the course's "Real-World Physics" discussion to illustrate the concept of the coefficient of restitution

The interactions below can be embedded in your courses but cannot be used exclusively:

• Reminding the students of the course attendance policy
• Posting an announcement about an upcoming assignment deadline
• Lamenting the outcome of last night's baseball game in the course's "General Topics" discussion thread

Instructor-Initiated Discussion

Recommended Implementation:

Facilitate discussion forums to pose guiding questions, propose counterpoints and make connections among student ideas.

Office Hours

Recommended Implementation:

Allow students to ask questions about the course content with regular virtual office hours.

Video Lectures and Discussion

Recommended Implementation:

Record lectures that offer embedded discussion, quizzes or traditional discussion forums.

Weekly Announcements Explaining Content

Recommended Implementation:

Encourage questions from the previous week, note trends observed in the assignments or highlight key concepts.

Graded Assignments With Feedback

Recommended Implementation:

Offer written comments, audio or video notes, schedule individual conferences and more to discuss what students have accomplished and how they can improve.

Auto-Graded Quizzes

Recommended in Moderation:

Use auto-graded quizzes to check the students' recall and provide quick feedback.

Video Lectures

Recommended in Moderation:

Use video lectures without discussion to clarify concepts that were misunderstood or to synthesize content before moving on in the course.

Weekly Announcements With Due Dates

Recommended in Moderation:

Establish a general rhythm for course communication that includes procedural information and instruction.

Graded Assignments Without Feedback

Recommended in Moderation:

Use pop quizzes, midterms and exams for auto-graded feedback when students have already received regular input on their progress through assignments and other course activities.

RSI Asynchronous Training: Available in Compass (Regular and Substantive Interaction CLE1363)
RSI Synchronous Training: Available in Compass (RSI Synchronous Training CLE 1368)

Synchronous Training Dates:

Spring 2025 dates coming soon!