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High-Impact Practices

What are High-Impact Practices?

High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are experiences that promote student engagement, facilitate deep learning, critical thinking, personal growth, community engagement, and result in positive outcomes for students. These practices go beyond traditional coursework, offering opportunities for you to apply your knowledge in real-world settings and engage deeply with your studies.

Why do High-Impact Practices matter?

Students who use these approaches tend to earn higher grades and retain, integrate, and transfer information at higher rates (Kuh, 2008). By actively engaging in High-Impact Practices, you are enriching your college experience in a way that will leave a lasting impact on your personal and professional journey.

How do you pick?

There is no right answer when it comes to choosing which High-Impact Practices to participate in – it’s all about what you want your college experience to include.

Questions to ask yourself
  • What majors/disciplines am I finding myself curious about? What activities can I participate in to explore those interests more?
  • What is something new that I’m excited to try and that will push me out of my comfort zone?
  • How do my interests inside the classroom relate to activities I might want to be involved in outside of the classroom?
  • Am I feeling connected to my peers and others on campus? If not, what would I like to have in common with new friends? How might I meet these people?
  • What new opportunities do I want to explore?

HIPs at UW

First-Year Experiences

First-year experiences are first-year seminars or other programs that bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff on a regular basis. These could include critical inquiry, frequent writing, information literacy, collaborative learning, and other skills that develop students' intellectual and practical competencies.

First-Year Experiences

Advising & Orientation (A&O) 

  • A comprehensive introduction to UW that students complete before starting classes. You can participate by attending A&O! 

Dawg Daze

  • Dawg Daze is UW's welcome week and is a great way to discover resources, get familiar with important campus landmarks, and connect with UW staff and other UW students. You can participate by going to events at Dawg Daze!

College Edge

  • College Edge is a month-long program that provides students’ an opportunity to make friends, to take a unique experiential course with a UW faculty member in an intimate setting, and to learn what college life is all about before they start their first quarter at UW.

First-year Interest Groups (FIGs)

  • A First-year Interest Group (FIG) is a small community of incoming first-year students that take a class, or a group of classes, together during their first quarter at the University of Washington.

Common Intellectual Experiences

A set of required general education programs that includes advanced integrative studies and/or required participation in a learning community.

Common Intellectual Experiences

General Education Requirements

  • General Education requirements represent the foundation of a UW education and will support the advanced learning students will do the rest of their life.
  • You will take General Education courses in the following categories:
    • English Composition ( C )
    • Writing (W)
    • Reasoning (RSN)
    • Foreign Language (FL)
    • Diversity (DIV), 
    • Areas of Knowledge: Arts & Humanities (A&H), Social Sciences (SSc), and Natural Sciences (NSc)

Learning Communities

In learning communities, students take two or more linked courses as a group and work closely with one another and with their professors. Many learning communities explore a common topic and/or common readings through the lenses of different disciplines with the hope of encouraging integration of learning across courses.

Learning Communities

UW Honors 

  • The Honors Program brings students and faculty from every corner of campus together for original learning opportunities focused on cross-disciplinary curriculum, experiential learning, research, and critical reflection. You can apply to be part of interdisciplinary honors, departmental honors, or college honors and take honors courses.

Living Learning Communities (LLCs)

  • Living Learning Communities provide a bridge from an interest to a focused exploration in a vibrant and dynamic residential community. You can join an LLC and live with others who share a common interest with you.

First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs)

  • A First-year Interest Group (FIG) is a small community of incoming first-year students that take a class, or a group of classes, together during their first quarter at the University of Washington.

Writing-Intensive Courses

Writing-intensive courses emphasize writing at all levels of instruction and across the curriculum, including final-year projects. Students are encouraged to produce and revise various forms of writing for different audiences in different disciplines.

Writing-Intensive Courses

Writing Courses (W)

  • A W-course includes supported writing assignment sequences that comprise both low-stakes (informal, reflective, and/or ungraded) and high-stakes (well-supported, formal, and/or graded) writing. You will take at least 10 W credits throughout your time at UW.

Collaborative Assignments and Projects

Collaborative learning combines two key goals: learning to work and solve problems in the company of others, and sharpening one's own understanding by listening seriously to the insights of others, especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences. Approaches range from study groups within a course, to team-based assignments and writing, to cooperative projects and research.

