HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICESHIPs@BU

Graham W. L. Ellis, Ph.D.

Vice Provost

Presentation given at the 2015 Bellarmine University Conference on Student Success

HIPS@BU

1. WHAT IS A HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICE?

2. TYPES OF HIPs3. HIPs AT BELLARMINE4. 2015 NSSE DATA5. EVIDENCE OF HIGH IMPACT6. CONCLUSIONS

HIPS@BU: WHAT IS A HIP? High-Impact Practices are techniques and designs for teaching

and learning that have proven to be beneficial for student engagement and successful learning among students from many backgrounds. Through intentional program design and advanced pedagogy, these types of practices can enhance student learning and work to narrow gaps in achievement across student populations. [https://www.aacu.org/resources/high-impact-practices]

High Impact Practices are “an investment of time and energy over an extended period that has unusually positive effects on student engagement in educationally purposeful behavior.”George D. Kuh, “Foreward,” Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality by Jayne E. Brownell and Lynn E. Swaner, AAC&U, 2010

  Kuh recommends committing to reach every student at least twice

with an HIP, once within in the first year and once in the junior or senior year connected to the major. George Kuh, High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008).

HIPS@BU: TYPES OF HIPS First Year Seminars Writing-Intensive Courses Learning Communities Internships (including co-op, field experience, student

teaching, and clinical placement) Diversity/Global Learning (including study abroad) Undergraduate Research Culminating Senior Experience (capstones, etc.) Common Intellectual Experiences (general education core) Collaborative Assignments/Projects Community-Based Learning (including service learning)Now included in NSSE Reports(http://nsse.indiana.edu/html/high_impact_practices.cfm)In addition, the following are sometimes considered to be high-impact practices (or have been folded into one or more of the ten above): Advising (Academic/Developmental) Career Development Leadership Experiences

HIPs@BU: 2015 NSSE DATA

KY: n=18, private and publicCIC: n = 26PR (private) MW/SE: n= 226

What our students say:Response RatesFirst Years = 28%Seniors = 36%

HIPs@BU: 2015 NSSE DATA

HIPS@BU: FIRST YEAR SEMINAR

@BU: IDC. 101 and HONR 101 – required of all first year students The Freshman Seminar courses are designed to engage students, at

the start of their university lives, in serious academic inquiry with an interdisciplinary focus. Within the content framework of investigating a significant topic or issue, the primary focus of Freshman Seminar courses is to help students begin to achieve a set of skills/abilities required for success at the university level and beyond. The topics of Freshman Seminar are set by the individual instructors and reflect a wide ranging set of interdisciplinary issues such as, but certainly not limited to, the environment, health care, globalization, and the arts. Students are required to practice both critical and creative approaches to the individual seminar topic and to develop essential university-level abilities in oral and written communication. [IDC. 101 course description]

Freshman Honors Seminars are offered on a variety of subjects by faculty members from across the university. They fulfill IDC. 101, the freshman seminar required of all Bellarmine students. [HONR 101 course description]

IDC assessment of required research paper shows spring students do significantly better than fall students (amplified if in a learning community (six dimension rubric: thesis, logic & organization, research, analysis of sources, documentation, and control of language scored from 1 - poor to 5 – excellent)

~75% of IDC. 101 sections taught by part-time faculty  

HIPS@BU: FIRST YEAR SEMINAR

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-142

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4

FALLSPRING

IDC. 101 research paper scores weighted averages (external readers)

HIPS@BU: WRITING-INTENSIVE COURSESo Bellarmine has no formal definition for a writing-intensive course

and courses are not designated as such in the catalog.o General education outcome: Facility in oral and written

communication (ENGL, IDC, & some other programs.)o Majors which include writing in their SLOs: Accounting, Arts

Administration, Chemistry (BS), Communication, Economics, English, Environmental Science/Studies, FLIS, History, Philosophy, Physics, Spanish, Sports Administration, Theatre, and Theology

o Assessment: IDC research papers, ENGL 101/200 papers, CLA, and program assessment of SLOs

IDC 101 IDC 200 IDC 301 IDC 4011.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

R² = 0.70074436532757

Six-year weighted average IDC research papers (externally scored)

HIPS@BU: LEARNING COMMUNITIES Galileo (GLC): first year pre-medical and health sciences

majors (~95 pre-nursing, exercise science, BMB, and Biology majors per cohort) - established 2012

Cohort Year

Enrollment (% of FTFT

cohort)

1st2nd Semester % Retention (non-GLC)

1st3rd Semester % Retention

(non-GLC/entire cohort)2012 91 (15.0) 94.5 (93.6) 79.1 (79.8/79.7)2013 98 (14.5) 95.9 (91.8) 81.8 (79.3/79.7)2014 91 (13.7) 98.9 (89.9) 84.6 (80.1/80.8)2015 101 (14.3) -- --

Cohort Year

BIOL 108 BIOL 130GLC 1st2nd semester % retention (1st3rd % retention)

Non-GLC1

1st2nd semester % retention (1st3rd % retention)

