Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education first appeared in the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE) Bulletin in 1987. In this article, Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson described a set of pedagogical standards derived from decades of educational research and designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in colleges and universities.

The findings of this study remain relevant to teaching and learning in post-secondary education today. Chickering and Gamson’s study identified seven principles to improve teaching and learning. The seven principles can be found here with examples of how an instructor may enact these to support impactful learning (synchronous/asynchronous) at NIC.

Here is a link to the original article.

Online at: http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm 

Seven Principles

1. Encourage contact between students and faculty

Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty engagement helps students navigate difficulties and stay motivated to keep working. Knowing a few faculty members well enhances students’ intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and future undertakings.

At NIC, office hours are provided for students on the course outline and/or within the course to indicate availability for appointments. Humanize the student/instructor experience early on – sharing a little about yourself within your comfort levels. Instructors also have access to Kaltura classrooms through Brightspace where “on the fly” meetings can take place. No matter what strategy you use, it is important that students know where and how to connect with their instructor. Establishing an early connection is recommended.

2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

Learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good learning, like good work, is collaborative, social, not competitive, and isolated. Working with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing one’s own ideas and responding to others’ reactions sharpens thinking and deepens understanding.

At NIC, one approach used to support this principle is Team Based Learning (TBL). Having students working in teams helps build relationships in the classroom and promotes active learning.

See Teach Anywhere website for further information on TBL.

NIC offers a peer tutor program which can be accessed through the library and learning commons for most programs – https://library.nic.bc.ca/peertutoring. The library also offers private study spaces for groups to work on projects and many instructors integrate collaborative discussions using the online platform. Offering students choice in their learning goes a long way – perhaps collaboration on due dates or asking for student feedback on lessons or courses. Co learning between student and instructor strengthens relationships and improves learning outcomes.

3. Use active learning techniques

Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences and apply it to their daily lives. When students are motivated and engaged in activities during the learning process, a deeper form of learning occurs.

At NIC, the Centre for Teaching and learning Innovation (CTLI) encourages instructors to “get out of the way” of student learning to foster independence, self-regulation and increase student agency. This is done in and out of the classroom: experiential learning, team–based learning, fieldwork, debates, peer review, flipped learning, and more.

Look at these ideas for active learning activities and reach out to CTLI to share ideas and get feedback – https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/active/12_exmples_of_active_learning_activities.html

4. Give prompt feedback

Knowing what you know and don’t know focuses learning. Students need appropriate feedback on performance to benefit from courses. When getting started, students need help in assessing existing knowledge and competence. In classes, students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement. At various points during college, and at the end, students need chances to reflect on what they have learned, what they still need to know, and how to assess themselves.

At NIC, instructors use various ways to give students timely feedback on assessments or performance during skills testing.  This is done in person, or by using voice/video recordings through Brightspace. Feedback is not always related to assessment and may take place at any time. For example, at the end of class in a brief 1-1 chat between instructor and student. These opportunities to connect can be powerful for student learning.

See Teach Anywhere for more ideas on incorporating formative feedback.

5. Emphasize time on task  

Time plus energy equals learning. There is no substitute for time on task. Learning to use one’s time well is critical for students and professionals alike. Students need help in learning effective time management. Allocating realistic amounts of time means effective learning for students and effective teaching for faculty. How an institution defines time expectations for students, faculty, administrators, and other professional staff can establish the basis of high performance for all.

At NIC, instructors support student learning, while respecting student time and process. Bundling assignments for grade (contract/spec grading) is a good example of working collaboratively with the student to determine what they can achieve by semester end.

Mastery learning or ungrading can also support a learning environment that fosters time on task and student growth and development. CTLI can help with other ideas, however the time spent on preparation by the instructor gives students more time and space to learn.  The student voice in this process contributes to relationship building and clarity regarding expectations.

Visit the Teach Anywhere website for more information on ungrading.