Collaborative Assignments and Projects

You will have many opportunities to engage in this HIP by working with your peers in your classes and fully participating and contributing to group projects. You can also engage in this HIP by event planning with others in a Registered Student Organization (RSO). This HIP is all about working with others who may have different ideas than you.

Undergraduate Research

In undergraduate research, students are involved with actively contested questions, empirical observation, cutting-edge technologies, and the sense of excitement that comes from working to answer important questions. Being involved in research also usually includes being mentored by faculty and working alongside peers.

Undergraduate Research

Office of Undergraduate Research

Mary Gates Research Scholarship

  • Mary Gates Research Scholarships are competitive scholarships intended to enhance the educational experiences of undergraduate students at the University of Washington while they are engaged in research guided by faculty.

Diversity and Global Learning

Diversity and global learning include courses and programs that help students explore cultures, life experiences, and worldviews different from their own. These studies - which may address U.S. diversity, world cultures, or both - often explore racial, ethnic, and gender inequality, or continuing struggles around the globe for human rights, freedom, and power. Frequently, intercultural studies are augmented by experiential learning in the community and/or by study abroad.

Diversity and Global Learning

Diversity courses (DIV)

  • The University requires all undergraduates to take a course (or courses), approved by the appropriate school or college, that emphasize the sociocultural, political, and/or economic diversity of the human experience at local, regional, or global levels.

Diversity Minor

  • The diversity minor aims to strengthen students’ understanding of how race, class, gender, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, religion, and age interact to define identities and social relations. You can declare the diversity minor and take 25 credits in categories including arts/cultural, global, historical, contemporary/institutional, and applications.

Office of Study Abroad

  • The Office of Study Abroad is dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of global opportunities. They serve as a resource for the campus community, with a commitment to collaboration, ethics, and professionalism.
  • Click the “Check Out Upcoming Programs!” link to search through upcoming study abroad programs
  • Find a study abroad program that looks interesting to you either in your major or outside of your major and apply for it.
  • Meet with a study abroad adviser to learn more about specific programs.

Office of Global Affairs

  • The Office of Global Affairs is University of Washington’s hub for global engagement.

FIUTS

  • FIUTS is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting international understanding and community. You can attend a FIUTS event from the FIUTS Events Calendar.

Center for International Relations & Cultural Leadership Exchange (CIRCLE)

  • CIRCLE is the UW’s primary portal to resources, community and activities that help international and domestic students maximize their Husky Experience, together. You can attend a CIRCLE of Friends event, a space for international undergraduates as well as students interested in different cultures, to hangout, make friends, share, learn, and get support.

Unite UW

  • Unite UW embraces diversity and pursues knowledge and unity by sharing stories, fostering leadership, and developing strong friendships.
  • You can apply for the quarter long program, including a 2-night retreat, to meet & mingle through a series of fun cultural/leadership bonding activities throughout the quarter.

Service Learning, Community-Based Learning

In service learning and community-based learning, field-based experiential learning with community partners is an instructional strategy. The idea is to give students direct experience with issues they are studying in the curriculum and with ongoing efforts to analyze and solve problems in the community. A key element in these programs is the opportunity students have to both apply what they are learning in real-world settings and reflect in a classroom setting on their service experiences.

Service Learning, Community-Based Learning

Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center

  • CELE provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities. You can browse the Community Engaged Courses.

UW Medicine

  • At UW medicine, volunteers get to see world class healthcare in action while they learn new skills. Volunteers also find that working with patients gives them the meaningful satisfaction of helping others while learning customer service and professional skills at the same time.

Population Health

  • Opportunities exist across the University of Washington to volunteer to support population health-related projects.

UW Farm

  • Under the leadership of faculty, the Farm Manager, and interns, students are mentored and guided through hands-on agriculturally-related experiences in the field and greenhouses. The results are the production of over 6 tons of produce for campus dining, the Food Pantry, and the community, a new awareness of the food system, knowledge of a farm as an agro-ecosystem, and place for innovation, research, leadership skills, access to organic fresh vegetables and the potential for a healthier lifestyle.

