I am interested in learning what records from online courses other institutions are retaining as student participation records documenting the Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) to meet the US Department of Education regulations.
Hi MaryJane.M,
To get the ball rolling I've pulled together the following Brightspace Tool Mapping (RSI + Data Evidence) table for you below. This is by no means intended to be exhaustive. Brightspace DataSets (BDS) and Advanced DataSets (ADS) can help you demonstrate compliance that aligns with great course design.
RSI Requirement
Brightspace Tool
Supporting Data (BDS / ADS)
What to Look For
Weekly instructor contact
Announcements
BDS: Announcements data sets / Activity Feed data sets
Instructor posts at least weekly; timestamps show consistency
Direct instruction
Content, Video Note, Media tools
BDS: Content data sets ADS: Content Progress
Students are accessing instructor-created materials regularly
Substantive discussion
Discussions
BDS: Discussions data sets ADS: Learner Usage
Instructor posts/replies are present and ongoing (not just students)
Feedback on student work
Assignments, Quizzes, Rubrics
BDS: Assignments data sets ADS: All Grades, Final Grades, Rubric Assessments
Evidence of qualitative feedback (not just grades) and timing
Q&A interaction
Discussions (Q&A forum)
BDS: Discussions data sets ADS: Instructor Usage
Instructor responding to student questions
Outreach to inactive students
Intelligent Agents, Email
BDS: Intelligent Agents data sets
Triggered outreach based on inactivity
Progress monitoring
Class Progress
ADS:
Learner Usage, Class Progress, Instructor Usage BDS: Outcomes data sets, Users data sets
Instructor is monitoring engagement patterns
Login & Session datasets don’t create RSI—but they help to prove “regular” engagement and instructor presence.
RSI Evidence Area
Dataset
What It Shows
Student attendance / engagement
ADS: Learner Usage
BDS: Users data sets
Frequency and recency of student logins
Time spent in course
ADS: Instructor Usage,
Learner Usage
BDS: Users data sets, Content data sets
Duration and depth of engagement
Instructor presence
ADS: Instructor Usage
Confirms instructor is actively entering the course regularly
Participation patterns
BDS: Users data sets, Attendance data sets
Whether engagement aligns with course schedule
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much - very helpful!
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