Supporting learning engagement with online students

University students increasingly desire that traditionally taught courses be made available online. While quality standards have been developed for the format and organization of online courses, professors often are left wondering what activities contribute to learning engagement for online students. To investigate this question, an online survey of all students taking an online course during a spring semester was conducted in one state university. A total of 417 students completed the survey, which included three standardized scale variables for learning engagement and two open-ended questions. Course activities that had statistical significance in relationship to students’ reported learning engagement include those that changed their understanding of a topic or concept, connected their learning to societal problems, linked their learning to prior experiences and knowledge, and were interpreted as fun. A regression model using these variables, along with control variables of student age, gender, and out-of-school work, resulted in an R2 of 0.484, suggesting that almost half of the variance in learning engagement can be explained via this model. Analysis of responses to the open-ended questions revealed that students found certain aspects of online discussions and interactive assignments engaging, especially those that prompted students with thought-provoking questions that relate to real-world situations and invited students to share diverse opinions and develop personal perspectives.