Expanding Access to and Enriching Experiences of High-Impact Practices: The Promise of Embracing a Partnership Mindset

Document Type

Journal Article

Role

Author

Published In

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Volume

45

Issue

1

Publication Date

3-18-2026

Abstract

Amidst debate about the value of a college degree, there remains evidence that college graduates experience personal and intellectual growth and career preparation, especially if they have the opportunity to engage in high-impact practices (HIPs). However, HIPs often remain inaccessible or inequitably implemented for many underserved student populations. We argue that embracing a partnership mindset in the development and implementation of HIPs can expand access to and enrich higher education experiences, thereby helping higher education move toward equity. After briefly reviewing the characteristics of HIPs and outlining the evolution and a definition of student-faculty pedagogical partnership, we bring to bear what we call a partnership mindset to revisit key qualities of HIPs, including reimagining frequent and constructive feedback as reciprocal, addressing power dynamics to amplify student voices, and cultivating caring relationships that transform the classroom into a shared space of growth. We offer examples from diverse institutional contexts of two approaches to bringing a partnership mindset to HIPs: (a) pedagogical partnership programs through which faculty and students not enrolled in those faculty members’ courses work together and (b) courses that enact co-creation between faculty and enrolled students. This work provides actionable insights for advancing equity-minded practices in higher education.

Keywords

Partnership mindset, High-Impact Practices, accessibility, equity, co-creation, student-faculty partnership

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