The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift towards online and blended learning; however, most students and faculty members still report more challenges in online courses regarding social interaction and engagement. This paper aimed to design an interactive blended course following Merrills' first principles of instruction model to develop students' social and emotional learning skills and engagement in higher education. A mixed-method design, including questionnaires and interviews, was used with a sample population which consisted of 90 graduate students and divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in-terms of social--emotional learning skills and students' engagement due to the high perception of the experimental group. The findings also revealed that the most dominant social--emotional learning skills that appeared to be supported by applying these strategies from the students' point of view were self-awareness and social awareness. The study also found that instructor presence, effective course design and appropriate use of technology significantly influenced students' engagement.