High-Impact Practices within the Honors College Curriculum
October 8, 2015
On September 22nd, the Purdue Honors College advising team attended the Purdue Academic Advising Association (PACADA) annual retreat featuring leading educational researcher and keynote speaker Dr. George Kuh. The annual meeting is an opportunity for professional development and connecting to the greater advising community. In his keynote, Dr. Kuh stressed the value of high-impact practices, developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, on student learning and development.
The Purdue Honors College implements a curriculum, and has developed a teaching environment that naturally includes several high-impact practices. Dr. Kuh states,
We now have compelling evidence that when students are challenged academically and take part in certain kinds of activities their learning and personal development are influenced in powerful, positive ways. Well-implemented honors programs are saturated with such 'high-impact practices' including intensive writing and inquiry, service learning, frequent substantive interactions with faculty and peers, and applied learning experiences such as internships.
There are many examples of HIPs woven into the Honors College academic model. Through the Honors College first year seminar course “The Evolution of Ideas”, students practice “collaborative assignments and projects” and at the culmination of their undergraduate work, all Honors College students complete a Thesis or Scholarly Project, putting into practice the “capstone course or project”.
As the Purdue Honors College builds upon the foundational pillars of interdisciplinary academics, leadership development, community and global experience, and undergraduate research, the college will continue to invest in being at the forefront of integrating high-impact practices for the continued success of our student population.
For more information regarding high-impact practices please visit https://www.aacu.org/resources/high-impact-practices.
