Engaging in High Impact Practices (HIPs) improves student learning outcomes. Research shows that students involved in high-impact practices enjoy higher levels of learning success, retention and degree completion. Research and research training, for example, are fundamental cornerstones of an academic institution. Students who learn to perform research, use systematic methods to investigate significant problems in innovative ways, and who learn to clearly communicate their findings to diverse audiences, are uniquely trained in the high-demand skill sets needed by our modern-day workforce. These students are also better qualified to enter top graduate programs. The other HIPs tracked will be service learning, creative projects, work-based components of courses, and culminating projects, exhibits, or capstones. This strategy aims to increase the number of SSU undergraduates who participate in HIPs through their courses and extracurricular research.
Engaging in High Impact Practices (HIPs) improves student learning outcomes. Research shows that students involved in high-impact practices enjoy higher levels of learning success, retention and degree completion. Research and research training, for example, are fundamental cornerstones of an academic institution. Students who learn to perform research, use systematic methods to investigate significant problems in innovative ways, and who learn to clearly communicate their findings to diverse audiences, are uniquely trained in the high-demand skill sets needed by our modern-day workforce. These students are also better qualified to enter top graduate programs. The other HIPs tracked will be service learning, creative projects, work-based components of courses, and culminating projects, exhibits, or capstones. This strategy aims to increase the number of SSU undergraduates who participate in HIPs through their courses and extracurricular research.
The project was adjusted to include HIPs and not just research engagement at the end of the spring 2025 semester.
Plans include collection of baseline HIPs engagement data from BANNER, providing more advanced notification regarding the Annual Research Conference in order to increase engagement, and collaboration with the College of Business Administration to better quantify student research participation within their college. In addition, in consultation with the new Academic Affairs administration, a strategy will be developed to institutionalize the participation of undergraduates in research and other HIPs.
A challenge will be gaining access to the BANNER data on HIPs coding.