Office of Outreach & Involvement (OOI)

  • OOI helps students get involved in student government and works to ensure that the ASUW is a representative, wide-reaching organization that provides positive experiences to its students.

Internships

Internships are a common form of experiential learning. The idea is to provide students with direct experience in a work setting - usually related to their career interests - and to give them the benefit of supervision and coaching from professionals in the field. If the internship is taken for course credit, students complete a project or paper that is approved by a faculty member.

Internships

Career & Internship Center

  • The Career & Internship Center equips students to graduate with the skills, experience, professional connections, and academic knowledge needed to pursue careers that lead to personal fulfillment, financial wellness, positive contributions to workplaces and communities, and continued engagement with the UW family.
  • Look at the featured jobs and internships.
  • Search for internships on Handshake, a recruiting platform that connects students and alumni to employers.
  • Check out the internship resources page.
  • Browse career exploration areas related to both your interests and identities.
  • Attend a career fair.

Undergraduate Community Based Internships (UCBI)

  • UCBI is a paid internship program that places undergraduates in nonprofit and public sector organizations. Students interested in public service get the chance to explore, contribute, and grow as they work in, with, and for local communities.

Capstone Courses and Projects

Whether they're called "senior capstones" or some other name, these culminating experiences require students nearing the end of their college years to create a project of some sort that integrates and applies what they've learned.

Capstone Courses and Projects
  • You can complete a senior capstone or final project within your major department.The project might be a research paper, a performance, a portfolio of "best work," or an exhibit of artwork.

Capstone Examples 

ePortfolios

ePortfolios enable students to electronically collect their work over time, reflect upon their personal and academic growth, and then share selected items with others, including professors, advisors, and potential employers. Because collection over time is a key element of the ePortfolio process, employing ePortfolios in collaboration with other high-impact practices provides opportunities for students to make connections between various educational experiences. Some departments require their students to create a portfolio of their work to graduate, but if it’s not required, you can put one together on your own or through another program.

ePortfolios

Husky Leadership Certificate (HLC)

  • The Husky Leadership Certificate (HLC) program is designed to facilitate student reflection on their leadership learning and development. Students create a leadership e-portfolio that articulates and integrates what they have learned about leadership, who they have become as a leader and how they hope to continue to make their unique contributions in their communities. 

Leadership Minor 

  • The Leadership minor allows students to bring together academic frameworks around leadership theory, practical experience with leadership skills, and critical reflection on your own personal leadership development. You will also take the capstone course LEAD 495 which is designed to support students in creating a leadership e-portfolio and reflecting upon coursework and experiences affiliated with the Minor in Leadership. 

Other Resources and Co-Curricular Activities

Campus Involvement

Campus Involvement

HUB

  • The HUB supports the husky experience by enhancing UW community, providing a dynamic event center, and fostering student engagement.

HUB Games Area

  • HUB Games is the premiere entertainment center on the UW campus and the only bowling alley in north Seattle. HUB Games is located below the HUB’s food court and features an esports center and a wide array of gaming activities.

Commuter/Transfer Commons

  • A dedicated space in the HUB providing services to students who commute or have transferred to the UW.

HuskyLink 

  • The RSO Directory is an online tool called Huskylink for all Registered Student Organizations (RSO) at UW. The Student Activities Office manages the Huskylink RSO Directory.

Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW)

  • The Associated Students of the University of Washington is the democratic voice of students that engages the campus community through programming, services and advocacy. The ASUW is dedicated to fostering a safe and inclusive environment. The ASUW strives to enrich student life and develop future leaders.

Wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House

  • wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is a longhouse-style facility on the UW Seattle campus that provides a multi-service learning and gathering space for American Indian and Alaska Native students, faculty, and staff, as well as others from various cultures and communities to come together in a welcoming environment to share knowledge.

Intramural Activities

Burke Museum

Henry Art Gallery

UW Athletics

  • Attending sporting events (all sports other than football and men’s basketball are free with UW ID)

Finding Your Campus Community

Finding Your Campus Community

Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center

  • The Kelly ECC is an inclusive and affirming space that cultivates a transformative student experience. We serve and empower historically marginalized and underrepresented students by providing educational and cultural opportunities for holistic development.

