High Impact Practices

First Year Experiences are courses that are designed for students entering college for the first time (or for the first time in a long time). These courses help introduce students to the necessary skills for college success such as critical thinking, writing, communication, information literacy, study skills, etc. These can be focused on a specific discipline or general education.

Global and cultural awareness courses are credit-bearing experiences in which students learn how to communicate across cultures while developing an understanding of global interdependence and how it is influenced by culture – understood as the values, beliefs, practices, rituals, and behaviors held by groups of people. These courses will provide tools to increase students’ critical analysis of the global and intercultural nature of society and practice ethical reasoning to successfully navigate this world.

Honors education is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that meet the needs and abilities of the students it serves through practices that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. Honors experiences include a distinctive learner-directed environment and philosophy, provide opportunities that are appropriately tailored to fit the institution's culture and mission, and frequently occur within a close community of students and faculty (adapted from NCHC, 2016).

A mutually beneficial relationship between a specified student group (i.e. mentee) and a more experienced student (i.e. mentor) who engages with the mentee in a structured helping capacity to cultivate strong relationships and provide peer-to-peer support. In many cases, peer influence is stronger than that of the expert. (e.g. student services practitioner/faculty member) (Trip, 2000).  Through role modeling and sharing authentic stories of success and failure, the mentee gains the skills and support needed to navigate the college campus. In addition, through systematic training, the mentor gains transferable leadership skills and meaningful professional experiences that can be used to complement and positively affect the retention, academic success and educational experience of the mentee. (Newton & Ender 2010;  Terrion, & Leonard 2007).

Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Curriculum includes structured field-based “experiential learning” alongside community partners, which reinforces course learning outcomes. Within the TBR System, credit-bearing service-learning designated courses are incorporated into general education or college core requirements for a degree program.

Student Employment is the practice of providing financial support through Federal Work-Study (FWS), institutional funds, or departmental funds to students enrolled in an undergraduate program in exchange for their contribution to the academic department, support unit, or community organization in which they are employed. Student employees work toward meaningful learning outcomes through the fulfillment of job responsibilities. These outcomes may include intellectual growth, development of the NACE competencies, or receipt of technical training, among other mutually agreed-upon goals (adapted from NASPA).

As an instructor, you can ask for a student worker to help you!  

Study abroad is a credit-bearing experience incorporated into general education or college core requirements for a certificate/degree program. Curriculum includes field-based “experiential learning” in locations outside the U.S. with an emphasis on inter-cultural understanding and communication.  Students apply what they are learning in a real-world setting and reflect on their experiences abroad as part of the course requirements.  Walters State works with TBR Global Studies to develop and plan Study Abroad Experiences.

Instructional practices that leverage digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning. (Digital technology is any electronic tool, system, device or resource that facilitates learning and improves student performance. Examples include, but are not limited to, social media, online games, multimedia, productivity applications, cloud computing, interoperable systems, and mobile devices. Digital technologies can be used to increase engagement, encourage collaboration, deliver support, and increase awareness and understanding.)

Undergraduate research is an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student in collaboration with a faculty member that makes a unique intellectual, scholarly, or creative contribution to the discipline, and for which the student receives academic credit either through a course or independent study. The student's contribution may be part of a new or ongoing faculty research project (adapted from CUR).

Work-based Learning represents credit-bearing experience that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships, practicums, clinicals, co-ops and similar experiences, integrated with a class or related to a major field of study, give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied learning and make connections in professional fields students are considering for career paths, while giving employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent (NACE, 2011).