Faculty and staff leading High-Impact Practices (HIPs) who are interested in better understanding the quality of the HIPs offered at their institution may be interested in NSSE's new pilot project, HIPs in Practice, a continuation of Assessing Quality and Equity in High-Impact Practices (HIPs), supported by Lumina Foundation.
HIPs in Practice is a targeted data collection focused on students participating in specific HIPs. During Spring 2021, we’re focusing on two HIPs -- learning communities and culminating experiences (capstone course, senior project, etc.). The item sets will deepen the investigation of HIPs by collecting more contextualized data through surveys keyed to specific HIPs. Items from the HIP quality set, engagement-related questions drawn from NSSE (questions about higher-order learning, reflective & integrative learning), and items adapted from NSSE's module on Inclusiveness and Engagement with Cultural Diversity to examine equity, are included. View the item sets.
Who Can Participate?
To participate, institutions or programs must be able to identify students who are involved in one of the designated HIPs (learning communities or culminating experiences) and administer the survey this spring 2021 semester (or just after the semester ends as an end of program evaluation activity). Survey samples are determined by you - for example, HIPs in Practice surveys can be administered to students in one learning community or across all sophomore-level learning communities, or to seniors in a Business capstone course, or to Honors program students doing senior projects.
Why Participate in HIPs in Practice?
Participation in HIPs in Practice provides learning community coordinators, faculty teaching capstones or in learning communities, and departments offering capstones or senior projects in-depth, HIP-specific information about the quality of students' experience, insight into issues of diversity and inclusion and the benefits of participation in this HIP. Such data are valuable for program evaluation and assessments of quality to guide program improvement. Datafiles will be returned to project contacts for their use in program assessment and improvement efforts.
How will the Survey be Administered and What Information is Needed?
There are two options for administering the survey:
- The HIPs in Practice project administers your survey: We send all emails on a set schedule and require a population file that contains: Student First Name, Student Last Name, Student Primary Email, and the HIP the student is participating in.
- You administer your survey: You send invitations and reminders. We'll provide links to the survey, and a sample reminder schedule. Links will be specific to HIPs or program and must be shared carefully. We will need a list of HIPs or programs you intend to survey.
Who Should be the HIPs in Practice Contact?
Contacts will manage the administration process and be asked to complete a program-level questionnaire to provide information about the program (i.e. class level, number of students, program name, etc.). We recommend that each distinct program, such as capstone course faculty member or LC coordinator, have its own contact.
What is the Cost of Participation?
The HIPs in Practice survey is a grant funded pilot project and will be administered at no cost.
How do I Register?
If you are interested in being part of the HIPs in Practice pilot, please complete our interest form. The deadline to complete this form is APRIL 30, 2021 (surveys must be administered to students in spring term). Programs that qualify for participation will be contacted within one week with administration information.