Spring BIOL 109 GLC (non-GLC)2

GLC 1st2nd semester % retention (1st3rd % retention)3

Non-GLC 1st2nd semester % retention (1st3rd % retention)

2012 95.2 (76.5) 96.8 (76.5) 75.8 (80.6)

-- --

2013 100 (82.0) 91.8 (82.6) 91.1 (76.7)

92.0 (82.8) 95.7 (81.5)

2014 100 (88.7) 93.8 (82.6) 86.7 (71.9)

100 (75.9) 88.9 (81.9)1Non-Galileo students who have the same academic profile as Galileo students 2Percentage of students taking BIOL 109 in the spring of their first year3Galileo expanded to include medical science majors (take BIOL 130 not BIOL 108) in fall of 2013

HIPS@BU: LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Brown Leadership (BLC): first and second year students (~55 per cohort from mainly business, communication, education, and social sciences majors) - established 2013

Rachel Carson (RCLC): first year students interested in the environment (~15 students from a variety of majors, expected to attract students to environmental science and environmental studies majors) - established 2015 (first students in fall 2015)

Eureka (ELC): all years for STEM majors (chemistry, computer science/engineering, math, and physics - numbers vary from year to year – tracking is erratic) – established 2013

Cohort Year Enrollment (% of FTFT cohort)

1st2nd Semester % Retention (non-BLC)

1st3rd Semester % Retention (non-BLC/entire cohort)

1st5th Semester % Retention (non-BLC/entire cohort)

2013 57 (8.5) 94.7 (92.2)

89.5 (78.8/79.7)

84.2 (70.7/70.9)

2014 53 (8.0) 90.6 (91.2)

79.2 (82.0/80.8)

--

2015 51 (7.2) -- -- --

HIPS@BU: LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Honors Program (HP): all years for high achieving students (minimum ACT of 28 required). Tracking participation has been problematic. In recent years, the enrollment target has been around 60 entering first year students. Retention in the program continues to be an issue though exact data is not available due to issues with tracking.

Pioneer Scholars Program (PSP): open to all incoming first year first generation students

  PARTICIPATION RETENTION(1st 3rd semester)

GPA(end of 2nd semester)

Cohort Year

# First Gen (% of cohort)

% Pioneer1

(1st semester)

% Pioneer1

(year)

Pioneer (year)

Non-Pioneer (first gen)

FTFT cohort

Pioneer (year)

Non-Pioneer (first gen)

FTFT cohort

2010 238 (41.2)

16.4 39.9 84.2 62.5 77.6 3.05 2.84 3.02

2011 271 (45.2)

14.8 51.3 89.2 76.1 80.5 3.01 2.91 3.03

2012 197 (32.5)

15.2 47.7 89.4 61.4 79.7 2.85 2.66 2.78

2013 243 (36.1)

18.5 48.1 87.2 60.5 79.7 3.06 2.88 3.14

2014 263 (39.5)

21.3 53.6 92.8 56.1 80.8 2.70 2.46 2.66

1% of first gen students who participate in Pioneer program for one semester or two semesters

non-LC S13 Galileo S13 non-LC S14 Galileo S14 BLC S14 non-LC S15 GLC S15 BLC S152

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4

Weighted Average

LEARNING COMMUNITY SPRING IDC. 101 RESEARCH PAPER SCORES

WEIGHTED AVERAGES (EXTERNAL READERS)

HIPs@BU: LEARNING COMMUNITIES

HIPS@BU: INTERNSHIPS Majors in which an internship is required: A.A., B.A.,

COMM, CJS, DAT, ENVI/ENVS, EXSC, MDLS, PSYC – Clinical & Counseling and Human Resources tracks only, SPOR (B.A. 444 or COMM 444)

Majors with other external requirements: EDUC (field placements), NURS/A (clinicals), and R.T. (clinicals)

Majors with internships that are not required: ACCT, ART, C.S., ECON, ENGL, SPAN, HIST, MATH, MUSC/T, P.S., PSYC (traditional track), SOC, THEA, and THEO

Minors with internships that are not required: WGST Majors with no internships: BMB, BIOL, CHEM,

FINA, FLIS, L.S., PHIL and PHYS No systematic assessment – some programs

evaluate internships as part of program assessment

HIPS@BU: DIVERSITY/GLOBAL LEARNING

Bellarmine has no single definition for diversity and global learning. We do have study abroad and a general education outcome: comparative understanding of the world’s peoples, place, and cultures which is addressed by several programs (IDC, History, etc.)

