Standards of Good Practice
For Teaching Online
Christina Sax
University of Maryland University College
Instructional Models

Transmission of information
traditional view of education
classroom based education

Mentoring of students

Creation of a learning community
What should I do . . .
to insure student learning & success . . .
 to make the process go smoothly . . .
 to manage the class effectively . . .

… in the absence of face-to-face contact
with students?
What should I do . . .
… to be a really successful, dynamic,
and creative online instructor and inspire
my students … without spending all my
time online and without losing my sanity
in the process?
More Questions ...

How much time should I expect to
spend online?

How often should faculty members
communicate with students?

How quickly should faculty members
respond to student questions/work?
And More Questions . . .

How often should students interact with
instructor and/or each other?

How much time should students spend
on course work?

What kinds of activities should students
engage in?
And Still More Questions ?
Seven Principles of Good Practice
Chickering & Gamson
June 1987
7 Principles for Good Practice in
Undergraduate Education
The Seven Principles
1. Encourage student-faculty contact and
interaction
2. Encourage cooperation among students
3. Encourage active learning
4. Give prompt feedback
The Seven Principles
5. Emphasize time on task
6. Communicate high expectations
7. Respect diverse talents and ways of
learning
Two Additional Principles
8. Let students know what to expect from you and in the course
9. Make effective use of the technology
How to do I Put Best Practices
into Action?
1. Encourage student-faculty
contact
Use e-mail for announcements, news,
updates, reminders, etc.
 Encourage student questions, inquiries,
feedback, input
 Refer to students by name
 Hold virtual office hours
 Instructor input into discussions

2. Encourage cooperation
among students

Activities that promote cooperation
•
•
•
•
•

team learning
asynchronous problem solving
group projects, presentations, debates
peer reviews
chats
Students exchange phone numbers
and email addresses
3. Encourage active learning
Learning is not a spectator sport

Pose questions that foster thinking and
problem solving

Interrupted Discussion method

“Each one teach one”
3. Encourage active learning

Students provide and critique URLs

Students design/create Web pages

Students develop knowledge artifacts
and concept maps

Encourage opinions as well as facts
4. Give prompt feedback

Hold virtual office hours

Return graded work in one week

Post grades regularly

Acknowledge all student questions
5. Emphasize time on task
Let student know time-on-task is
important to success
 Award points for all work
 Require discussion participation
 Provide specific learning objectives
for each unit
 Use assignments that allow students
to apply learning

6. Communicate high
expectations

Course goals and objectives in
Syllabus

Post examples of excellent, average,
and poor work

Model through example
6. Communicate high
expectations

Make your expectations of students
clear with respect to:
 facts, concepts, critical thinking, analysis,
writing, format, quantitative reasoning,
internet usage, frequency of check-ins,
frequency of interaction
7. Respect diverse talents and
ways of learning

Recognize that online classes are not
the preferred environment for some

Allow options for demonstrating student
achievement

Recognize, respect and reward
creativity
7. Respect diverse talents and
ways of learning

Be sensitive to possible cultural
differences

Understand and appreciate the distant
learner’s lifestyle
8. Let students know what to
expect - from the instructor

Response time from instructor

Lecture, support, mentor, facilitator?
 What replaces seat time/contact hours of
the face-to-face class?
8. Let students know what to
expect - in the course

Total amount of time per week

Interactive vs. independent

Rigor

Schedule and due dates
9. Make effective use of
technology

Does your discipline have specific
requirements?

What technologies/materials are
available in your discipline?

What technology/materials are
available to your students?
9. Make effective use of the
technology

Is it an effective means of content
delivery and instruction?

Where are your students located?
Is Online Teaching Really That
Different?









student-faculty interaction
student-student cooperation
active learning
prompt feedback
time on task
high expectations
diversity
communication
effective use of materials
Future Questions, Comments,
Suggestions, Ideas ….
Chris Sax
UMUC
301-985-7625
csax@umuc.edu
“Teaching Science Online” Discussion
Group - www.mdfaconline.org/
mdfaconline/facfellows.html