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Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Asynchronous Courses

Regular and substantive interaction is frequent, consistent, meaningful contact that is academic in nature.  

Regular and Substantive Interaction Requirements for Fully Online Asynchronous Courses: 

Initiated Interaction:

Instructors should regularly initiate interaction with students to determine that they are accessing and comprehending course material and that they are participating regularly in the activities in the course.  Opportunities may be provided to allow for community building between students.  Students may be provided opportunities within the design of the class to interact with their instructors and other students.   Instructors may also opt to use external appropriate tools that facilitate student to instructor and student-to-student interactions.  

Frequency of Contact:

Instructor regularly engages students throughout the term and interactions are predictable and occur in accordance with the length and the course content. The quantity and frequency of instructor-initiated contact and response times for student-initiated questions should be established by each instructor.   

Interrupted Contact:

Unanticipated and unavoidable interruptions in DE instructor contact (such as illness or a family emergency that takes the instructor offline) require that students be notified via class announcement and/or email of the interruption and its duration. In the event that contact is not possible for four or more working days, the instructor should notify the appropriate supervising administrator. 

Types of Contact:

Instructors should consider using a variety of communication channels to establish and maintain regular and substantive contact. These channels may include but are not limited to: 

  • Announcements 

  • Discussion forums 

  • Timely feedback 

  • Group or individual meetings 

  • Orientation and review sessions 

  • Telephone contact 

  • Video conferencing (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Pronto, etc.) 

  • Office hours (virtual or in-person) 

  • Email 

  • Other asynchronous methods as appropriate to the course 

 

Best Practices

It is best practice to include a clear communication policy in the syllabus for each course. Instructors should offer several channels of communication (AVC email, LMS email/messaging, discussion boards, course announcements, etc.) and indicate the anticipated rate of reply. Example: Students can expect a reply to their inquiries within 24-48 hours M – F excluding holidays. 

It is recommended that instructors have a threaded discussion forum set aside for general questions and conversations about the course.  Instructors may consider creating a discussion board solely for student-to-student interaction, and/or remind students about the Pronto app available in Canvas. In addition, instructors may wish to hold optional weekly or monthly synchronous question-and-answer sessions for students.  This may also be accomplished through virtual office hours.   

It is best practice to offer student surveys at both the halfway point of the course and the end of the course to gauge student satisfaction with the course design and content. 

Instructors are encouraged to explore engaging students with tools and applications available through Canvas and online considering they provide equal opportunities for all students participating. 

Instructors are encouraged to regularly network with colleagues who teach online and consider attending the DETC meetings (check AVC DETC website for schedule). Sharing knowledge, new ideas, and reviewing colleagues’ course design is best practice for all online instructors. 

DE faculty should consider attending the FPD events offered by the DETC throughout the academic year (schedule is available on Cornerstone), as well as referring to the Technical Training Canvas shell.  

@ONE (Online Network of Educators) offers multiple (free!) learning opportunities several times a year.