Investigation of learners' engagement in open and distance learning

The purpose of this research was to examine the online learner engagement within the context of live courses offered in Anadolu University Open Education System. The study investigated how online learner engagement affected live course satisfaction and overall satisfaction of learners. In addition, online learner engagement, live course satisfaction and general course satisfaction were examined in terms of the demographic characteristics of the learners. A cross-sectional survey design, one of the quantitative research method designs, was used in the study. Participants of the research were learners who were enrolled in the Open Education System of Anadolu University in the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, attended live classes through Anadolum eKampüs learning management system at least one time, and voluntarily filled out the online survey of the research. On the other hand, analyzes were carried out with the data of 1,069 learners, who were reached through purposeful sampling method and compatible with the purpose of the research. The findings showed that online learner engagement positively affected live course satisfaction and overall course satisfaction. In other words, it was found that if online learner participation increases, both live course satisfaction and general course satisfaction would increase positively. Additionally, it was determined that learners who spent more time on the Anadolum eKampüs platform to study had higher online learner engagement levels compared to learners who spent less time. As a result, the findings of the research were discussed and suggestions for future research were presented. Keywords: Open and distance learning, Distance education, Open education, Online learning, Learner engagement, Engagement