The Task Force strives to be at the forefront of online experiences and engagement for both students and higher education pro ... fessionals. Part of being at the forefront involves operationalizing terms for clarity of purpose and momentum. As we offer these operational definitions, the Task Force for Online Experiences and Engagement acknowledges that the language in this realm is contested. However, we are resolute in marking clear distinctions between online, digital, distance, remote, and virtual experiences. While there is often overlap across these terms, higher education professionals should use them with clear intention, and specificity. We define online experiences as interactions with systems, applications, and other people through digitally mediated platforms. We define online engagement as educationally purposeful digitally mediated experiences in which the amount of psychosocial energy invested by an individual is met with a commensurate degree of investment by the institution. read more