Intersection of High-Impact Practices

Shauna Reilly is director of the Institute for Student Research and Creative Activity at Northern Kentucky University.Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh is vice provost for graduate education, research and outreach at Northern Kentucky University.

Langley-Turnbaugh and Reilly’s book, The Intersection of High-Impact Practices: What’s Next for Higher Education?, is timely and warranted. As universities grapple with new, post-pandemic realities, we again find ourselves searching for distinction. The value-added elements of campus experiences are found within high-impact practices. And while the past fifteen years have seen George Kuh's (2008) concept embraced, with directors and offices of HIPs spread across campuses, very little has been done to validate the actual impact of these practices. These authors offer us a road map for that assessment, guided by their extensive efforts on their own campus. Any university taking on an accreditation effort, quality initiative, or strategic plan (as we see in their story) could follow the model provided. Reading their text gave me visions of a new classification system for colleges, much like one focused on community engagement. Langley-Turnbaugh and Reilly's system could consider HIPs across time, in terms of intensity, and then in combination - or in concert, as they say. Keep a look out for more to come from these authors.

• Ch. 1 – Introduction to High-Impact PracticesCh. 2 – The First-yearCh. 3 – CurriculumCh. 4 – Community EngagementCh. 5 – Study AbroadCh. 6 – InternshipsCh. 7 – Student Research ExperiencesCh. 8 - Conclusion and Advice for Higher EducationBibliographyAppendix A: Survey InstrumentAppendix B: Focus Group Questions