A distance education course uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are physically separated from the professor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the professor, whether synchronously or asynchronously. It is important that professors initiate regular and substantive interaction with students as part of the course.

Definitions

Regular: Periodic interaction initiated by the professor that is predictable and intentional, i.e., that is planned as part of the course’s design. Professors should interact with students at least once per week.
Substantive: The interaction is relevant to the academic subject matter covered by the course. In other words, regular interactions should focus on academic content rather than course organizational or procedural communications such as announcements, changes in schedules, and other issues of course logistics.

Four Keys to Regular and Substantive Interaction

Interaction must be:

Initiated by the instructor
Regular and somewhat frequent
Substantive, i.e., of an academic nature
With an instructor who meets accrediting agency standards (Davis, V. & Poulin, R., 2016)

Substantive Interaction Rubric

Substantive Interaction Rubric
*Element*	*Evidence*	Evident? Yes/No	*Comments*
Regular Interaction	The professor initiates interaction with the class or all individuals within the class at least once per week. To be verified by checking these areas of a Canvas course: · Announcements · Assignments · Discussions · Grades · People · SpeedGrader
Substantive Interaction	Interaction is focused on the academic content the student is attempting to learn. Examples of substantive interaction include but are not limited to: · Participating in regularly scheduled learning sessions (where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the student and the faculty member) · Submitting an academic assignment · Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction · Attending a study group that is assigned by the institution · Participating in an online discussion about academic matters · Consultations with a faculty mentor to discuss academic course content · Participation in faculty-guided independent study (Davis, 2017)
Procedures for meeting the regular and substantive interaction expectation	Procedures regarding interaction are communicated to students. This includes both the frequency of and method/channels for interactions.
Personalized Feedback	Faculty personally and proactively respond to individual students, student groups, and the entire class regarding student performance and course materials. The feedback given is not solely automated and is provided to all students, whether or not a given student requests it.
Attendance and Participation	The course design is such that in any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged. Academic engagement includes, but is not limited to: submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; attending a study group that was assigned by the institution; contributing to an academic online discussion; and initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied. (Department of Education Dear Colleague Letter, cited in Davis, 2017)

Sources for Regular and Substantive Interaction Section

Davis, V. (2017). OIG Report on WGU, Part 3: A Brief History of Regular and Substantive Interaction. WCET Frontiers. Retrieved from https://WCET.org/2017/10/17
Davis, V., Haberman, M., Pedrick, L., & Sharp, A. (2017). Regular and Substantive Interaction: Context, Future, and Advice. Retrieved from https://WICHE.edu/Events/Webcasts
Davis, V. & Poulin, R. (2016). Interpreting what is Required for ‘Regular and Substantive Interaction’. WCET Frontiers. Retrieved from https://WCET.org/2016/9/30
Poulin, R. (2017). On the WGU Finding, Part 1: When Interaction is not Interaction. WCET Frontiers. Retrieved from https://WCET.org/2017/9/22

Table of Contents