A new online Introduction to Literature course developed with an open education textbook provided the opportunity for students to engage closely with digital literary texts. I designed two types of assignments for literary analysis to foster student-to-student interaction and student-to-content interaction: 1) online discussions in Canvas, and 2) online annotations in Perusall. Both types of assignments required students to respond to question prompts, engage in close reading of literary texts, and interact with their peers.

Based on analytics provided through Canvas (using the Threadz LTI) and Perusall, as well as an informal survey of students, I will compare online student engagement with their peers and with digital texts in these different types of assignments.

Student survey responses suggest that student-to-student interaction is better facilitated through online discussions, while student-to-content interaction is better facilitated through online annotations. Analytics provide alternative ways to evaluate levels of student engagement through number of postings, word count, number/direction of interactions, and active reading time. Audience members will have the opportunity to discuss best practices for creating and facilitating online assignments that foster student engagement.