Chico-Ael-6

it’s helpful to understand that “high impact practice” (HIP) is a term of art.  Although the phrase is probably very common, in the past ten years or so the term has taken on special significance in U.S. higher education.  Popularized by George Kuh and emerging partly from research using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this phrase has come to mean a particular set of activities that many higher education researchers believe are especially effective in promoting important and lasting changes in undergraduate students: First-Year Seminars and Experiences, Common Intellectual Experiences (i.e. core curricula), Learning Communities, Writing-Intensive Courses, Collaborative Assignments and Projects, Undergraduate Research, Diversity/Global Learning, Service Learning, Community-Based Learning, Internships, and Capstone Courses and Projects.

During this activity, students are actively engaged with the content, especially because, as noted, I have not fully spelled out how to accurately answer the questions. As a result, students need to think creatively, ask questions of me or their group partners, consult a textbook, or otherwise work out for themselves how best to respond to the questions.

If the only assessments we have are tests and quizzes, then students will focus on tests and quizzes and nothing else. Balance is needed if we want more.

Asynchronous online discussions allow students to digest information by reading others' thoughts, processing, reflecting, contributing and continuing through this cycle at a slower pace.

However, the extra processing time provided in asynchronous discussions can help students minimize anxiety.

It seems that a group size of 7-10 works well.