Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Recommendations for Faculty

Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) is a federal requirement for distance education, ensuring online courses include frequent, instructor-initiated, and academically focused engagement to distinguish them from correspondence courses. RSI combines scheduled interaction ("regular") with academic engagement ("substantive"), such as instructor-led discussions, feedback on work, and direct instruction, ensuring quality and eligibility for federal financial aid.

As part of the TLC’s efforts to ensure Clarkson online courses meet the RSI requirements for accreditation, we audited upcoming 2026 summer online courses. In addition to recommended best practices for RSI and Quality Matters Standards, evaluations were made using this RSI rubric. Criteria are broken into three categories: instructor-to-student, student-to-student, and student-to-content interactions. Each line item is worth 1, 2, or 3 points. To reach RSI expectations, courses must score at least 26 total points. 

In a summary of evaluation results, we found that the majority of Clarkson online courses “do not meet” or “approach” RSI expectations. However, many courses could meet the RSI standard by raising the overall score by 4-7 points. 

Below you will find recommendations, examples and resources for how faculty could adjust their courses to meet RSI expectations.