Abstract:

The seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education were developed by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson. The principles first appeared in the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) Bulletin. As a result of a two-year research Chickering and Gamson in cooperation with AAHE and a number of higher education faculty and colleagues, concluded that good practice in undergraduate education:
1. Encourages contact between students and faculty,
2. Encourages cooperation among students,
3. Encourages active learning,
4. Gives prompt feedback,
5. Emphasizes time on task,
6. Communicates high expectations, and
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

These principles were initially conceived for face-to-face instruction but later with the advent of information technologies they were implemented for technology-based teaching by Chickering and Ehrmann’s work.

The above seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education will be reviewed. The use of technology, especially web-based online technology, to apply these principles in teaching and learning will be examined; an example of such an implementation in an online computer class will be given; and suggestions for successful online teaching will be discussed. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future implementations will be also discussed.

Keywords:

Seven principles, best practices, online classes, students, faculty, undergraduate, cooperation, feedback, contact, computer, software, teaching.