In today's data-centric world, knowledge and skills in business analytics (BA) have become critical for business professionals to the extent that Foundation BA courses are increasingly being recognised globally as the core component of business programs. However, these courses are characterised by large cohorts of students from diverse backgrounds where deep engagement among students is hard to achieve. This article presents the design and implementation of Threaded Case Studies premised on the Community of Inquiry model to deepen engagement in a Foundation BA course with large and diverse cohorts of students enrolled in online and hybrid modes. The cases were developed with a focus on the social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence. The quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the Threaded Case Study approach not only increased learners' pass rate and overall satisfaction with the course, but also increased enthusiasm for the course and optimised their learning by engaging them in authentic case studies while minimising intrinsic cognitive loads. In short, there was a substantial and measurable improvement in student performance, student retention, and student satisfaction. Teaching suggestions are provided for practitioners who intend to maximise learner engagement in similar contexts.