Regular and Substantive Interaction
New U.S. Department of Education regulations for distance (online) education require regular and substantive interaction between students and their instructors. The phrase “regular and substantive interaction” comes from the federal definition of distance education. While regular and substantive interaction is specifically mentioned in the US Department of Education’s definition of distance education, it is applicable to any class regardless of instructional modality (synchronous or asynchronous).
As an institution, SIUE recommends instructors provide opportunities for regular and substantive interactions with students at least once per week in standard 16-week courses and at least twice per week in accelerated courses.
Definitions of Regular and Substantive Interaction
Substantive interaction is defined as 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.
Regular interaction requires 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. The instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student.
Examples of Regular and Substantive Interaction
- Participation in regularly scheduled learning sessions where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the student and the qualified instructor.
(Note: merely logging into class is insufficient without further participation.) - Provide personalized comments (in any medium) for an individual student’s assignment or exam.
- Actively facilitate an online discussion.
- Post-assessment debriefings based upon class performance.
- Provide an overview video to accompany recorded lectures.
- Utilize Blackboard Course Reportsand Blackboard Retention Center to identify students who may need additional support; first, offer assistance and resources; if additional support is needed, use Starfish to notify academic advisors and the Student Success Center.
- Use of small working/study groups that are moderated by the instructor.
View/download the checklist [pdf]
Examples of What is Not Considered Regular and Substantive Interaction
- Assignment of recorded webinars, videos, and reading materials without instructor-initiated interaction.
- Contact with instructors not related to the course subject matter.
- Adding numeric grades to the course gradebook
- A student submits a quiz that is automatically graded.
- Sending a welcome message during the first week of class and another around mid-semester.
- Encouraging students to participate in an optional, one-time online review session before the final exam.
- Reminding students of the course attendance policy.
- Posting an announcement about an upcoming assignment deadline.
- Providing an open-ended online forum that is not moderated by the instructor.
Resources for Incorporating Regular and Substantive Interaction
Instructors can use the following resources to incorporate regular and substantive interaction:
- Request a course consultation with ITS IDLT.
- Complete the Course Planning Grid.
This resource was adapted with permission by the University of Wisconsin Knowledge Base
