Unpacking High-Impact Instructional Practices and Student Engagement in a Teacher Preparation Program

• Published in: International journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning Vol. 13; no. 3
• Main Authors: Rodriguez, Raymond J., Koubek, Ekaterina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Georgia Southern University 25.11.2019
• Subjects: effective teaching; high-impact practices; scholarship of teaching and learning; teacher preparation
• ISSN: 1931-4744; 1931-4744
• DOI: 10.20429/ijsotl.2019.130311

The literature on SoTL contains numerous studies examining the relationship between High-Impact Practices (HIPs) as adopted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), student engagement, and student learning outcomes as measured on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). To further understand how these practices might affect student engagement and learning within college courses, this study examined the relationship between HIPs, reported student engagement and reported learning outcomes in a teacher preservice program. Focus group interviews and a modified version of the NSSE survey were used to “unpack” how these practices related to student engagement and learning in five courses with 94 enrolled students. Major themes from the analyses included the importance of applied learning, collaborative assignments, understanding diverse points of view and constructive feedback on assignments as essential components of engagement and learning. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed.