An online course can have great videos, clear instructions, and well-designed assignments and still feel disconnected. Learners need opportunities to interact with their instructor, the course content, and, when appropriate, one another.
This is where Regular and Substantive Interaction, often called RSI, becomes important. But meaningful interaction should be more than something added to a course to meet a requirement. Done well, it can help learners feel supported and connected throughout the learning experience.
Interaction does not always need to be complicated. An instructor might provide feedback on an assignment, post a weekly announcement about common questions, participate in a discussion, offer virtual office hours, or send a message to learners who appear to be struggling. Small and consistent interactions can have a big impact.
Instructional designers can help faculty build these opportunities into a course from the beginning. Instead of waiting until the course is finished and asking, “Where can we add interaction?” consider interaction while designing each module. Where might learners need guidance? When would instructor feedback be most useful? Where could a discussion help learners think more deeply about the topic?
AI can support this work without replacing the instructor. It can help draft discussion prompts, summarize common questions, organize student feedback, or suggest different ways to explain a difficult concept. An instructor can then review and personalize that information before sharing it with learners.
The goal should not be to automate the relationship between instructors and students. In fact, AI may be most useful when it reduces routine work and gives instructors more time for meaningful interaction.
Online learning becomes much more personal when learners know there is a real person on the other side of the screen.