Making Excellence Inclusive

Research

Preliminary Draft: Outcomes of High Impact Practices for Underserved Students: A Review of the Literature
This literature review examines the known outcomes of five high-impact practices – learning communities, service-learning, undergraduate research, first-year seminars, and capstone courses and projects – for underserved student populations, namely underrepresented minorities, low-income students, and first-generation college students. There is evidence that these practices can lead to a range of positive outcomes (academic, personal, and civic) for the general population of college students as well as underserved students (see the table providing an overview of these outcomes). The strength of evidence for these outcomes, however, is weakened by the limitations of existing research. In addition, little is known regarding moderating variables for each of these practices and their impact on student outcomes. Future research efforts, by seeking to mitigate these limitations, can provide insight into the potential benefits of high-impact practices for the educational experiences of underserved students.

Click here (1.37 MB PDF) to view the full draft, revised March 2010. Please forward your comments to Nakia Bell at bell@aacu.org.

"High-Impact" Practices: What We Know about their Impact on Underserved Students (774 KB PPT)
A presentation by Jayne Brownell at the AAC&U Diversity, Learning, and Inclusive Excellence conference, Long Beach, CA on October 17, 2008