Online programs require regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between faculty and students. While physical distance can separate faculty and students, asynchronous online learning presents additional challenges to RSI for faculty and students.50

To align with the Department of Education’s RSI guidance to provide “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,” instructors will initiate regular communication with students.

To align with the Department of Education’s RSI guidance, instructors may use announcements, emails, assignments, activities, and other means to provide direct instruction to students. Direct instruction entails any faculty-led interaction with a group or individual specifically engaging in course-related guidance.

Faculty must be attentive to the frequency and quality of their interaction with students. The frequency of faculty interaction with students must be regular; regular interaction provides “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.”51 Online faculty must be present for interaction, instruction, and outreach.

A predictable and scheduled basis for regular and substantive interaction can be achieved by the course design, scheduled learning activities across its modules, and the instructor’s actions before the course starts, while the course is active, and after the course concludes.52

The course design in the learning management system should include elements that facilitate regular engagement. For example, course designers should create an ungraded community discussion forum for general communication and online student conversations. The community forum allows students to engage with their classmates and instructors informally. This approximates the informal interaction in a residential class before and after class periods as students enter and exit their classrooms. It helps cultivate a sense of community, inclusion, and support among students.

In addition to the community discussion forum, the course design should include graded discussion forums focused on the course content at planned intervals. These discussion forums approximate the more formal discussions that typically occur in a residential class setting, where students express their points of view on the subject matter or discuss content presented in lectures or assigned readings. The role of an instructor is to prompt these discussions with thought-provoking questions, guide the direction and tone of the discussion as it develops, and help students appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of various points of view. This looks

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