CU Boulder engages in High-Impact Practices in a distributed way across the campus. The concept of High Impact Practices is one of the three tenets of Taking Student Success to Scale (TS3), led by the National Association of System Heads.
One example of a High-Impact Practice is CU Boulder’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program which offers an opportunity for students and faculty to form partnerships to conduct research, scholarly and creative projects in all majors and fields of study. For more information on High-Impact Practices, see below:
Dimensions of High-Impact Practices
This document provides a glossary of categorical terms of high impact practices. Prior to doing so, the authors discuss the importance of improving student learning, and how high intensity high impact practices play a role in higher learning gains. The components of high impact practices defined in the glossary are categorized under three broad dimensions: 1) intentionality – the act of establishing coherent learning experiences and making sure the learning objectives of these experience are transparent to students; 2) interaction – acknowledging that students must interact with faculty, other students, and staff on a campus because learning does not occur in a vacuum; and 3) reflection – based on the recognition that a student’s sense of how knowledge relates to life grows with deep reflection incorporated throughout the course. Samples of how to structure the curriculum such that these high impact practices can be implemented are also provided in the document.
George Kuh on High-Impact Practices
In this presentation, George Kuh provides an overview of High-Impact Practices and how they shape student success and outcomes. Student success is defined as academic achievement, engagement in educationally purposeful activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired knowledge, skills and competencies, persistence, attainment of educational objectives, and post-university performance. Kuh outlines early indicators for success, particularly those related to student engagement, and provides examples of specific high-impact practices that can contribute to student success.
High-Impact Practices Chart
This document provides a chart including an overview of 5 HIPs: 1) learning communities; 2) service learning; 3) undergraduate research; 4) first-year seminars; and 5) capstone courses and projects. Included in this chart is a list of general outcomes, outcomes for underserved students, moderating variables, and issues with research in these areas.