Four of seven BU strategic initiatives address this topic• Celebrates our Catholic identity in the inclusive spirit of

Thomas Merton as the foundation to our commitment to student fulfillment and global consciousness;

• Integrates international awareness, focus and sensibility into all curricular and co-curricular programs;

• Creates a sustainable future for our region, nation and world through an abiding respect for nature, through interdisciplinary environmental education and through moral leadership grounded in our Catholic heritage;

• Improves the human condition through service to our community, region, nation and world;

HIPS@BU: DIVERSITY/GLOBAL LEARNING QEP (2008-2013): Liberal Education in an

International Context: Preparing Students for a Globally Competitive World

The objective of our QEP was to internationalize the student learning experience. The plan called for accomplishing this objective by enhancing international curricular offerings (i.e.,

new courses) – e.g., anthropology, geography, and international studies minors

internationalizing the existing curriculum (i.e., course transformation) – e.g., geography requirement in IDC.

and increasing student and faculty participation in international experiences – ~54% increase in students from pre-QEP (~1/3rd of students study abroad)

HIPS@BU: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Programs requiring undergraduate research: Chemistry (BS),

Environmental Sciences, History, Honors, and Sociology Majors that offer undergraduate research but it is not required:

BMB, Biology, Computer Engineering/Science, Mathematics, and Psychology.

Programs that include a research requirement within another course (usually capstone): Economics (441 – Senior Seminar in Economic Research), English (450 – Integrative Seminar), Film Studies (471 – Advanced Film Theory), FLIS (490 – Senior Capstone), MDLS (480 – Senior Capstone Project), Spanish(490 – Senior Capstone)

It is probable that some students undertake research with faculty but not for credit – usually in the summer.

Some programs assess undergraduate research as part of their assessment of student learning outcomes. Some programs require/encourage students to present their research at internal (undergraduate research poster session and Honors thesis presentation session) and external meetings.

HIPS@BU: CULMINATING SENIOR EXPERIENCES

Programs with a required capstone course/project: ACCT (425 – Advanced Accounting Issues), ART (410 – Portfolio), A.A.(300 – Arts administration Seminar), COMM (400 – Communication Ethics), DAT (401 – Senior Capstone Project), ECON (441 – Senior Seminar in Economic Research), Ethics [minor] (424 – Capstone in Ethics), FLIS (490 – Senior Capstone), IDC (401 – Senior Seminar), MATH (450 – Readings in Mathematics), MDLS (450 – Senior Capstone Project), MUSC/T (410 – Senior Recital), PSYC (490 – Capstone Seminar in Psychology), SPAN (490 – Senior Capstone), S.A. (Sports Administration Capstone), THEA (480 – Capstone Project), and WGST [minor] (490 – Senior Capstone Seminar)

Undergraduate research is quite often considered the capstone experience in the sciences (see previous slide)

Most programs use capstone courses/projects as part of their program assessment process. Some programs use Bellarmine’s Celebration of Undergraduate Research poster session to present their work.

HIPS@BU: COMMON INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES

Common general education courses: ENGL 101, ENGL 200, HIST 116/117, IDC. 101, IDC. 200, IDC. 301, IDC. 401, PHIL 160, PHIL 301, and THEO 200. However, it should be noted that there is much variation between sections of the same course. This is intentional for the IDC program though each level has a set of required assignments. English and Theology are working on developing more standard versions of their courses with common outcomes, assignments, etc.

The work of LET will result in the next iteration of a common “core” for our students.

HIPS@BU: COLLABORATIVE ASSIGNMENTS/PROJECTS

AAC&U Definition Collaborative learning combines two key goals:

learning to work and solve problems in the company of others, and sharpening one’s own understanding by listening seriously to the insights of others, especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences. Approaches range from study groups within a course, to team-based assignments and writing, to cooperative projects and research.

Since much of this HIP is course specific and varies considerably by course, an in-depth survey of faculty will be required to identify courses (and co-curricular activities) where the various approaches to this HIP are being practiced.

HIPS@BU: COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNINGAAC&U Definition In these programs, field-based “experiential learning” with

community partners is an instructional strategy—and often a required part of the course. The idea is to give students direct experience with issues they are studying in the curriculum and with ongoing efforts to analyze and solve problems in the community. A key element in these programs is the opportunity students have to both apply what they are learning in real-world settings and reflect in a classroom setting on their service experiences. These programs model the idea that giving something back to the community is an important college outcome, and that working with community partners is good preparation for citizenship, work, and life.

At this time, Bellarmine does not systematically identify courses as community-based learning experiences. In addition, co-curricular and other non-course based experiences are not listed in in a single venue. The Office of Community Service and Service Learning is housed in the Division of Student Affairs. Patrick Englert, Assistant VPSA, runs the office and works with faculty who have and who are planning to integrate community-based learning into their courses. Overall assessment is still much of a hit-and-miss affair.

HIPS@BU: CONCLUSION

HIP @BU? REACH ASSESSMENT HIGH IMPACT?

FYS YES 100% YES YES?

WIC YES 100% MIXED YES?

LC YES ~10% MIXED YES?

INTERNSHIPS YES >75% MIXED YES?

DIV/GLOBAL YES ~33%(SA)

MIXED YES?

UG RESEARCH YES ? MIXED YES?

CAPSTONES YES 100% YES YES?

CORE YES 100% YES ?

COLLAB. EXP. YES ? ? ?

CBL YES 100% MIXED YES?