HIEE Taxonomy
Weber State University HIEE Taxonomy
The HIEE taxonomy is a tool to help educators reflect on their teaching inside and outside the classroom. It is NOT meant to serve as a grading rubric for student work. Rather, this taxonomy is an instructional tool meant to encourage educators to thoughtfully consider and cultivate the impactfulness of each engagement opportunity. It is designed to highlight the different levels of impact that are defined as foundational, integrated and transformative connections with students. Keep in mind that “higher” levels of impact are not necessarily more desirable than “lower” levels. The desirable level of impact is dependent upon the student learning outcomes you are striving to achieve through a particular educational experience. Use the taxonomy to assess the educational experiences you are employing in your courses and programs to inform what you can do to make your practices be more impactful for each student.
Levels of Impact |
||||
|
|
Foundation |
Integration |
Transformation |
N/A |
|
Performance Expectations: Performance expectations set at appropriate levels. |
Expectations for students are introduced. Students are exposed to new ideas and skills. Performance is articulated and may not be evaluated. |
Performance expectations are set at a modest level and encourage students to integrate new ideas and skills. Performance is evaluated through the use of a rubric, checklist or other assessment tool. |
Performance expectations are set at high levels and encourage students to move beyond their current ability. Performance is evaluated through the use of a rubric, checklist or other assessment tool. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Personal Investment: Investment of time and effort by students over an extended period of time. |
The engagement is purposeful: it builds toward a commitment of time and effort. |
The engagement is purposeful: it involves a basic commitment of time and effort. Occasionally bridges a student’s personal interest to his/her academic program. |
The engagement is purposeful: it involves the investment of significant time and effort by the student on authentic, complex tasks over an extended period of time (e.g., bridging personal and academic interests). |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Meaningful Interactions: Interactions with faculty, staff and peers about substantive matters. |
The engagement opportunity helps students establish relationships and interact with faculty, staff, community partners and/or peers over extended periods of time during which relationships develop. |
The engagement opportunity helps students build upon relationships and interact with faculty, staff, community partners and/or peers about functional matters (e.g., processes, services) over extended periods of time during which relationships develop and grow. |
Students engage in and sustain meaningful relationships and interact with faculty, staff, community partners and/or peers about substantive matters (e.g., future employability, transferable skills) over extended periods of time. Students interact with others who share intellectual interests and are committed to student success. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Diverse & Inclusive Experiences: Interactions with people and circumstances that differ from those with which students are familiar. Building an inclusive environment. |
This practice introduces opportunities for students to interact with diverse individuals, thoughts, and/or ideas that are different from those with which they are familiar (e.g., experiences, knowledge). Students and facilitators are encouraged to contribute to an inclusive environment. |
This practice encourages opportunities for students to interact with diverse individuals, thoughts, and/or ideas that are different from those with which they are familiar (e.g., experiences, knowledge). Students and facilitators foster an inclusive environment. |
This practice fosters experiences with diversity where students are provided with multiple opportunities to interact with people and circumstances that differ from those with which they are familiar. Students and facilitators co-create an inclusive environment. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Quality Feedback: Frequent, timely, and constructive feedback. |
The opportunity provides students with feedback, not limited to the assessment of classroom work, but also including feedback about learning about themselves. |
The opportunity provides students with sustained feedback, not limited to the assessment of classroom work, but also includes feedback that helps them learn about themselves and others. Feedback is related to the students’ goals and is mindful of their development. |
The opportunity provides students with iterative feedback and includes feedback from multiple sources (e.g., peer, self, facilitator) that substantially contributes to students’ achievement of their development goals. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Opportunities to Reflect and Integrate Learning: Periodic, structured opportunities to reflect and integrate learning. |
The practice provides opportunities for students to reflect on the person they are becoming. |
The practice provides opportunities for students to experience sustained reflection and integrate their personal experience with their learning. Reflection deepens learning and brings awareness of one’s values and beliefs; it helps students develop the ability to take the measure of events and actions and put them in perspective. |
The practice provides opportunities for students to evaluate and synthesize learning. This reflection deepens learning and helps the student to refine their own values and beliefs. Students will create and evaluate their own reflection processes. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Practical Application: Opportunities to discover relevance of learning through real-world applications or through real world/authentic experiences |
The engagement practice helps students test what they are learning in new situations and provides opportunities for students to see how their learning works in different settings, on and off campus. |
The engagement practice helps students apply and incorporate what they are learning in new situations and provides opportunities for students to see how their learning works in different settings, on and off campus. |
The engagement practice provide students with opportunities to synthesize their learning to gain a deep and impactful understanding of how their learning translates to action (e.g., employment, scholarship, civic engagement). |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
|
Demonstration of Competence: Public dissemination of learning experience |
Informal opportunities for demonstration of competence are provided between the student and facilitator (e.g., observation, discussion). |
Formal opportunities are provided for demonstration of competence within a course, program or through some public means (e.g., presentation, event planning). |
This practice provides significant opportunities for a public demonstration of competence. Examples of these opportunities include open gatherings, broad electronic means (e.g., websites, blogs, videos), program implementation, conferences and other large forums. |
This experience was not intended to incorporate this component. |
* The Student Access & Success SETF (Student Engagement Task Force) created the original version of this taxonomy and graciously collaborated with the Student Success Engagement Committee to modify it to include additional impact strategies.
