The Seven Principles of Good Practice: A framework for evaluating on-line teaching Arthur W. Bangert * Department of Education, Montana State University, 134 Reid Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States Received 18 May 2004; received in revised form 21 June 2004; accepted 21 June 2004 Abstract Traditionally, campus-based courses rely on student evaluations to provide instructors with feedback about their teaching effectiveness. However, current instructor evaluation instruments do not tap the essential teaching practices recommended for effective on-line teaching. This exploratory study used the Seven Principles of Good Practice of Chickering and Gamson [AAHE Bull. 39 (1987) 3] to design a 35-item questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of an Internet-based educational statistics course. Results from the questionnaire indicated that most learners perceived that the instructor used constructivist-based principles to effectively promote student learning and that the course was a valuable learning experience. Instructional practices identified for improvement included the creation of more stimulating discussion questions and better instructor monitoring of study groups to ensure equal participation. D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: On-line teaching effectiveness; Internet-based statistics; Student evaluations of teaching 1. Introduction Internet-based instruction is becoming a commonplace practice for delivering coursework to students enrolled in higher education programs of study. As technology advances and student enrollments increase, many universities are exploring the use of on-line instruction to meet the demands of students 1096-7516/$ - see front matter D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2004.06.003 * Tel.: +1 406 994 7424; fax: +1 406 994 3216. E-mail address: abangert@montana.edu. Internet and Higher Education 7 (2004) 217 – 232