Purpose: Due to the autonomous nature of e-learning, learner control options should be provided to allow students to be more selective of content based on learning needs. Maintaining students' situational interest should also be a goal in e-learning, as research shows that doing so leads to a greater chance of success. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest in hopes of promoting better engagement through content selection based on learning needs. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzed survey responses from university students (n = 2,173) participating in a variety of massive online courses in South Korea to investigate the correlation between system-provided learner control and maintained situational interest. Additionally, the correlation between learner control and maintained situational interest was examined among demographic subsets including gender, age and grade level. Findings: Results show a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest, as well as a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest among each demographic subset. Originality/value: These results add to the current literature by promoting a practical way of maintaining students' situational interest by providing them with the ability to control aspects of their own learning processes.