The use of active learning pedagogies in online education should include cooperative online learning, problem solving, case studies, questions/answers, allowance for formulating questions of their own, discussion, explanation, and/or debate. Good interactivity should allow students the opportunity to constantly analyze, puzzle over significance, search for explanations, and speculations.
The virtual classroom does not permit visual cues to online learner’s level of engagement, therefore, consideration of student learning styles, differing online learning designs and effective deliberate planning approaches should be considered when formulating engagement strategies, which foster active learning in an online course.