Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Standards

Overview

Shoreline Community College values its ability to serve our diverse student population by offering them the schedule flexibility of a variety of course delivery modes while still providing them with rich and interactive learning experiences. In online courses, this includes Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI). This work aligns with our Core Values including Diversity and Inclusion, Student-Centered, Quality Education and Accessibility and Affordability. It also aligns with requirements of both the U.S. Department of Education and our accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as follows:  

• The U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses offered by institutions in which students can receive Title IV funds (federal financial aid) must display evidence of “regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.” Title 34 C.F.R. § 600.2 (amended April 3rd, 2024) 

• The Northwest Commission on College and Universities (NWCCU) requires evidence of regular and substantive interaction (RSI) in online courses.  

 

What is RSI?

RSI is instructor-to-student communication, feedback, and engagement in courses that are regular, responsive, subject-specific, and an integral part of the instructional plan. At least 2 forms of meeting RSI should be present in every course.  

For communication and feedback to be considered RSI, it must be: 

• Instructor-initiated 

• Regular and responsive 

• Subject-specific 

Instructor-Initiated

The first major stipulation of RSI is that communication and feedback are Instructor-initiated.  

• Feedback and communication are proactive, and the instructor initiates the dialogue. 

• Communication and feedback are scheduled as part of the instructional plan, not ad-hoc.  

• Responses to student inquiries, while vital to course facilitation, would not count as part of RSI. 

Regular and Responsive 

The second major stipulation of RSI is that communication and feedback are regular and responsive. 

• Communication and feedback should be predictable and scheduled, meaning that students should have a clear expectation of how often they hear from their instructor. 

• For communication, this means students should expect regular communication from the instructor. For instance, for a 10-week, 5-credit course, students should expect communication weekly. 

• For feedback, this means students should expect to receive personalized feedback on assignments within a reasonable and documented time frame. For example: Syllabus outlines that assignment feedback will be given within 3 days of the due date.  

• Communication should proactively engage students with course content and reflect their progress in a course. 

• For communication, this means messaging should reflect a student’s current progress, not a topic that was covered several weeks earlier. 

• For feedback, this means feedback should be provided with enough time to apply the feedback on the next major assessment. 

Subject-Specific 

For feedback to be substantive, it must be directly tied to the course content and learning outcomes. 

• Feedback should be direct and personalized to the individual student and directly tied to how well they mastered the content or achieved the learning outcome. This should be provided to every student, regardless of how well they are performing in the class or if they requested feedback.  

• This feedback provides critique, comment, and/or evaluation for work submitted by students or groups, referring to additional sources for supplementary information where appropriate, and outlines a process for growth. 

• When using a rubric, personalized feedback should be included in addition to the language used in the rubric to meet the requirements of RSI.  

• Substantive feedback can also be provided through course-wide communication channels if it benefits the entire class. 

While multiple forms of communication combine to make a successful online course, communication/feedback must meet these criteria to be classified as RSI.   

Available Tools

Multiple tools in Canvas can be used to implement and administer RSI. These tools can also be used as artifacts to prove RSI is present in an online course: 

• SpeedGrader Comments 

• Discussion Board replies 

• Announcements 

• "Message Student Who” Gradebook Tool 

• Comments in Quizzes 

• Comments on Assignments 

• Comments in Rubrics 

• Video feedback 

For more information about implementing RSI in your online courses, please reach out to eLearning at elearning@shoreline.edu. Instructional Designers can assist you in implementing RSI to meet federal requirements.