In this retrospective, we review two seminal papers on undergraduate research (UR) written by David Lopatto (Lopatto 2003; 2010) and discuss the importance of these articles with regard to demonstrating the benefits of UR and the qualities that make it…

Although day-to-day life for college students is far from normal, right now, faculty and staff can continue to help the class of 2024 pursue a journey of self-discovery. How can students make the most of their experience?  Educational scholars George…

What is the value of an undergraduate education? Scholars, politicians, and families have debated that question for decades. Research consistently demonstrates the economic payoff of earning a degree, but is that enough to make college “worth it” for students? In…

In previous posts (here and here), I’ve been writing about the different ways that groups can be created for class projects, and whether the method of group assignment has an impact on learning. In this post, I want to focus on one…

New studies seek to update the field of Writing Studies’ understanding of writing beyond the university by explaining how writers enter into and navigate these spheres, writers’ complex roles in non-curricular writing contexts, or the kinds of writing they conduct….

What factors related to college writing make it meaningful to students? Are these the same factors that make workplace writing meaningful to alumni?  The meaningfulness of college writing is an important concept for educators and administrators. In their analysis of…

The high-impact educational practice (HIP) that I’m studying and writing about for the next two years is “collaborative projects and assignments.” Part of the reason that I selected this topic was because it was one of the only HIPs out…

Salient Practices of Undergraduate Research Mentoring This past March, as universities were transitioning to distance learning, in addition to figuring out how to teach our classes remotely, many of us had to consider how to continue to support our undergraduate…

(Understanding HIPs through a Theoretical Model – Part 2) In my previous post, I started deconstructing the idea of high impact practices (HIPs), with the goal of articulating a definition that would be useful to researchers and teachers. To do…

As the next Center for Engaged Learning Scholar, I wanted to write my first post on something that we might take for granted – the definition of a High-Impact Practice (HIP). If you find yourself reading this blog, then you…