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 between students and faculty." The Department of Education has the authority to review distance learning offerings at colleges and universities that receive federal funds. All UIS online, blended, and hyflex courses are expected to meet this requirement and include regular and substantive interaction. 

To maintain accreditation and federal funding, UIS instructors must provide opportunities for regular and substantive interactions with learners at least once per week in 16-week courses and twice per week in accelerated courses.

Regular and substantive interaction is more than a federal requirement, however. It is also a hallmark of effective teaching. Decades of research have established that teacher-student interactions are an essential component of learning. So while it may be tempting to see the Department of Education’s mandate as a burden imposed from outside the university, the reality is that ensuring regular and substantive interaction is entirely consistent with purpose and values UIS holds as an educational institution.

What is Regular and Substantive Interaction?

Substantive Interaction means engaging learners in teaching, learning, and assessment consistent with the course content. Substantive interactions include at least two of the following activities:

1. Providing direct instruction;
2. Assessing or providing feedback on a learner’s coursework;
3. Providing information or responding to questions about course content or competency;
4. Facilitating group discussions regarding course content or competency; or
5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency.

Regular Interaction requires consistent engagement between the learner and instructor through:

1. Engaging in substantive interactions on a predictable and regular basis, aligned with the course length and content.
2. Monitoring the learner's academic engagement and success, and promptly engaging in substantive interaction based on this monitoring or learner requests.

Note: Grading, feedback, assessment, or instruction provided by 3rd party tools (e.g. textbook homework systems), rather than directly from the instructor, do not qualify as substantive interactions.

Characteristic and Examples of Regular and Substantive Interactions (RSI)

Recommendations for Promoting Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Courses

There are as many ways to promote regular and substantive interaction online as there are approaches to teaching face-to-face courses. The following recommendations are general suggestions for incorporating interaction into your course, but you should freely adapt and personalize them to support course objectives, the needs of your students, and your own teaching goals.

The Research Behind Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

As noted previously, the value of regular and substantive interaction between instructors and students has a well established basis in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Here is a very small sampling of some of the relevant research:

• Baker, C. (2010). The impact of instructor immediacy and presence for online student affective learning, cognition, and motivation. The Journal of Online Educators, 7(1). 
• Betts, K. (2023, March 2). Regular and substantive interaction: Resources to support learning, neuroplasticity, and regulations. WCET Frontiers
• Boling, E. C. et al. (2012). Cutting the distance in distance education: Perspectives on what promotes positive, online learning experiences. Internet and Higher Education 15, 118-126. 
• Dixson, M. D. (2010). Creating effective student engagement in online courses: What do students find engaging? Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2), 1-13. 
• Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Revised and updated edition. Jossey-Bass.
• Kerensky, K. (2021, August 26). Regular and substantive interaction refresh: Reviewing and sharing our best interpretation of current guidance and requirements. WCET Frontiers
• Kerensky, K. & Poulin, R. (2022, November 8). Regular and substantive interaction update: Where do we go from here? WCET Frontiers. 
• Online Learning Consortium. (2019). Regular and substantive interaction: Background, concerns, and guidine principles. 
• York, C. S. & Richardson, J. C. (2012). Interpersonal interaction in online learning: Experienced online instructors’ perceptions of influencing factors. Online Learning Journal, 16(4), 83-98. 

The Details: Definitions, Regulatory Language & History

The definition of distance education from the U.S. Congress and guidance on regular and substantive interaction from the U.S. Department of Education are general and discussed in detail in the accordion below.

Regular and Substantive Interaction Overview was developed by Everett Community College and adapted and expanded for UIS by the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. This document is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License