IU-Bloomington faculty gathered in the Indiana Memorial Union Frangipani Room on Friday to discuss the use of high-impact practices on the campus, in response to a provision of the campus Strategic Plan that calls for an increase in high-impact practices.
High-impact practices include participation in learning communities, service-learning opportunities, research with faculty, internships or field experience, and study abroad, said Nancy Chick, director of the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University.
“(A high-impact practice) is an investment of time and energy, over a period of time, that has unusually positives effects on student engagement,” Chick said.
Though high-impact practices are already present on the campus, the goal is to make them more prevalent, said Greg Siering, director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at IU.
“Part of what we’re doing as a campus is taking the time to make sure that we consciously build a culture on our campus that’s filled with those opportunities for students, so they’re not necessarily working extra hard to seek out high-impact practices,” Siering said.
Each year, the National Survey of Student Engagement measures the use of high-impact practices at colleges and universities across the nation, including the use of high-impact practices at IU.
According to a 2012 survey of IU freshmen, 20 percent participated in a learning community, 38 percent participated in a service-learning opportunity and 6 percent performed research with faculty.
Among surveyed IU seniors, 28 percent participated in a learning community, 48 percent participated in a service-learning opportunity and 22 percent performed research with faculty, according to a 2012 survey.
52 percent also had an internship or field experience, 25 percent studied abroad, and 24 participated in a culminating senior experience, such as a capstone project.
An improved GPA, expanded critical thinking skills, and an increased appreciation of diversity are among the benefits of high-impact practices, said Bob Gonyea, associate director of research and data analysis for the NSSE.
The benefits of high-impact practices stem from considerable time and effort, interaction with faculty and peers, frequent and meaningful feedback, experience with different settings, and strong connections to curriculum that characterize the curricular and co-curricular activities, Gonyea said.
Roundtable discussions, facilitated by Katherine Engebretson of the School of Education, Hilary Kahn of the School of Global and International Studies, Andrew Libby of the Department of Biology, Nancy Magill of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemisty, Kate Reck of the Department of Chemistry and Kyle Rinne of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, focused on how faculty have already incorporated high-impact practices into their courses.
Engebretson, for example, said her students tutor English language learners in the Monroe County Community School Corporation for 10 weeks.
“ Through systematic reflection and extended relationship building with their students, these pre-service teachers developed skills such as community engagement, open mindedness and empathy levels previously unreached through other educational experiences,” Engebretson said in a handout .
Students do not necessarily acquire such benefits from classroom activities, said Dennis Groth, vice provost of education.
“Everything that happens that is an influence on student success doesn’t necessarily happen in the classroom,” Groth said.