Q Center

  • The Q Center is the professionally-supported resource, advocacy, and mentoring center for queer students and concerns at the University of Washington.

Student Veteran Life (SVL)

  • SVL strives to create centralized services and programming that supports student veterans and their dependents in their academic endeavors; grow and strengthen the veteran community and identity by cultivating a sense of pride in the sacrifices that student veterans have made in service to their country; and represent the unique position and needs of our veteran constituents.

  • Hang out in the Veteran Lounge.

  • Join a Student Veteran Group – Husky Veterans or Foster Veterans Association.

D Center

  • The D Center is a space and community where students can celebrate disability and D/deaf pride and foster community at the UW and beyond.

  • Check out all the different ways to get involved in the D Center.

Leadership without Borders (LWB)

  • LWB was created with Undocumented Students in mind and with the mission to serve as a launchpad for students’ leadership, a space for community building, and a connection point for awareness as well as to resources and services for undocumented students.
  • Join Purple Group, a peer support network of undocumented students that meet weekly to foster community building, connect with allies, share resources, participate in workshops, and discuss issues affecting immigrant communities locally as well as across the country and the world.
  • Check out the resources LWB offers for undocumented students.

Student Activities Office (SAO)

Office of Fraternity/Sorority Life

Academic Support Resources

Academic Support Resources

Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising 

  • Academic planning and advising support, along with general campus navigation support and peer advising opportunities

Office of Merit Scholarships Fellowships and Awards

  • Explore scholarships and opportunities for funding that relate to your interests, both post grad and undergraduate opportunities. Alo get support on how to navigate the scholarship search and prepare competitive materials

Career and Internship Center

  • Explore how to build professional experiences and find jobs and internships on and off campus. Also get support in job application materials and job search skills.

Academic Support Services

  • Free tutoring and coaching related to both specific subjects like math, writing, chemistry, etc. or for more general coaching for academic support such as time management, balancing your schedule, effective study skills, motivation, etc. 

LSAMP

  • The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) supports underrepresented students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Mentorship/Mentoring Opportunities

Mentorship/Mentoring Opportunities

Dawg Daze Leaders

  • Dawg Daze Leaders support the UW’s week of welcome called Dawg Daze. This volunteer role allows you to support events and help welcome new students to campus.

DO-IT: Mentoring and Peer Support for People with Disabilities

  • The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) electronic mentoring community provides an opportunity for students with disabilities to communicate via email and during program activities with mentors and other students with disabilities. DO-IT mentors inspire and facilitate personal, academic, and career achievements in the DO-IT mentees, who are college-capable students with disabilities pursuing challenging academic and career fields.

Dream Project

  • As a Dream Project mentor, you will learn about college access, social justice, and mentorship, and partner with high school students in South King County to support them on post-secondary planning and accessing higher education. Training and transportation are provided and leadership opportunities are available for returning students. Open to all UW students; to join, register for EDUC 260 & EDUC 369.

Economics Undergraduate Mentorship Program

  • The Economics Mentorship program links undergraduate economics students with volunteer mentors in order to enable students to develop life and career skills through the guidance of seasoned professionals. Mentoring allows the student to learn about specific jobs, career paths, networking, organizational cultures, business functions and industries. Students receive constructive feedback about career goals, career building, personal skills and business skills.

First Year Interest Groups

  • First year students can enroll in a FIG to be mentored by an experienced UW student. Returning UW students can gain teaching and mentoring skills by leading a class of incoming first years

FIUTS Orientation Facilitators

  • FIUTS Facilitators are students who volunteer for FIUTS programs and get experience in leadership, cross-cultural communication, and build international awareness. Facilitators play an important role in FIUTS Events & Activities, International Student Orientation, special event coordination, and Community and Education Programs. As a facilitator, you can learn new skills, participate in a portfolio and Intercultural Leadership Certificate, make friends from around the world, and support FIUTS’ mission to inspire cross-cultural friendship and understanding on campus and in our community. Facilitators can be any UW student, international or local, graduate or undergraduate.

Foster Undergraduate Mentoring Program

  • The mission of the Foster School of Business Undergraduate Mentoring Program is to enrich and support the professional, academic and personal experiences of students by intentionally pairing them with Foster alumni. These mentoring relationships assist students in the transition from academic to professional life and support individual success at Foster and beyond.

