HIP

A Closer Look at High-Impact Practices

Table 4 displays the percentage of all U.S. respondents who participated in each HIP by selected student and institution characteristics. In general, results show the following:

• Seniors at Baccalaureate Arts and Sciences colleges experienced HIPs at considerably higher rates.

• HIP participation showed little variation by sex but did vary somewhat by race/ethnicity, with some students of color less likely to have done research with faculty, study abroad, or an internship or field experience.

• HIP participation was much more common among traditional-age students and those enrolled full time, and somewhat less common among first-generation and transfer students.

• HIP participation varied by major-field category. For example, seniors in the biological sciences (including related fields such as agriculture and natural resources) and physical sciences (including math and computer science) were more likely to participate in research with faculty, while those in education and social service professions were more likely to participate in service-learning.

Are Students Meeting the HIP Challenge?

NSSE recommends that institutions make it possible for all students to participate in at least two HIPs over the course of their undergraduate experience—including one in the first year and another in the context of the major. Figure 12 displays the percentage of students who participated in High-Impact Practices. About 3 in 5 first-year students participated in at least one HIP, and about 5 out of 8 seniors participated in at least two HIPs.

Institution Data Use Story

Since 2015, when Marian University (Indiana) first administered NSSE and began an institutional effort to increase student participation in internships and field experiences, participation in these career-related High-Impact Practices (HIPs) has grown by 16 percentage points. In NSSE 2019, 82% of Marian’s seniors reported participating in an internship.

This program’s success has largely been driven by Marian’s institutional culture of cross-department support as well as an institutional focus on remaining learning centered. Housed within The Exchange, Marian’s career development office, the program comprises an institutional system for internships that includes partnerships between academic departments and the Office of Institutional Research, which oversees the administration of NSSE and strives to make both quantitative and qualitative data accessible to all stakeholders through presentations across campus and intranet access. This extent of access and communication has increased support for more comprehensive HIP programs like the internship initiative.

Marian is also committed to assessment to ensure equity and quality. For example, they plan to examine which students participate in internships and how their engagement outcomes compare to those of nonparticipants. Using the NSSE Report Builder to focus on findings related to internships as well as incorporating other sources of institutional data, The Exchange can help improve HIPs by providing more training and resources for supervisors of internship programs.

The most satisfying element of my experience at OSU has been the opportunity to learn from researchers in my field of interest and participate in actual research.
SENIOR, BOTANY, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

HIP

A Closer Look at High-Impact Practices

Are Students Meeting the HIP Challenge?

Institution Data Use Story

Evidence-Based Improvement in Higher Education resources and social media channels