Regular and Substantive Interaction: Background, Concerns, and Guiding Principle. (2018, November 30). Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED593878
The OSCQR rubric and supporting documentation have been updated to specifically identify standards that support RSI. This updated version is referred to as OSCQR 4.0.
Specific OSCQR standards target online course design elements to directly address and support RSI.
OSCQR standards 2, 3, 29, 38, 39, 41, 43, specifically address RSI in the standard itself.
Specific OSCQR standards have been identified as standards that can support RSI compliance in some way.
These RSI OSCQR standards have been enhanced to include:
An RSI section on each respective OSCQR standard webpage to clearly explain how the standard addresses RSI
An updated description of the standard and the examples augmented with additional detail and information to support an understanding and ideas for how to ensure that the online course meets the standard and RSI requirements.
OSCQR standards that support RSI in any way are identified:
On the OSCQR website for each respective standard by the RSI dashboard icon:
On the .pdf and interactive rubrics by
Informational Webinar Recordings:
OSCQR & RSI Webinar – SUNY Online Teaching webinar recorded September 22, 2021.
New federal US Department of Education (DoE) regulatory definitions of distance education require that institutions ensure regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between a student and an instructor(s).*
RSI Dashboard Illustration**
RSI compliance is the legal federal requirement that distinguishes the status of courses between distance education and correspondence courses. Correspondence courses are not eligible for financial aid. 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. Regulations related to RSI have not been waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compliance with the US DoE regulations
New Regulations for Distance Education and Innovation (go into effect July 1, 2021)***
Regulations
Current
As of July 1st, 2021
Interaction
Only initiated by the instructor
Mostly instructor initiated, some leeway
Instructor
Meets accreditation standards
Explicit reliance on accreditor approval
Substantive
Of an academic nature
Has a list of activities (instruction, assessment, tutoring, answering questions)
Regular
Regular and somewhat substantive
Predictable and scheduled and tracking and intervention
Definitions**
An instructor is an individual responsible for delivering course content and who meets the qualifications for instruction established by an institution’s accrediting agency. Eligible programs can be taught by “the instructor or instructors.
A distance educationcourse is one in which instruction is delivered by one or more types of technology, including the internet, various wired and wireless media, or audio conference to students who are separated from the instructor(s). These technologies “support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor or instructors, either synchronously or asynchronously.
Predictable and Scheduled Interaction: Regular interaction requires an institution to ensure, prior to the student’s completion of a course or competency, that there is the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency.
The institution also is responsible for 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.
Academic engagement requires active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study as defined by the institution consistent with any requirements imposed by its state approval or accrediting agency. Academic engagement can include such activities as attending a class where the students and instructor can interact, turning in an academic assignment or taking a test, participating in an interactive computer-assisted instruction, participating in an institutional-directed group activity or online discussion, or interacting with the instructor regarding academic matters.
An emphasis on regular and substantive interaction is entirely consistent with well-documented research-based effective practices in online course design and delivery. In online teaching and learning environments of any kind, (asynchronous, synchronous, blended/hybrid), regular and substantive interactions must:
Be with an instructor as defined by the institution’s accreditor.
Be initiated by the instructor.
Be scheduled and predictable.
Be academic in nature and relevant to the course.
Substantive interaction assumes direct interaction between the learner and the instructor and requires direct instruction from the instructor including:
Assessing or providingfeedback on a student’s coursework.
Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course.
Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency.
Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency.
Informational Webinar Recordings:
OSCQR & RSI Webinar – SUNY Online Teaching webinar recorded September 22, 2021.
