High-Impact Practices and the Theory-to-Practice

Project

George D. Kuh

RIT Faculty InstituteRochester, NY

May 27, 2010

It Takes a Whole Campus to Educate a Student

Something Else That Really Matters in College

The greatest impact appears to stem from students’ total level of campus engagement, particularly when academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular involvements are mutually reinforcing…

Pascarella & Terenzini, How College Affects Students, 2005, p. 647

Environments Matter

B = f P x E

Health Impediments to Student Success

Stress (32%) Cold/flu/sore throat (27%) Sleep difficulties (25%) Troubled friends/family (18%) Depression/anxiety (16%) Relationships (16%) Internet/computer games (14%) Alcohol (8%)

Related Perspectives

Law of primacy in social influence

Social normsPositive amplification cyclesNegative amplification cyclesStudent engagement

What percent of students nationally study two hours or more for every hour in class?

(a) 13% (b) 27% (c) 41% (d) 60% (e) none of the above

Student Engagement Quiz

a. 13%

What percent of first-year students relax or socialize five or fewer hours weekly?

(a) 9 (b) 17% (c) 29% (d) 38% (e) none of the above

Student Engagement Quiz

c. 29%

What percent of first-year students frequently exercise or participate in physical fitness activities on a weekly basis?

(a) 20% (b) 32% (c) 43% (d) 52% (e) 61%

Student Engagement Quiz

e. 61%

Student Engagement Quiz

What percent of first-year students frequently participate in activities to enhance their spirituality on a weekly basis?

(a) 14% (b) 19% (c) 33% (d) 46% (e) 65%

c. 33%

Connect student health to other key issues

Persistence Fragmented gen ed program Tired pedagogical practices Poor first-year experience Low academic challenge Work obligations Capstone experiences Under-engaged students

Ponder This

1. Are students who participate in High-Impact Practices (HIPs) more likely to flourish by exhibiting responsible, health-enhancing behaviors?

2. Which HIPs are available in our department and which students do them?

3. How do we know our HIPs are effective? What is the evidence?

Questions &

Discussion