High Impact Practices

Due to their positive associations with student learning and retention, certain undergraduate opportunities are designated "high-impact." High-Impact Practices (HIPs) share several traits: They demand considerable time and effort, facilitate learning outside of the classroom, require meaningful interactions with faculty and students, encourage collaboration with diverse others, and provide frequent and substantive feedback. As a result, participation in these practices can be life-changing (Kuh, 2008). George Kuh recommends that institutions should aspire for all students to participate in at least two HIPs over the course of their undergraduate experience—one during the first year and one in the context of their major (NSSE, 2007).

Kuh identified ten learning experiences as high-impact practices:
•         First Year Seminars and Experiences
•         Common Intellectual Experiences
•         Learning Communities
•         Writing Intensive Courses
•         Collaborative Assignments and Projects
•         Undergraduate Research
•         Diversity/Global Learning
•         Service Learning, Community-Based Learning
•         Internships
•         Capstone Courses and Projects

References:

Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

National Survey of Student Engagement (2007). Experiences that matter: Enhancing student learning and success—Annual Report 2007. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.