Digital Pedagogy
Seven Principles of Good Practice
About the Principles
One of the classics of the "evidence informed" educational literature is Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson's article "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education", originally published in 1987 and followed by a book in 1991. The seven principles were designed based on extensive research and focus on high-touch and high-impact practices for improving undergraduate education.
Even though they developed their principles in a time before online learning as we know it, Chickering and Gamson's principles are as relevant as ever. Below you'll find suggestions for how to use Blackboard and other tools for digital learning to implement the seven principles.
“These seven principles are not ten commandments shrunk to a 20th century attention span. They are intended as guidelines for faculty members, students, and administrators – with support from state agencies and trustees — to improve teaching and learning. These principles seem like good common sense, and they are — because many teachers and students have experienced them and because research supports them. They rest on 50 years of research on the way teachers teach and students learn, how students work and play with one another, and how students and faculty talk to each other.”
—1—
Encourages Student Faculty Contact
Tips: Respond to student e-mail within 24 hours. Facilitate multiple forums of communication with students. Be available electronically and in person, and inform students of availability, office hours, etc.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- Announcements
- Discussion Board
- Live Zoom Sessions
- Blogs and Journals
- Wikis
- Embedded Video Orientations and Welcome Messages
- Embedded Panopto Videos
—2—
Encourages Cooperation Among Students
Tips: Use online communications tools for groups, collaborative learning, and problem solving. Create electronic opportunities for class discussion of assignments and concepts.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- Discussion Boards
- Groups
- Live Zoom sessions
- Journals
- Padlet (can be integrated into Blackboard)
—3—
Encourages Active Learning
Tips: Leverage live real-time collaboration. Design lessons that use universal design and active learning principles, are hands-on, and facilitate engagement.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- Live Zooma Sessions
- Discussion Board
- Journals
- External Links
- Gamification (Kahoot, etc.)
—4—
Give Prompt Feedback
Tips: Strive for effective use of e-mail, assignments, gradebook, etc. to give students prompt, constructive and meaningful feedback. Regularly monitor classroom environment (in person and online) to ensure student concerns are addressed and quality timely feedback is provided.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- Assessments
- Assignments
- Gradebook
- Discussion Board
- Journals and Portfolios
—5—
Emphasizes Time On Task
Tips: Ensure appropriate amount of time to complete online content and assignments. Refer students toward available resources. Design online experiences that allow for flexibility and universal design principles.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- External Links
- Providing Estimated Times on Activities in Content Areas & Assignments
- Extend Classroom-based Activities Online
- Adaptive Release
- Due Dates/Deadlines/Availability of Content
- Assignments
—6—
Communicates High Expectations
Tips: Provide criteria for evaluating assignments/activities that are clearly articulated. Collaboratively create course expectations with students. Provide samples of excellent, average, and/or poor performance.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- State Learning Objective at Beginning of Week or Activity in Content Areas
- Group Work
- Provide Examples of Student Work for Assignments
- Adaptive Release
- Use Praise and Model in Discussion Boards to increase Participation
- Provide Gradebook Feedback
- Provide Discussion Board Feedback
—7—
Respects Diverse Talents And Ways Of Learning
Tips: Leverage different methods of learning through visuals and well-organized narrative. Establish course tasks requiring analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, with application to real-life situations. Encourage self-reflection and self-evaluation. Assess student learning styles and tailor the educational experience. Facilitate student collaboration and group problem solving. Provide opportunity for empathy for students with different levels of technology literacy using universal design principles.
Recommended Blackboard Tools
- Embedding Videos and Digital media
- Creating Animations
- Group Work
- Discussion Board
- Journals
- Offering Choice in Assignments/Assessments