Background
For the last two decades, the phrase “high impact” has been used to describe educational practices researchers have found to be particularly influential for student learning and persistence to graduation (Kuh, 2008). Kuh’s list of ten “high impact practices” — including research, community service, internships, study abroad, capstone, living learning communities, first year seminars, common intellectual experiences, writing intensive courses, and collaborative assignments — has become the aspirational “high impact” standard at many institutions of higher education around the country. Accordingly, in the last several decades, Weber State University has established centers and offices to support and grow many of these particular practices — e.g. Office of Undergraduate Research, Career Services (internships), Center for Community Engaged Learning, Study Abroad, etc.
Not surprisingly, given Weber State’s student-centric approach to learning, other high impact educational experiences not included on Kuh’s list have emerged in both the curriculum and co-curriculum. Although a vibrant innovative culture for teaching and learning resulted, the development and use of high impact educational practices has not necessarily been well articulated or coordinated across departments and divisions. Therefore, it is unclear if all Weber State students have equal access and thereby benefit from these impactful learning experiences.
In November, 2017, the Commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) recommended to the State Board of Regents “that the Board establish the goal that all students participate in two high impact practices during study at the undergraduate level: (1) one during their first 30 credits of enrollment (not including concurrent enrollment), and (2) one within their major, and that reports on progress toward these goals occur during institutional completion reports at Board meetings.” The main motivation for this recommendation is to ensure all students have equal access to high impact educational experiences.
Role of High Impact Educational Experiences in the Student Success Initiative
Given Weber State’s commitment to student success, we must ensure that all students have equal access to highly impactful learning opportunities. The Student Success initiative articulates engagement as one of four key pillars in an educational environment necessary to cultivate a successful student. As such, a goal of the initiative is to make high impact learning opportunities readily available to all students throughout the curriculum and co-curriculum to ensure students “actively engage in learning inside and outside the classroom” (WSU Student Success Vision, 2016). Much of this engaged learning is already occurring through the many high impact educational experiences at WSU.
It is the task of the Engagement Committee (a subcommittee to the Student Success Steering Committee) to identify a way of more systematically coordinating the development, growth and implementation of high impact educational efforts taking place both in and outside of the classroom. The necessary first step in this coordination process, however, is to share a common language about and understanding of high impact educational opportunities. A common language will help:
- Identify where high impact opportunities already exist in our curriculum and co-curriculum which will enable advisers to guide students to these types of learning experiences;
- Empower faculty and staff with a shared taxonomy to self-evaluate the learning experiences they currently provide and choose whether or not to enhance those experiences to be even more impactful for students; and
- Create a coordinated system of educational experiences that ensures equal access to high impact learning opportunities for all students, especially underrepresented students.
Description of this Document
This document represents the efforts of the Engagement Committee to develop shared language for high impact learning experiences at WSU. The 30-member committee collaborated in a six-month process to develop and vett a working definition and taxonomy of high impact educational experiences (HIEE) that can be used by educators in both Academic and Student Access & Success.
A critical goal for educators is to create a rich learning environment that will help students be successful in their educational and life-long pursuits. Rather than limiting educators’ choices of impactful experiences to Kuh’s (2008) list of ten “high-impact practices,” the committee decided to anchor Weber State’s definition in eight impact strategies that are found in all of Kuh’s high-impact educational practices (Kuh & O’Donnell, 2014). By doing so, educators can continue to be innovative and creative in their educational practices to ensure high quality learning experiences for their students and not be limited to an already predetermined list of “high-impact practices.”
In other words, the committee found the nationally recognized language of “high-impact practices” limiting and, therefore, strategically chose language meant to be more inclusive of a variety of educational practices that can occur in either, or both, curricular and co-curricular experiences. Hence, the language of High Impact Educational Experiences (HIEE) was created.
Assumptions
- Weber State University has the responsibility to provide a setting conducive to the use of impact strategies.
- An engaged learning environment is a hallmark of a Weber State University education.
- High impact educational experiences intentionally combine impact strategies to improve student learning.
- Not all courses or co-curricular activities will utilize every impact strategy. But all faculty and staff are encouraged to incorporate as many appropriate strategies as possible, at the highest level possible, in all courses they teach and activities they facilitate.
- The use of impact strategies in a course or event does not automatically equate to high impact educational experience; however, all high impact educational experiences regularly integrate impact strategies.
References
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Washington, D.C.: American Association for Higher Education.
Ewell, P.T. & Jones, D.P. (1996). Indicators of “Good Practice” in Undergraduate Education: A Handbook for Development and Implementation. Boulder, CO: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
Kuh, G.D. (2008). High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Kuh, G.D. & O'Donnell, K. (2014). Ensuring quality and taking high-impact practices to scale. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.