Section outline

  • Accreditation requirements ask for “regular, substantive interaction” to ensure that students receive multiple opportunities to engage with instructors. 

    For the interaction to be considered regular, it must provide “the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and amount of content in the course.” 

    In order to determine whether an online or hybrid course includes regular, substantive interaction, we will look for indications in the syllabus or elsewhere in the course that at least two of the items indicated in the criteria column of the Course Readiness Review are included.

    Note: auto-graded items without direct feedback/comments from the instructor (whether in Moodle or a 3rd party tool) do not qualify.


    • Regular and Substantive Interaction


      Checklist Annotations

      Regular and Substantive Interaction (required by accreditors) requires the course to include at least 2 of the following: 

       ☐ At least 3 discussion forums scheduled throughout the course in which instructor participates 

      ☐ Indication in syllabus that office hours are held regularly throughout duration of the course to discuss course content 

      ☐ Indication that feedback/comments will be provided by the instructor on at least 3 assignments (beyond number grade) 

      ☐ Indication that feedback/comments will be provided by the instructor on at least 3 tests/quizzes (not just auto-graded) 

      ☐ At least 3 online synchronous meetings with interaction between faculty and students (online/hybrid courses) or in-person classes (hybrid courses)

      New requirements ask for “regular, substantive interaction” to ensure that students receive multiple opportunities to engage with instructors. For the interaction to be considered regular, it must provide “the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and amount of content in the course.” In order to determine whether an online or hybrid course includes regular, substantive interaction, we will look for indications in the syllabus or elsewhere in the course that at least two of the items indicated in the criteria column of this table are included.

      Note: auto-graded items without direct feedback/comments from the instructor (whether in Moodle or a 3rd party tool) do not qualify.

    • Regular and Subtantive Interaction: Examples Page