As UAGC – like other distance education institutions – navigates the complexities of U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulations, it recognizes that the standard of regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is a constant in an ever-changing landscape. Per ED, “substantive” requires engaging with students’ work to deliver feedback that furthers their content mastery (Federal Register). This concept is at the core of two fundamental sociocultural learning theories – Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Bruner’s Scaffolding Theory. In this presentation, UAGC offers a model for using these theories to reframe RSI from a compliance task into a holistic framework for faculty continuous improvement that prioritizes the success of all students and is inherently responsive to possible future regulatory changes (CFRs 2.7, 3.3, and 4.6).

Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 171/Wednesday, September 2, 2020