Four research studies of students and faculty engaged in fully online undergraduate courses are analyzed to generate best practices for teaching and learning online. These studies investigated the relationship of student background variables and online behaviors to student persistence and achievement in the online environment. Over 500 students enrolled in lower division, undergraduate courses offered online were included in the analyses. The courses were designed by faculty and instructional design experts and met standards of quality course design established by the offering colleges and universities. By combining the results of the study, guidelines for advising students and faculty for success in the online environment emerged.