Good practice encourages contacts between students and faculty. The most valuable contacts seem to be those that focus on intellectual interests, value issues, or future career concerns. Most folks who have written about the seven principles have focused on student outcomes. It strikes me that this principle also has implications for faculty members' satisfaction. I find it a lot more fun and rewarding to teach when I know my students, or at least some of them, personally.
Good practice develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
Ignoring the contributions that stu-dents can make to each others' learning is a waste of a valuable resource. Students need opportunities to express their ideas to an audience that matters, and to reflect on the ideas of their peers. We owe our students the opportunity to reach that level of understanding by explaining concepts to their peers. Research on peer tutor-ing, for example, suggests that tutors benefit at least as much as tutees. Putting this principle into play is not a trivial effort.