Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses. Via Peter LeCornu: Learning, Knowledge & Technology, this article draws upon seven general principles of good teaching and then applies these to the online teaching.

Principle 1: Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact

Principle 2: Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students

Principle 3: Good Practice Encourages Active Learning

Principle 4: Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback

Principle 5: Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task

Principle 6: Good Practice Communicates High Expectations

Principle 7: Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Lesson for online instruction:

1. Instructors should provide clear guidelines for interaction with students.
2. Well-designed discussion assignments facilitate meaningful cooperation among students.
3. Students should present course projects.
4. Instructors need to provide two types of feedback: information feedback and acknowledgment feedback.
5. Online courses need deadlines.
6. Challenging tasks, sample cases, and praise for quality work communicate high expectations.
7. Allowing students to choose project topics incorporates diverse views into online courses.

Conclusion: The “Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” served as a practical lens for our team to evaluate four online courses in an accredited program at a major U.S. university. Using the seven principles as a general framework for the evaluation gave us insights into important aspects of online teaching and learning.