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Regular and Substantive Interaction

Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) ensures instructor and student interactions in online courses. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) requires regular and substantive interaction in courses taught partially or completely online (i.e., online, hybrid/blended, and HyFlex), including both synchronous and asynchronous courses. We encourage all online instructors to become familiar with RSI.  

If a course does not meet the regular and substantive interaction criteria, it is considered a correspondence course. Correspondence courses are not eligible for financial aid. According to SUNY Online’s Regular and Substantive Interaction guide, 

Institutions risk losing access to student financial aid if the institution is audited by the US Department of Education’s (DoE) Office of Inspector General, or as part of a periodic Departmental financial aid program review and found to be out of compliance. Institutions may be required to repay financial aid associated with the correspondence courses and students. 

These rules apply to our courses as Loyola University Chicago (LUC) accepts financial aid funds for tuition.   

Guidance  

The SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR) & RSI Webinar provides the following guidance on RSI. Interaction must:  

  1. Be with an instructor. LUC’s accreditor, The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), defines an instructor as any individual who teaches at an institution, including full-time, part-time, adjunct, dual credit, temporary, non-tenure-track, and graduate assistant positions. Visit the HLC has guidelines for determining faculty qualifications that apply to all instructors. Guidelines found at: Institutional Policies and Procedures for Determining Faculty Qualifications: HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and Assumed Practices. 
  2. Mostly initiated by the instructor. Instructors actively initiate and guide a range of interactions with the students throughout the semester. 
    1. Examples: instructor-facilitated discussions, scheduled virtual office hours, individual feedback on assignments, individual e-mail correspondence 
  3. Be scheduled and predictable. The type of interaction may vary but it includes the expected frequency of interaction with the instructor (e.g., times and dates of the virtual office hours, feedback, etc.).  
    1. Examples: Weekly announcements written specifically for the course, weekly summaries or highlights of discussion posts, regularly scheduled online reviews or tutoring sessions 
  4. Be academic and relevant to the course.  
  5. Include at least two of the following:  
    1. Direct instruction (i.e., synchronous Zoom sessions) 
    2. Assessing or providing feedback on students' coursework (i.e., feedback on assignments, assessments, discussions, etc.)  
    3. Giving information or responding to questions about course content or competency (i.e., email responses, announcements, responses in discussions) 
    4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding course content or competency (i.e., asynchronous discussions, synchronous Zoom sessions) 
    5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency 
  6. Semester specific. Interactions must occur within the academic term. Interactions that occur before or after the academic term do not meet the requirements of RSI.  

In summary, RSI should be: 

  • Instructor-initiated  
  • Scheduled 
  • Predictable 
  • Academic 
  • Relevant to the course 
  • Semester-specific 

Examples 

Here we have some practical examples of your teaching that are or are not examples of RSI.  

Please note, if an aspect of teaching does not fulfill the RSI requirement, it does not mean it is not an important, or necessary, part of teaching. Further, these are just some examples, not a comprehensive list.

Teaching Component What constitutes RSI? What does not constitute RSI?
Pre-Recorded Lectures A pre-recorded lecture associated with an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc.   A pre-recorded lecture that is available for students to watch at their own pace without an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. 
Office Hours The instructor schedules office hours. A student requests office hours.
Reading Assignments  Reading assignments with an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. (e.g., students read a case study and then post their thoughts in a discussion forum).    Reading assignments without an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. 
Answering Student Questions Answering students' questions about the course content.   Answering students' questions unrelated to the course content (e.g., assignment due dates or technical support).  
Providing Feedback  Providing detailed feedback on student assignments and assessments.   Entering numeric grades in the grade book or providing automatic feedback in a quiz.   
Announcements  Sending an announcement at the start of each unit introducing the subject or topic. Sending announcements that are unrelated to the course content.  
Review Sessions   Encouraging students to participate in weekly review sessions led by the instructor. Encouraging students to participate in an optional, one-time online review session before the final exam.

Resources 

Contact Us 

If you have additional questions regarding RSI and your course, please contact us at online@luc.edu.  

Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) ensures instructor and student interactions in online courses. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) requires regular and substantive interaction in courses taught partially or completely online (i.e., online, hybrid/blended, and HyFlex), including both synchronous and asynchronous courses. We encourage all online instructors to become familiar with RSI.  

If a course does not meet the regular and substantive interaction criteria, it is considered a correspondence course. Correspondence courses are not eligible for financial aid. According to SUNY Online’s Regular and Substantive Interaction guide, 

Institutions risk losing access to student financial aid if the institution is audited by the US Department of Education’s (DoE) Office of Inspector General, or as part of a periodic Departmental financial aid program review and found to be out of compliance. Institutions may be required to repay financial aid associated with the correspondence courses and students. 

These rules apply to our courses as Loyola University Chicago (LUC) accepts financial aid funds for tuition.   

Guidance  

The SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR) & RSI Webinar provides the following guidance on RSI. Interaction must:  

  1. Be with an instructor. LUC’s accreditor, The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), defines an instructor as any individual who teaches at an institution, including full-time, part-time, adjunct, dual credit, temporary, non-tenure-track, and graduate assistant positions. Visit the HLC has guidelines for determining faculty qualifications that apply to all instructors. Guidelines found at: Institutional Policies and Procedures for Determining Faculty Qualifications: HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and Assumed Practices. 
  2. Mostly initiated by the instructor. Instructors actively initiate and guide a range of interactions with the students throughout the semester. 
    1. Examples: instructor-facilitated discussions, scheduled virtual office hours, individual feedback on assignments, individual e-mail correspondence 
  3. Be scheduled and predictable. The type of interaction may vary but it includes the expected frequency of interaction with the instructor (e.g., times and dates of the virtual office hours, feedback, etc.).  
    1. Examples: Weekly announcements written specifically for the course, weekly summaries or highlights of discussion posts, regularly scheduled online reviews or tutoring sessions 
  4. Be academic and relevant to the course.  
  5. Include at least two of the following:  
    1. Direct instruction (i.e., synchronous Zoom sessions) 
    2. Assessing or providing feedback on students' coursework (i.e., feedback on assignments, assessments, discussions, etc.)  
    3. Giving information or responding to questions about course content or competency (i.e., email responses, announcements, responses in discussions) 
    4. Facilitating a group discussion regarding course content or competency (i.e., asynchronous discussions, synchronous Zoom sessions) 
    5. Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency 
  6. Semester specific. Interactions must occur within the academic term. Interactions that occur before or after the academic term do not meet the requirements of RSI.  

In summary, RSI should be: 

  • Instructor-initiated  
  • Scheduled 
  • Predictable 
  • Academic 
  • Relevant to the course 
  • Semester-specific 

Examples 

Here we have some practical examples of your teaching that are or are not examples of RSI.  

Please note, if an aspect of teaching does not fulfill the RSI requirement, it does not mean it is not an important, or necessary, part of teaching. Further, these are just some examples, not a comprehensive list.

Teaching Component What constitutes RSI? What does not constitute RSI?
Pre-Recorded Lectures A pre-recorded lecture associated with an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc.   A pre-recorded lecture that is available for students to watch at their own pace without an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. 
Office Hours The instructor schedules office hours. A student requests office hours.
Reading Assignments  Reading assignments with an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. (e.g., students read a case study and then post their thoughts in a discussion forum).    Reading assignments without an associated assignment, discussion, quiz, etc. 
Answering Student Questions Answering students' questions about the course content.   Answering students' questions unrelated to the course content (e.g., assignment due dates or technical support).  
Providing Feedback  Providing detailed feedback on student assignments and assessments.   Entering numeric grades in the grade book or providing automatic feedback in a quiz.   
Announcements  Sending an announcement at the start of each unit introducing the subject or topic. Sending announcements that are unrelated to the course content.  
Review Sessions   Encouraging students to participate in weekly review sessions led by the instructor. Encouraging students to participate in an optional, one-time online review session before the final exam.

Resources 

Contact Us 

If you have additional questions regarding RSI and your course, please contact us at online@luc.edu.