National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) High Impact Practices Learning Communities Service Learning Courses Study Abroad Experiences Internships Capstone courses or culminating senior experiences Research with a faculty member

There is substantial evidence that students do better (in terms of learning and persistence) with high impact practices, learning in a social context and service learning) and that is particularly true of underrepresented minority, first-generation, transfer, and low-income students. (G Kuh, High Impact Practices)

Analysis of NSSE data indicated that undergraduate research and service learning were rated similar by students as having the highest impact of the ‘high impact practices’.

Making the Link Making engagement with society a fundamental and intentional part of high quality learning as well as involving projects in a social context allows students learn in their own cultural context provides a motivation for and improves the quality of learning. Ways that students can see themselves as key players in learning and projects that are relevant to their lives, improves their sense of self-efficacy. Featuring social projects as part of the institutional mission helps students to see themselves as part of efforts which they value and motivates them to engage.

Student Comments from Qualitative Studies “[The professor] would apply [classroom material]… to our daily lives…..[H]e would use TV shows or use radio….or something else that….we actually listened to…instead of just saying….’here’s Aristotle’ and…all those old people that are already dead that ….none of us knew or knew anything about.” “I have a professor…[who] does not require a textbook at all, and I have not missed one of his classes….I wake up early to go and it is because what he teaches us is relevant to our lives. I think that’s the most important thing, because a lot of students here, they go to class, and what they’re learning has nothing to do with what they want to do in life, so I feel like relevancy…kind of engages you more on the subject.” Finley and McNair, AAC&U