Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI)
What can online instructors do to create a more engaging and supportive learning environment that keeps students motivated and invested in their courses? The answer lies in Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI).
Regular substantive interaction (RSI) is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes meaningful interactions between students and instructors. It goes beyond the traditional lecture format to create a foundation for a dynamic, engaging learning environment. RSI helps ensure the quality of online courses and distinguishes distance education from correspondence education.
At least some of the contact between students and instructors must be regularly scheduled and instructor initiated. Interactions should be focused on course material, not just administrative subjects like grades or deadlines. The amount of interaction will vary depending on several factors including subject matter and course length. Every online instructor needs to plan to incorporate RSI and should describe their plan in course syllabus.
Online courses must include RSI for students to be eligible for Title IV financial aid. RSI is a federal requirement for online courses, but more importantly, it is an essential part of setting students up for success. It helps increase student engagement and build community. Students who feel connected to their instructors and peers are more likely to be satisfied with their online learning experience, which may lead to higher retention rates.
Below you’ll find a few ways to incorporate RSI into your online courses. To learn even more about RSI, you’ll find resources for further reading linked below.
5 Ways to Include Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Courses
There are many ways you can incorporate regular substantive interaction into your courses, some of which you may already be doing. None of these ideas is revolutionary; many instructors already incorporate things like discussion boards. The key is that you take a hands-on approach rather than appearing to be a silent observer. Think about how you interact with students during an in-person course and do your best to provide that same level of support and engagement online.
Weekly Update Videos and Announcements
Each week, post a casual 2–3-minute weekly update video to connect with your students. Think of these how you would the first 5-10 minutes of an in-person course. You can recap how things went in the previous week and explain what to expect in the upcoming week. Doing things like offering support resources for an area you noticed many students struggling with is a great way to show your students that you are responsive to their needs and invested in their success.
You can also use the Announcements feature to provide a written version of weekly update videos. Canvas has an option for all videos and announcements to include comments and replies. Enabling this option and encouraging students to interact takes announcements to the next level.
Individualized Assignment Feedback and Messaging
Auto-graded multiple-choice quizzes do not fulfill RSI because there is no individualized feedback. However, you can provide comments on any assignment your students complete, even auto-graded quizzes or assignments you use SpeedGrader to review. You even have the option to leave audio or video comments. Consider using rubrics for writing assignments or detailed projects as a great way to provide consistent, clear feedback. Rubrics also provide a great basis for discussions with your students about their learning process and opportunities for growth.
You do not have to leave individualized feedback for every student on every assignment, but you should attempt to provide as much as possible, especially when the feedback will be beneficial to them when completing further assignments. Consider the tone and timing of your feedback so that it is most likely to encourage student success.
Canvas messaging includes a feature called “Message Students Who.” You can select categories of students, such as those who haven’t turned in an assignment or those who scored a certain way on an assignment. This feature allows you to send a general message to multiple students, but it looks like you messaged them individually, which can be a huge time-saver.
Engaged Discussions
Discussion boards can contribute to fulfillment of the RSI requirement if you take a visible, active role. Go beyond basic discussion facilitation by replying to students' responses, correcting misconceptions, prompting them to think deeper, or offering encouragement, just as you might during an in-person class discussion. You can model proper discussion behavior and ensure students are following netiquette guidelines. Most importantly, you can help them develop their critical thinking and analysis skills by strategically responding with guided questions. You don’t have to respond to every student in every discussion, but make a point to converse via discussion board with every student to some extent throughout the semester. When students know their instructor will be actively engaging with them, they are more likely to take discussion board posts seriously.
Virtual Office Hours
Leverage video conferencing software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams to hold virtual office hours at a set time each week. This gives students a way to easily access you to talk about grades, get help with an assignment, or seek professional advice. These connections are especially important for asynchronous online classes, which can sometimes cause students to feel isolated. You can ask students to make appointments so that meetings are one-on-one, or you can take an open come-and-go approach. Whichever model you use, be sure to provide clear instructions. For example, you can post your office hours schedule and a link to your personal Zoom meeting room on the home page of the course so that students always know where and when to find you.
Synchronous Virtual Class Meetings
Holding synchronous meetings may not be possible for every course, but it is one option to encourage more interaction. These meetings could serve as lectures, just as they would in a traditional in-person course, or you could structure them as supplementary help sessions. Depending on the class size and other factors, you could hold meetings with the whole class at once or break it into smaller groups. Synchronous meetings allow you to provide immediate feedback in a way that isn’t possible through other virtual communication methods. You should encourage students to attend the synchronous meeting, if at all possible, but recordings can be helpful if a student is unable to attend. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Big Blue Button are a few tools you can use for synchronous meetings.