High-impact educational practices (HIPs) like capstone experiences, internships, study away, and undergraduate research are associated with substantial learning gains for post-secondary students. Nearly two decades of research demonstrates benefits for students’ college completion, deep learning, and engagement (Kuh 2008; Brownell and Swaner 2010; Kuh and O’Donnell 2013). HIPs also have compensatory effects for students from underrepresented and marginalized groups (Finley and McNair 2013). In short, when done well, HIPs are a smart programmatic or institutional investment to enhance student learning, retention, and completion during college. 

But what’s the long view of these experiences? 

Recent research has started to examine HIPs’ longer-term outcomes. In A Long View of Undergraduate Research: Alumni Perspectives on Inquiry, Belonging, and Vocation, for example, Kristine Johnson and J. Michael Rifenberg (2024) demonstrate that the benefits of participating in undergraduate research (UR) extend beyond students’ years of study. UR experiences also can contribute to post-graduation career success. 

In a recent blog post, I shared data from the Center for Engaged Learning’s fall 2025 national survey of recent university graduates, highlighting significant correlations among UR and work skills developed in college, including applying existing skills to a new problem, making ethical choices, and responding to needs based upon an understanding of situational context (Moore 2026). The survey shows similar significant relationships between completing internships in college and developing skills like making decisions on behalf of a team and networking to build relationships (Moore 2026). 

Are other HIPs associated with comparable long-term gains? 

Recent Graduates Participation in HIPs 

As reported in our topline results for the 2025 survey, recent college graduates were most likely to have participated in internships and undergraduate research projects during college, but we also ask about capstone experiences, ePortfolios, community-engaged learning, and study away: 

Did you take part in any of the following during college? (Select all that apply):

	Yes	No
Capstone project or experience	41.5% (336)	58.5% (474)
ePortfolio	15.3% (124)	84.7% (686)
Internship	53.1% (430)	46.9% (380)
Service-learning or   community-engaged learning course	32.5% (263)	67.5% (547)
Study away experience	12.7% (103)	87.3% (707)
Undergraduate research project	45.8% (371)	54.2% (439)

Prepared for Work 

Among our survey participants, some HIPs had a stronger correlation with recent graduates’ perceptions of their preparation for work: 

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? My college experience prepared me well for the work I have done since graduating. 

	All participants	Recent graduates who participated in …	Capstones	ePortfolio	Internship	Community-engaged learning	Study away	UR
Strongly agree	14.1%		18.6%	19.7%	19.2%	20.8%	16.5%	19.5%
Agree	32.5%		27.4%	29.5%	40.0%	37.3%	37.9%	40.5%
Somewhat agree	27.0%		25.9%	28.7%	23.9%	21.5%	26.2%	23.8%
Neither agree nor disagree	8.5%		8.5%	6.6%	6.4%	8.1%	6.8%	7.1%
Somewhat disagree	7.2%		5.8%	6.6%	4.7%	6.5%	2.9%	3.0%
Disagree	6.4%		7.3%	5.7%	3.1%	3.5%	6.8%	3.8%
Strongly disagree	4.3%		6.4%	3.3%	2.6%	2.3%	2.9%	2.2%

While participation in any of these HIPs might lead to more positive perceptions of preparation for work, college graduates with the following experiences were significantly more likely to agree or strongly agree that college prepared them for work: 

• Capstone project or experience (p=.002) 
• Internship (p = <.001) 
• Service-learning or community-engaged learning course (p = <.001) 
• Undergraduate research project (p = <.001) 

HIPs and Skills Developed in College 

I’ve previously shared an analysis of the skills recent graduates who completed an internship or UR experience are more likely to indicate they developed in college. Do capstones and community-engaged learning have similar correlations? 

Participants who had completed a capstone project or experience were significantly more likely to indicate that they had developed the following skills in college: 

• Applying your existing skills to a new problem* 
• Making decisions on behalf of a team or organization** 
• Responding to needs based upon an understanding of situational context* 
• Speaking persuasively* 
• Using and/or interpreting data* 
• Using (non-GenAI) technology effectively* 

Similarly, participants who had completed service-learning or a community-engaged learning course were significantly more likely to indicate that they had developed these skills in college: 

• Applying your existing skills to a new problem* 
• Assessing your strengths and weaknesses*** 
• Connecting with people from different cultural backgrounds*** 
• Giving feedback to others* 
• Keeping up with the news* 
• Making decisions on behalf of a team or organization*** 
• Making ethical choices* 
• Networking to build relationships with others*** 
• Responding to needs based upon an understanding of situational context* 
• Using generative AI effectively*** 
• Using other technology effectively* 

*p = <.05**p=.001; ***p = <.001

Recent college graduates who completed service-learning or community-engaged learning also were significantly more likely to indicate that college was “worth it,” considering the costs and benefits (58.1% of grads with this experience vs. 41% of their peers who hadn’t participated in community-engaged learning, p = <.001). No, capstone experiences don’t show a similar correlation… 

So, what’s the long view on HIPs? While all HIPs contribute to student success and engagement during college, some HIPs might have more significant long-term gains for career readiness competencies and how graduates perceive the value of their college education. 

Stay tuned for more snapshots of our survey results; we’ll share additional analysis at CenterForEngagedLearning.org/surveys/2025-survey. 

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References 

Brownell, Jayne E., and Lynn E. Swaner. 2010. Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 

Finley, Ashley, and Tia McNair. 2013. Assessing Underserved Students’ Engagement in High-Impact Practices. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 

Johnson, Kristine, and J. Michael Rifenburg. 2024. A Long View of Undergraduate Research: Alumni Perspectives on Inquiry, Belonging, and Vocation. Routledge. 

Kuh, George D. 2008. High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 

Kuh, George D., Ken O’Donnell, and Sandra Reed. 2013. Ensuring Quality and Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 

Moore, Jessie L. 2026. “High-Impact, Career-Ready Internships and Research Experiences. ” Center for Engaged Learning (blog). January 23, 2026. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/high-impact-career-ready-internships-and-research-experiences. 

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About the Author

Jessie L. Moore is Director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Professor of English: Professional Writing & Rhetoric at Elon University. She is the author of Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff (Stylus Publishing 2023) and co-editor of five edited collections on engaged learning topics. As CEL’s Director, Jessie leads planning, implementation, and assessment of the Center’s research seminars, which support multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary inquiry on high-impact pedagogies and other focused engaged learning topics. Jessie also co-edit’s Teaching & Learning Inquiry, the flagship publication of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

How to Cite This Post

Moore, Jessie L. 2026. “The Long View of High-Impact Educational Practices. ” Center for Engaged Learning (blog). February 6, 2026. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/the-long-view-of-high-impact-educational-practices.