Using "Seven Principles for Good Practice" to Teach Online Courses

Abstract

Today, we are witnessing the rapid development of Web-based learning. The

instructional strategies for Web-based learning are different from those of traditional

classroom teaching. In order to identify a set of strategies to be used in Web-based

learning environments, four online courses offered by a mid-western university in

America were examined. Data were collected from document analysis and interviews

with the online instructors. The author used "the seven principles for good practice in

undergraduate education" by Chickering & Gamson (1987) as a framework for

identifying instructional strategies on the Web. While seven principles are originally

developed for the traditional course format, this study is an effort to identify the

specifics of the principles to fit the Web environment. This paper describes the effective

instructional strategies that were used in the online courses, and provides practical

guidelines to teaching online for instructors.