Cultivating Curiosity-Driven Learning: Student Insights into What Fuels Their Engagement in Online Courses  

Abstract Book of the 8th World Conference on Teaching and Education

Year: 2025

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Cultivating Curiosity-Driven Learning: Student Insights into What Fuels Their Engagement in Online Courses  

Dr. Rachel V. Smydra

ABSTRACT:

Designing courses that spark curiosity for students can enrich their involvement with course content, increase their motivation, and foster a genuine interest in learning that extends well beyond assignment or course completion. However, cultivating this type of self-driven engagement in online courses often comes with challenges because students often experience isolation and alienation; these detachment aspects lend themselves fueling passive learning thus diminishing students’ intrinsic motivation. Relatively few empirical studies have asked online students what they think stimulates their curiosity; this presentation will share findings from an IRB approved qualitative case study that asked students in an online general education World Literature course which activities, assignments, and resources they feel made their learning more relevant, meaningful, and personal. Educators can leverage the presentation’s findings to design courses and/or activities that shift learning from passive to active to create a more holistic experience for students. Acknowledging the content that resonates with students can empower faculty to design online learning experiences that not only optimize student engagement and improve learning outcomes but cultivate a learning environment where curiosity thrives.

Keywords: curiosity, engagement, course design, life-long learning, active learning