An online course isn’t supposed to be a stack of readings and a quiz. Federal rules say an instructor has to be meaningfully involved.
The quick take
- For federal aid purposes, distance education must include regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.
- Substantive means real teaching activities, such as direct instruction, feedback on your work and answering your questions.
- Regular means scheduled and predictable, with instructors monitoring your progress.
- Courses without that interaction are treated as correspondence courses, which have different rules.
Federal rules that took effect in 2021 define what counts as distance education for federal student aid. The key requirement is “regular and substantive interaction” between students and instructors. It’s worth knowing because it describes what you should expect from any online course you pay for.
What “substantive” means
Interaction is substantive when it involves real teaching. The rule lists activities such as:
- direct instruction;
- assessing or giving feedback on your coursework;
- providing information or answering questions about the course content;
- facilitating group discussion about the content;
- other instructional activities approved by the school’s accreditor.
A substantive course includes at least two of these, delivered by an instructor who meets the accreditor’s qualifications.
What “regular” means
The interaction has to happen on a predictable, scheduled basis that fits the course, and the instructor has to monitor students’ engagement and step in when students need help.
Why it matters to you
Courses that don’t meet the standard are treated as correspondence courses, which have different, more limited federal aid rules. More practically, the rule is a useful checklist for what good online teaching looks like.
| Sign of real teaching | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| Instructor posts announcements, explanations or videos regularly | The course is the same automated material for everyone, with no visible instructor |
| You get written feedback on assignments | You only ever see a score |
| Discussion boards have instructor participation | Discussion is students talking to each other only |
| Posted response times for messages | No clear way to reach a person |
Coach’s tip
Ask to see a demo course or a sample week, and ask what percentage of courses are taught by full-time versus adjunct faculty. Both tell you a lot about the experience before you pay.
Support beyond the classroom
Good online programs also offer academic advising, tutoring, online library access, technical support with evening and weekend hours, and career services. If any are missing, ask why. And if you need accommodations, our guide to accessibility in online courses explains your rights. For the format side of the decision, see synchronous versus asynchronous classes.
You might be wondering
Q: Does this rule apply to every online program?
A: It applies to how programs that take federal student aid are classified. Distance education must meet it; courses that don’t are treated as correspondence courses for federal aid purposes.
Q: What’s a reasonable instructor response time?
A: Many schools set expectations of one or two business days for messages and about a week for grading. Ask what the program’s standard is.
Q: Who grades my work: the instructor or someone else?
A: It varies. Some programs use teaching assistants or evaluators. Ask who gives feedback and whether you can contact the instructor directly.
Policies differ by school and change over time. This guide is general information for online students in the U.S.; check your school’s current policies and your program’s requirements before you enroll.