High-Impact Practices

According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, High-Impact Educational Practices are “teaching and learning practices that have been widely tested and have been shown to be beneficial for college students from many backgrounds.” Specifically, high-impact practices represent a variety of ways in which campuses can engage students in deep, active learning, and national research has demonstrated that these practices increase student engagement, retention, and ultimately success.

Institutional research conducted by the High-Impact Practices Working Group at UCA in 2023 on first-year seminars, learning communities, education abroad and COIL, and service-learning indicated that

90% of UCA students had participated in at least one high-impact practice
58% of UCA students had participated in two or more high-impact practices
Students who participated in more high-impact practices were more likely to succeed at UCA
Students who participated in three high-impact practices were 1.3 times more likely to graduate compared to those who participated in just one high-impact practice and 4.5 times more likely to graduate compared to those who participated in no high-impact practices at all

High-impact practices are helping UCA students achieve their goals! Learn more about each high-impact practice by following the links below.

UCA High Impact Practices (HIPs)

Writing students looking at computer First-Year Seminars and Experiences