Regular and substantive interaction

Instructors build scheduled touchpoints into the syllabus: weekly announcements tied to content, required discussion facilitation, timely feedback on assignments, or live sessions. They also track logins, assignment submissions, and performance flags, then reach out proactively. Automated messages alone do not satisfy the rule; human instructor involvement is required.

Example: in a 15-week online history course the instructor posts a content-focused announcement every Monday, facilitates a required discussion each week, and returns graded essays with individualized comments within five days. Midway through the term the instructor reviews activity reports and emails students who have not submitted the last two assignments. These practices meet both the regular and substantive tests.

Correspondence education delivers materials but does not include the same regular instructor interaction. Asynchronous learning can satisfy RSI if the interaction is scheduled and substantive. Simply having an instructor available for optional office hours does not meet the regular-interaction standard if the opportunities are not predictable and the instructor does not monitor and initiate contact.

Relying on student-initiated emails as the only interaction. Counting automated grading or LMS announcements that contain no content instruction. Assuming a course is distance education because it is online without documenting the RSI practices.