Regular and Substantive Interaction

Research highlights that quality student-instructor interactions and a strong instructor presence are essential components of online courses that drive student motivation and success (Baker, 2010; Cole et al., 2017). The U.S. Department of Education (ED) mandates that online courses involving Title IV funds must include regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors (NC-SARA, 2021). Courses failing to meet this standard are classified as “correspondence courses” and do not qualify for federal Title IV financial aid.

How to Comply With Federal Regulations

This page provides guidance and examples on how instructors can enable both regular and substantive interaction in an online course to comply with federal regulations.

Regular Interaction:

According to the ED, to qualify as “regular,” instructor/student interactions should be:

Conducted throughout the course on a predictable, scheduled basis.

In other words, students should know when they can expect to engage with their instructor, and the opportunities for engagement should happen consistently throughout the semester.

Appropriate to the course length and amount of content involved.

Initiated by a qualified instructor (i.e., accredited) who monitors student academic engagement and success.

Undertaken by the instructor who promptly and proactively engages with students, either in response to observed concerns regarding their participation or at the request of a student, to provide necessary support.

If you have questions or need assistance on how to enable regular and substantive interaction, contact us.

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Substantive Interaction:

The ED defines substantive interaction as “engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and includes at least two of the following, although best practices in course design support using more than just two.

Provide direct instruction of course content. (See note on lecture below)

Assess and/or provide feedback on a student’s coursework.

Provide information or answer student questions about the course content or competency.

Facilitate a group discussion regarding course content or competency.

Provide other instructional activities constituting RSI, as approved by UT or UT’s accrediting agency.

A note on lectures: A real-time, synchronous video lecture does count as direct instruction. Based on the ED’s April 2021 webcast, a recorded lecture ALONE would likely not count as direct instruction; however, if other activities or discussions emanate from the recorded lecture, it could be considered direct instruction. Review the strategies document linked above for examples of meeting the direct instruction guideline.

RSI Guide