INTRODUCTION: When Done Well-14 Years of Chasing an Admonition

Findings about high-impact practice (HIP) gains for student learning and success amounted to a call to action for many in higher education. Compelled by national attention on graduation rates and closing completion rate gaps, public colleges and universities especially viewed HIPs as part of a comprehensive strategy to engage and retain their students. At the same time, independent colleges and universities deepened their own long-standing historical commitment to HIPs, as a way to recruit students and advance the promotion of special, personalized learning opportunities. Despite a great deal of enthusiasm for HIPs and a deep existing knowledge base, scholarship on the implementation and efficacy of HIPs remains halting and beset by challenges. Building HIPs into the curriculum makes them accessible, or at least harder to miss, even for students who work off campus, commute from a distance, or care for others at home. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of this book.