Husky Leadership Certificate

  • As part of the Husky Leadership Certificate, students are matched with a leadership mentor who helps the student reflect upon and give voice to their leadership development. Students also create an e-portfolio in which they demonstrate their growth and accomplishments as leaders, and share their achievements with the broader community at the Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership.

Jackson School Student-Alumni Mentor Program

  • The Jackson Student-Alumni Mentor Program is an exciting opportunity designed to create a stronger JSIS community and support the professional goals of Jackson School students. The Jackson Student-Alumni Mentor Program matches each student with a mentor (either alumni or friends of the Jackson School) based on their academic and professional interests.

MBA Mentoring Program

  • The MBA Mentor Program offers students the opportunity to learn about the way business is practiced today, under the guidance of top executives. The MBA Mentor Program is a partnership between the Foster School of Business and Seattle’s leading businesses. Students have the opportunity to visit major Northwest companies and see business leadership skills in action. They also learn ways of navigating career objectives in work and life. The program is based on mutual interest in developing the talents and abilities of our current MBA students—the future leaders of commerce in the Northwest and beyond.

OMA&D: Mentor Power for Success

  • The Mentor Power for Success Program is a dynamic autumn quarter partnership between first-year Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMAD) students (protégés) and continuing UW students (mentors), to help protégés make a successful transition to university life. Mentor students use their knowledge of UW resources and services to guide protégés as they navigate the breadth of what the university has to offer.

Orientation Leader

  • Orientation Leaders (OLs) assist incoming freshman, transfer students and their families in their transition to the UW. OLs play a vital role in the Advising and Orientation program and introduce topics such as academics, student involvement, housing options and more.

Student Coordinators

  • The Student Coordinator position is highly visible on the UW campus and interacts daily with newly admitted students, their parents, University administrators, faculty, and staff. There are several Student Coordinators in First Year Programs, each with specific functional responsibilities.

Public Relations Student Society of America: Mentor Program

  • As members of PRSSA, you can benefit from receiving help from professionals in the Puget Sound Chapter of PRSA. Each PRSSA member has the opportunity to be matched with a professional, who will be available for one to two-hour mentoring sessions a month. Depending on the experience of the student, mentoring sessions vary.

Q Center: Queer Mentoring Program

  • The Q Center connects UW students (mentees) who are exploring their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression with queer UW students, staff, faculty, and alumni (mentors) who have been there, can relate to, and have tips for living a happy and fulfilling life.

Undergraduate Women in Business: Mentorship Program

  • Undergraduate Women in Business (UWiB) offers its members a unique way to connect with others within their sister club, Women in Business (WiB). Members are matched based on personal goals and interests through the UWiB Mentorship Program. WiB is an association of MBA students at the Foster School of Business, that works with UWiB members to provide guidance on everything from academics to career paths.

Unite UW

  • Unite UW was created to “unite” the domestic and international student community at the University of Washington. The program matches an international or exchange student with a domestic student and provides opportunities for them to participate in various activities together on the UW campus and around Seattle, to foster meaningful relationships, create cultural exchanges and promote greater integration and individual understanding.

University Honors Program: Honors Peer Facilitators

  • This pilot program is a joint effort between UW Honors and the UW Alumni Association to connect our graduates with upperclassmen who are actively preparing themselves for “life after college.” As an alumni mentor, you will help current students understand their own unique objectives and potential as they consider their long-term goals. As a mentee, you benefit from the experience and focused attention of someone who has survived and thrived their own transitions. Your feedback will also help us develop the best methods and tools to ensure lots of successful mentor/mentee experiences in the years to come.

UW Leaders

  • UW Leaders (UWL) is a program of the Associated Students of University of Washington (ASUW) that offers leadership-building opportunities for first, second, and transfer third-year students. Whether students have been involved in past leadership or want to start now, UW Leaders maximizes their leadership potential and welcomes them into a close-knit, meaningful community of accomplished individuals.

UW Women’s Center Mentoring

  • Join Making Connections for an opportunity to change the life of a high school student. Offer guidance, support, and motivation to first generation students who are exploring higher education and careers in the STEM fields.