What is RASI?

What is Regular Interaction?

Consistent and meaningful interaction between instructors and students is essential for success in online courses. To ensure this, instructors should engage with students in a predictable and scheduled manner, proportionate to the course length and content/competence involved. Instructors take the lead in initiating and guiding these interactions, fostering a proactive approach to communication throughout the course. While students are encouraged to reach out with questions, it is equally important for instructors to actively communicate with students, establishing a robust instructor presence and contributing to a supportive and engaging learning environment. Examples of regular interaction include: 

  • Weekly course announcements
  • Regularly scheduled office hours
  • Weekly module or assignment summaries
  • Weekly individualized or whole-class feedback on assignments
  • Explicit communication and grading timeframes

Refer to the Additional References and Resources section below for additional examples. 

Substantive Interaction

In addition to regular interaction, the types of interactions initiated by an instructor should also be substantive. The Department of Education defines substantive interaction 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 
  • Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency. 

The visual below from the State University of New York (SUNY) explains how instructors can meet RASI: 

rsi graphic 

The SUNY Online OSCQR RSI illustration is used with permission from the SUNY Online/OSCQR team under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC By 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 

Additional RASI References and Resources