6. Communicate high expectations 

Expect more and you will get more. High expectations are important for everyone — for the poorly prepared, for those unwilling to exert themselves, and for the bright and well-motivated. Expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when teachers and institutions hold high expectations for themselves and make extra efforts.

At NIC, it is encouraged to engage students in discussion regarding course expectations at the beginning of a course. Expectations may reflect classroom etiquette, assignments, and student behaviors.  Professionalism rubrics are an option in class to guide students to meet course/personal expectations. Dialogue with students regarding the benchmark to aim for around these expectations provides transparency and clarity. When both learner and instructor have clear ideas about expectations, the bar is set for all to achieve.

7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning 

There are many roads to learning. People bring different talents and styles of learning to college. Brilliant students in the seminar room may be all thumbs in the lab or art studio. Students rich in hands-on experience may not do so well with theory. Students need the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them. Then they can be pushed to learn in new ways that do not come so easily.

At NIC, diversity and inclusion are embedded in the fabric of NIC and it is understood that not everyone learns the same.  Class sizes are such that instructors / students can work together to determine what ways of learning are initiated in the classroom to support all learners to be successful. Contract learning and working to achieve mastery on skills are examples of how students can learn at their own pace. Accessibility to learning is offered in many ways at NIC to meet all student needs. These include online, hybrid, and face to face sessions. Guest speakers such as Elders in Residence and community partners also offer alternative ways to learn and are a welcomed variation for students in the classroom setting.

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

_{William Arthur Ward}

What Less Effective Teachers Do Wrong  

Doing the right things with your teaching is of course critical but so is avoiding the wrong things. Richard M. Felder, North Carolina State University and Rebecca Brent, Education Designs, Inc., have come up with a list of the ten worst mistakes teachers make.

They are summarized here in increasing order of “badness”.

Mistake #10: When you ask a question in class, immediately call for volunteers. When you do this most students will avoid eye contact, and either you get a response from one of the two or three who always volunteer or you answer your own question

Mistake #9: Call on students cold. If you frequently call on students without giving them time to think (“cold-calling”), the ones who are intimidated by it won’t be following your lecture as much as praying that you don’t land on them. Even worse, as soon as you call on someone, the others breathe a sigh of relief and stop thinking.

Mistake #8: Turn classes into PowerPoint shows. Droning through lecture notes put into PowerPoint slides is generally a waste of time for everyone.

Mistake #7: Fail to provide variety in instruction. Effective instruction mixes things up: board work, multimedia, storytelling, discussion, activities, individual assignments, and group work (being careful to avoid Mistake #6). The more variety you build in, the more effective the class is likely to be.

Mistake #6: Have students work in groups with no individual accountability. The way to make group work function is through using cooperative learning, an exhaustively researched instructional method that effectively promotes development of both cognitive and interpersonal skills.

Mistake #5: Fail to establish relevance. To provide better motivation, begin the course by describing how the content relates to important technological and social problems and to whatever you know of the students’ experience, interests, and career goals, and do the same thing when you introduce each new topic.

Mistake #4: Give tests that are too long. If you want to evaluate your students’ potential to be successful professionals, test their mastery of the knowledge and skills you are teaching, not their problem-solving speed.

Mistake #3: Get stuck in a rut. Things are always happening that provide incentives and opportunities for improving courses. This is not to say that you have to make major revisions in your course every time you give it-you probably don’t have time to do that, and there’s no reason to. Rather, just keep your eyes open for possible improvements you might make in the time available to you.

Mistake #2: Teach without clear learning objectives/outcomes. A key to making courses coherent and tests fair is to write learning objectives-explicit statements of what students should know and be able to do if they have learned what the instructor wants them to learn-and to use the objectives as the basis for designing lessons, assignments, and exams.

Mistake #1: Disrespect students. If you give students a sense that you don’t respect them, the class will probably be a bad experience for everyone no matter what else you do, while if you clearly convey respect and caring, it will cover a multitude of pedagogical sins you might commit.

^{Ref: https://www.celt.iastate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Top10TeachingMistakes.pdf}