Regular and Substantive Interaction 

Definitions of Distance Education and Correspondence Courses

The U.S. Department of Education issued Final Rules on Distance Education and Innovation, which took effect on July 1, 2021. The new regulations update the definitions of distance and correspondence education to clarify the difference between these two modes of delivery. The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses for which students can use their federal financial aid include regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.

Distance Learning Definition

Education that uses one or more of the technologies listed in paragraphs (1)(i) through (1)(iv) of this definition to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor or instructors and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor or instructors, either synchronously or asynchronously.

1. The technologies that may be used to offer distance education include —
   • The internet;
   • One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices;
   • Audio conferencing; or
   • Other media used in a course in conjunction with any of the technologies listed in paragraphs (1)(i) through (1)(iii) of this definition.
2. For purposes of this definition, an instructor is an individual responsible for delivering course content and who meets the qualifications for instruction established by the institution's accrediting agency.
3. For purposes of this definition, substantive interaction is 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 or providing feedback on a student's coursework; Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;
   • Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency; or,
   • Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency.
4. An institution ensures regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors by, prior to the student's completion of a course or competency
   • Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and regular 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.

* There have been questions about the nature of “direct instruction” as it relates to Regular and Substantive Interaction, and whether instructor-created content such as videos constitutes “direct instruction”.  Correspondence between Annemarie Weisman of the Department of Education and Kathryn Kerensky of the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) clarifies that “direct instruction” means “live, synchronous instruction where both the instructor and the student are online and in communication at the same time.” A link to the correspondence is included in the references at the end of this resource.

Correspondence Education Definition

1. A course provided by an institution under which the institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructor. Interaction between the instructor and student is limited, is not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the student. Correspondence courses are typically self-paced.
2. If a course is part correspondence and part residential training, the Secretary considers the course to be a correspondence course.
3. A correspondence course is not distance education.

Regular and Substantive Interaction is vital to effective teaching. Research has established that teacher-student interactions are an essential component of learning. Interactions considered RSI have the following characteristics:

• Instructor-initiated
• The interactions should be regular, scheduled, and predictable, and
• They should be focused on the course subject.

Instructor-Initiated Interaction

To help distinguish distance education from correspondence courses, the interactions should be initiated by the instructor instead of the students. The instructor should take an active part in initiating and guiding a range of interactions throughout the semester. This helps students understand that these interactions are not optional and makes them feel like they are an integral part of the instruction plan for the course.

Examples of Instructor- Initiated Interaction:

• Individualized emails
• Instructor-facilitated discussions
• Scheduled virtual office hours
• Personalized feedback on assignments

Regular, Scheduled, and Predictable Interactions

Interactions between instructors and students should be frequent and consistent throughout the semester. Instructors should not have long periods in the semester without interaction between themselves and students. However, the type of interaction might vary across the semester depending on the course. Course design materials should describe the expected frequency of interactions, including times and dates of the virtual office hours, grading feedback, announcements, and potential email communications.

Examples of types of regular, scheduled, and predictable interactions:

• Weekly course announcements with specific course information
• Weekly summaries or highlights of discussion posts
• Regularly scheduled online review or help sessions

Substantive Interactions

Interactions should be connected to the course and help contribute to student learning in the specific course. These interactions are not reminders of assignments and due dates unless they are coupled with personalized feedback or suggestions for improvement. These substantive interactions should invite students to build classroom community.

Examples of substantive interactions:

• Announcements previewing or reviewing difficult content
• Emails previewing concepts introduced in the next unit
• Listing questions for students to have in mind when reading the assigned readings

Distance learning only succeeds with a strong presence and regular interactions between students and instructors. As you are preparing your distance learning course, here is what faculty members should think about:

• Design your course from the ground up to integrate strategic points for faculty interaction
• Develop a communication plan to help guide instructor-student interactions
• Set up Regular announcements to go out automatically at strategic points
• Identify students who are struggling to reach mastery through discussion activity, assessment, and/or course activity. Reach out to offer additional opportunities for interaction.

When designing courses, instructors should consider mixing and matching multiple interaction strategies.

• The course includes the option and tools for instructors to hold optional virtual office hours.
• The syllabus includes clear expectations for interactions, how frequently students can expect to hear from the instructor, and how quickly they can expect a response to questions and to work they submit. Any synchronous meetings/requirements should be identified in the syllabus and detail the instructor's preferred method of communication as well as participation expectations for students.
• The course includes easily accessible instructor contact information with the instructor's name, email, and preferred phone number.
• Course Announcements that offer one-way, public communication from instructor to students.
• "Ask a Question" discussion form included in the course for students to openly ask questions about the weekly course material to be answered by instructors and other students.
• The course includes at least one high-engagement activity within the first two weeks of class, allowing students to get to know each other and build a community within the course. These activities can be an icebreaker discussion or a synchronous session for students to introduce each other.
• Instructor-facilitated discussion forums are included throughout the semester. The discussions are designed to allow the instructor to engage with students and encourage interactions between students.
• Learning activities/assessments that require timely instructor feedback via detailed rubrics and written comments.
• The course includes a midway survey that provides the instructor feedback on the content of the course, issues with concepts or assessments, or students' need for additional resources.
• The course should include recorded lectures accompanied by a discussion forum or other activities to allow students to engage with the content of the videos.
• The course should utilize online tools and environments that make interactions easy to use and easy to document.

When delivering courses, instructors should consider mixing and matching multiple interaction strategies.

• Instructors can include updates to the syllabus to include optional virtual office hours to include days and times in the course schedule. Instructors should use these hours to provide a forum for students to ask questions and supplement instruction.
• The instructor updates the syllabus to identify preferred communication methods, expected communication frequency, and information about possible synchronous meetings.
• Instructor's personalized contact information before the course is open to students. Consider adding the instructor widget to the course's D2L Brightspace.
• Instructors regularly post announcements. While announcements usually cover procedural information, such as reminders about deadlines, they should also be used to support instruction by summarizing the previous week's content and questions that need to be wrapped up from the previous week. Instructors can also note trends in assignments and/or quizzes.
• Instructors can encourage students to use the "Ask the Question" Discussion forum and regularly check for questions.
• Instructors should actively engage in this high-engagement activity by posting or sharing their own introductions.
• The instructor regularly posts to the discussion forum to pose questions to help guide learning in the course subject, propose counter points of view that students might not consider, establish connections among students' ideas, and provide encouragement.
• Instructors utilize course rubrics and grade book written feedback comments to provide timely feedback on learning activities/assessments. This feedback should communicate students' accomplishments and where they can improve. This feedback should include concrete suggestions to help students progress in their learning.
• Instructors should review these surveys to help them adjust the course to support student learning better.
• Instructors should participate in learning activities accompanying these recorded lectures to provide instruction and clear up misconceptions.
• Instructors should use university-supported technology and tools built within the course to help ensure that all interactions are easy to use and easy to document.

You can use the chart linked below to help you create your own RSI plan, reflect on your current practices, or keep track of what you are doing.

• Download the Self-Reflection Tool pdf.
  If you would like this form in Excel, please reach out to the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Acknowledgements
Minneapolis College would like to acknowledge the following institutions for their generosity in sharing support materials:

Mankato State University Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. We are grateful for the use of materials and guidance.
Marshall University Design Center (Huntington, West Virginia). The RSI Self-Reflection tool was originally created by the Marshall University Design Center. Used with permission.

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