For over a decade Kuh’s (2008) work on the critical importance of engaged learning has shaped the undergraduate college and university experience. Kuh dubbed these teaching and learning experiences High Impact Practices, and taking part in at least one of them at some point during a collegian’s higher education career has become an unstated given. However, according to a 2013 report released by Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), there were significant differences in the rates of participation in high impact practices for historically underserved (i.e., underrepresented) students in comparison to students that did not identify as underserved/underrepresented. Students who could be identified as underserved and underrepresented had a lower participation rate in high impact practices. The assessment also found that historically underrepresented or underserved (e.g., racial minorities, first-generation) students who participated in more than one high impact practice reported significantly greater gains in “deeper learning” and learning outcomes than their peers who reported involvement in only one high impact practice. This 2013 report illuminated a persistent and potentially growing educational disparity in many students’ access to the full collegiate experience. It also established the need for models that encourage and support engagement in multiple high impact practices throughout the collegiate career, especially for historically underrepresented students.
