In the evolving landscape of education, understanding how different modalities of course delivery impact student learning is crucial. Anderson’s (2003) Interaction Equivalency Theorem (IET) provides a guideline for designing effective interactions in distance learning.

Anderson’s two theses in his theorem are:
- “Thesis 1. Deep and meaningful formal learning is supported as long as one of the three forms of interaction (student–teacher; student–student; student–content) is at a high level. The other two may be offered at minimal levels, or even eliminated, without degrading the educational experience.”
- “Thesis 2. High levels of more than one of these three modes will likely provide a more satisfying educational experience, although these experiences may not be as cost- or time effective as less interactive learning sequences.”

While Anderson’s Theorem was based on the distance education system in its modeling it can be extended to various modalities such as hybrid and traditional learning. The Interaction Equivalency Theorem (IET), proposed by Garrison (2017), emphasizes that a balance of three types of interaction (student-content, student-student, and student-teacher) can lead to meaningful learning. In this article we propose how to develop a heatmap rubric to assess meaningful learning by comparing these interactions across various course delivery modalities.

Keywords: Interaction Equivalency Theorem, Online Learning, Students Engagement, Students Interaction, Meaningful Learning, Heatmap Rubric.