With the increasing availability of distance learning from higher education institutions, there is a need to research common practices to evaluate their effectiveness. Research has shown that collaborative groups are formed from a diverse group of students and are critical for success in online learning. Most higher education institutions create groups of students to comprise a section of a course sequentially as each student registers. There are usually many sections to each course, each section created as the registration cycle moves along. This study explored the possibility of a relationship between the day in the registration cycle that a student registers and the level of student engagement. It was hypothesized that the student that was less conscientious about registering early was also less diligent in the level of engagement. Data was collected from an online course of 315 students. The date of registration was compared to the number of posts as used as a measurement of student level of engagement by running a correlation coefficient. The analysis demonstrated a weak negative relationship that was statistically significant. There is a relationship between date of registration and student levels of engagement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]