When implementing the eight key elements of high-impact practices or HIPs into a course, avoid “check-the-box” implementation approaches. Instead, focus on embedding the chosen elements intentionally within the course in ways that align with the rest of the students’ course experience. HIPs should be scaffolded, connected, and grounded in real purpose to benefit students and their learning.
Here are eight common pitfalls to avoid when embedding the eight key elements of HIPs in your courses as well as tips on how to address them.
- Lack of Transparency or overloading assignments or readings without clear purpose. Lack of transparency may be addressed by aligning student workload with clear learning outcomes; TILT the assignment prompt to increase transparency on purpose, task, and evaluative criteria for students; and/or explain to students why you are asking them to engage with a particular task, what they will learn from this experience, and where else they can apply it.
- Excessive Time & Effort or requiring too much outside of the course as opposed to embedded within it (for example attending a particular evening show on a particular day). Excessive time and effort may be addressed by providing a paced schedule of work based on the learning outcomes for the course, flipping the classroom, or scaffolding assignments. Providing students with engagement options or allowing students to build from their current community engagement activities may also be beneficial to address time concerns.
- Lack of Integration Across Experiences or treating projects as isolated tasks rather than connecting them to prior/future learning. Lack of integration across experiences may be addressed by designing explicit scaffolds that help students see how each activity builds on and informs others as well as transparency on how knowledge, skills, and abilities will be transferred and used in different courses and contexts. Help students see how what they are learning and practicing in this course can be applied more broadly.
- Lack of Meaningful Engagement or relying on one-off group work or discussions that feel artificial to students as opposed to embedded opportunities for meaningful interaction. To avoid one-off interactions, instructors may embed regular, structured peer-to-peer and student-instructor interactions (such as rotational roles or jigsaw activities) and/or active learning strategies into the course.
- Minimal Frequent, Timely, or Constructive Feedback or providing feedback only at major milestones or too late for students to apply feedback towards revising or completing assignments. To ensure students are able to use feedback to improve their learning and subsequent assignment work, instructors may build in low-stakes formative assessments or checkpoints, return assignments with timely and directional feedback, engage students in peer feedback processes, and/or invite students to apply feedback to a forthcoming assignment or to revise a prior one.
- Unclear Real-World Applications or requiring students to infer how examples, case studies, reading, theory, or content connect to authentic practice. This disconnect can leave learners disengaged or uncertain about the relevance of what they’re studying. To make clear real-world connections, instructors may partner with community organizations or industry professionals to co-design projects that mirror real-world challenges, incorporate open-ended problems that reflect professional scenarios, and/or assign field-based projects such as interviews or site visits that connect course content to professional practice. Additional strategies include inviting guest speakers or hosting panels with professionals to share insights and experiences or using simulations or role-playing activities that replicate real-world decision-making in specific fields and roles. UWM’s Center for Student Experience and Talent (SET) is available to support instructors interested in connecting with relevant employer partners.
- Lack of Reflection & Metacognition or skipping reflection prompts that require students to consider what they learned, how they learned, and how their learning may connect across different experiences or environments. To help students reflect on their learning and develop metacognitive skills, faculty can embed intentional reflection activities throughout a course. One approach is to use learning journals or regular prompts that encourage students to consider what they’ve learned, how they learned it, and how it applies beyond the classroom. Another strategy is to incorporate “exam or project wrappers,” where students reflect before and after assessments on their preparation, performance, and future strategies.
- Instructor-Facing Demonstration of Competence or having students present only to the instructor, rather than a broader audience. This may be avoided by organizing a public showcase, symposium, or gallery walk where students present projects, research, or performances to peers, professionals, or community members. Another strategy is to have students create digital artifacts—such as blogs, podcasts, or videos—that can be shared online, allowing for broader engagement and feedback. Additionally, faculty may connect students with external audiences by partnering with local organizations or employer partners who can review and respond to student work.