This study examined the qualities of good virtual teachers, investigating what aspects of teaching and learning college teachers and students considered the most important in a Web-based learning environment. Participants were teachers and students who taught or studied at Helsinki Virtual Open University from 1995-99. Respondents completed mailed questionnaires that assessed how learning was tailored to meet students' individual needs and how well teachers provided personalized guidance and feedback to students. Teachers and students also wrote qualitative essays describing their ideas about good virtual teachers. Data analysis indicated that both teachers and students believed that the characteristics of a good virtual teacher were very much the same as the characteristics of an effective teacher in general (businesslike, clear in communication, friendly, easy to approach, and willing to look at students' individual differences). They believed that a good virtual teacher needed pedagogical wisdom, teaching experience, and subject matter knowledge. They considered computer skills important, though not among the top qualities of a virtual teacher. (Contains 18 references.) (SM)