Background
The U.S. Department of Education issued Final Rules on Distance Education and Innovation, which took effect on July 1, 2021. These updated regulations redefine distance and correspondence education, distinguishing clearly between the two delivery methods. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Education mandates that any online course eligible for federal financial aid must feature ongoing and meaningful engagement between students and their instructors.
In June of 2024, UNO adopted a campus policy regarding Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Distance Education Courses. This policy was created through collaboration between the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and the Division of Innovative & Learning Centric Initiatives (ILCI) to meet Higher Learning Commission (HLC) standards for the delivery of distance education courses.
The Online Development & Leadership Advisory Committee (ODLAC), with representation from all six academic colleges, contributed to and approved the policy, which then received final approval from UNO’s Senior Executive Leadership Team. Additional information on RSI at UNO, including a Faculty Resource Guide, is available below.
What is RSI?
Regular and substantive interaction is characterized by the following:
- Instructor-Initiated
- Instructors should proactively engage in and direct various student interactions throughout the course, making these interactions a mandatory component of the educational framework, rather than leaving them to the students' discretion.
- Examples include but are not limited to: individualized emails, instructor-facilitated discussions, reach out to a student and ask them to schedule an appointment with you, personalized feedback on assignments.
- Regular, Scheduled, and Predictable
- Student interactions should be regular and predictable, avoiding long gaps between engagements. Although the type of interaction may change based on instructional goals and student needs, consistency is key. Course materials should outline the expected interaction schedule, including virtual office hours, feedback timelines, announcements, and email communications, to set clear expectations for frequency and consistency.
- Examples include but are not limited to: weekly course announcements with specific course information, weekly summaries or highlights of discussion posts, actively facilitate a required online discussion for every unit.
- Substantive
- Interactions must be relevant to the course content and foster student advancement towards their academic goals. While essential, procedural communications like deadline reminders or grade postings only count as 'substantive' when paired with personalized feedback or improvement tips. Welcoming gestures and community-building efforts are valuable but not enough on their own.
- Examples include but are not limited to: announcements previewing or reviewing difficult content, emails previewing concepts introduced in the next unit, listing questions for students to have in mind for assigned readings.
How We Can Support
Support services offered through UNO’s Division of Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives (ILCI) are designed to create highly engaging, highly-connected online/hybrid courses. These resources and faculty development courses provide faculty with ongoing access to suggestions for how to incorporate regular and substantive interaction in their courses.
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Quick Check
If you’d like to conduct a quick review of a course for regular and substantive interaction, a Course Design Review (CDR) is the perfect place to start. An instructional designer reviews a course of your choosing, that utilizes the Canvas LMS, according to an adapted version of the components of the SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR).
By requesting a course design review, faculty are seeking feedback and suggestions about strategies to improve the flow and design of their digital course materials. For more information see our Course Design Review process and request form.
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online and Distance Learning UNO
Members of the UNO community who are interested in learning more about understanding and implementing RSI into their coursework are invited to review the UNO Faculty Resource Guide.
This guide, while not exhaustive, is intended to support and equip academic units with consistent language and guidance on RSI. The guide covers the following:
- Overview on RSI
- What is RSI?
- Strategies to adopt that DO and DO NOT meet RSI standards
- How Digital Learning Can Support Faculty
- Additional Resources to Compliment RSI at UNO
- Research Behind Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)
Online Course Development Grant
If you believe you’d like to redevelop one of your online or hybrid courses, the ILCI Division offers Online Course Grants that support faculty in reviewing, updating, and creating quality online courses that aim to assist with UNO strategic goals. We can take you from start to finish as well as offer you funding for your additional efforts.
This process utilizes Digital Learning's Online Course Quality Review Rubric (adapted version of the SUNY OSCQR) as an instrument for collaboration between faculty and Instructional Designers in quality online course design. For more information see our Online Course Development Grant application.
Additional Support for Course Enhancement
The Digital Learning team also offers a variety of one-on-one support, trainings, workshops, and resources that provide faculty with ongoing access to recommendations for how to incorporate regular and substantive interaction in their courses. These include:
- Advancing Excellence in Online teaching Program ( Professional Development Opportunities)
- Digital Learning Newsletter ( Distributed via Email Monthly)
- Digital Learning Workshops ( Frequent Offerings on Various Topics)
- Book an Appointment with Digital Learning ( One-on-One Consultations)
Additional Resources
- Betts, K. (2023, March 2). Regular and substantive interaction: Resources to support learning, neuroplasticity, and regulations. Frontiers, WCET
- Kerensky, K. (2021, August 26). Regular and substantive interaction refresh: Reviewing and sharing our best interpretation of current guidance and requirements. Frontiers, WCET
- 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 guiding principles.
- Poulin, R., & Davis, V. (2019, April 23). Interpreting what is required for “Regular and substantive interaction”. WCET Frontiers.
- U.S. Department of Education issues final rules on distance education and innovation | NC-SARA. (2020, October 1). NC-SARANC-SARA.
- 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.