Examining the Effects of First-Year High-Impact Practices on Student Outcomes

• In Event: Exploring First-Year Experiences

Abstract

George Kuh’s (2008) landmark compendium established eleven high impact practices for helping students make developmental gains. Of these eleven, four (first year seminars/experiences, common intellectual experiences, writing-intensive courses, collaborative assignments/projects) have enjoyed wide adoption across postsecondary education for their effects on first-year undergraduate students. However, emerging literature has contested assertions of the effectiveness of these practices, with some research revealing inconsistent effects, or effects mediated by practitioner knowledge or student characteristics. This is most notable in Mayhew et al.'s 2016 book-length literature review How College Affects Students. We review the extant quantitative evidence produced since the publication of that text, demonstrating the effectiveness of these practices with the aims of clarifying their accountability arguments and guiding their application.

Authors

• Eric Trevor McChesney, University of Pittsburgh
  Presenting Author

• Matthew J. Mayhew, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author