Use High Impact Practices (HIPs)

��HIP Quick Idea

Prompt:
Choose a scenario and write one sentence about how you’d apply a High Impact Practice (HIP) to enhance student engagement.

First-Year Seminar: How would you connect class topics to students' personal goals?
Collaborative Project: How would you promote fair teamwork in an online group activity?
Diversity Learning: How could you include global or diverse perspectives in your course?
Capstone Project: What real-world problem would your students tackle?

Why HIPs Matter

High Impact Practices (HIPs) are educational strategies proven to improve student retention, academic performance, and graduation rates. Originally identified by George Kuh through his work with the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), these practices include:

First-year seminars
Learning communities
Writing-intensive courses
Collaborative projects
Undergraduate research
Diversity and global learning
Service-learning
Internships
Capstone courses

HIPs are particularly impactful for historically underserved students, fostering equitable outcomes and deeper engagement. By participating in these practices, students connect classroom knowledge to real-life experiences, engage meaningfully with diverse peers, and strengthen relationships with faculty, leading to more enriching academic journeys.

Five High-Impact Teaching Practices by L. Dee Fink

L. Dee Fink has outlined five key practices to integrate HIPs into teaching effectively:

Helping Students Become Meta-Learners
Teach students how to think about their own learning processes to enhance their skills and confidence.
Learning-Centered Course Design
Create courses that focus on student learning and meaningful outcomes, ensuring every activity aligns with the learning goals.
Using Small Groups Effectively
Leverage small group work to promote collaboration and active engagement in learning.
Service Learning and Community Engagement
Include opportunities for students to connect coursework with real-world issues, incorporating reflection to deepen learning.
Being a Leader with Your Students
Inspire and motivate students by demonstrating enthusiasm and commitment to their success.

Applying HIPs in Remote and Online Learning

In a remote learning environment, feelings of isolation and reduced motivation are common. Incorporating HIPs creatively into online courses can:

Strengthen connections between students and faculty.
Foster collaboration among peers.
Lead to deeper learning experiences through meaningful interactions.

For example:

Use small groups in virtual breakout rooms to encourage collaboration.
Introduce reflective assignments to help students connect course material to their lives.
Explore service-learning projects students can do remotely.

Digital Identity & High Impact Practices: BuffsCreate as a HIP Tool

is a powerful resource that aligns closely with the goals of High Impact Practices (HIPs), especially in areas like undergraduate research, writing-intensive courses, collaborative projects, diversity learning, and capstone experiences.

Through , students design and manage their own digital domains using platforms like WordPress, Omeka, and Scalar. This initiative gives learners agency over their digital identities and fosters critical thinking about authorship, information sharing, and self-representation—skills that are increasingly essential in academic, professional, and civic life.

By incorporating into your course, you can:

Enhance Student Engagement: Let students showcase course projects, research, or reflective portfolios on their own custom websites.
Support Capstone or Research Work: Students can document their processes, share findings, and develop professional portfolios.
Advance Equity: empowers all students—not just those with access to advanced tech resources—to build digital literacy and express diverse perspectives.
Build Collaboration: Group websites and blogs foster teamwork and shared learning outcomes.
Encourage Reflection and Meta-Learning: Students can blog, curate digital exhibits, or create learning journals, helping them reflect on their academic journeys.

is more than a tech tool—it's a platform for creativity, ownership, and inclusive learning. It supports L. Dee Fink’s high-impact teaching strategies, particularly by encouraging meta-learning, leadership, and digital citizenship.

Want to explore how BuffsCreate can support your teaching goals?
Visit the website, , or contact Amanda McAndrew for support.

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