Scaffolding High-Impact Practices for Asian Studies and the Environment

Abstract

Support from the Henry Luce Foundation allowed a team of Centre College faculty to develop multiple integrated programs connecting the study of Asia to the environment: the Centre Summer Language Institute (CSLI), the Asia & the Environment Lab (A&E Lab), January term courses abroad, student summer research and internships abroad, and student dissemination of research. Each of these high-impact practices (HIPs) alone has been empirically demonstrated to enrich student experiences, but when linked in succession through a scaffolded framework, student learning was synergistically magnified. The personal growth, academic interests, and career trajectory of students who completed all stages of the scaffolded program were profoundly transformed. These experiences took place over a nearly 2-year period, culminating in the dissemination of student experiences to a national academic audience. We describe the guiding principles, programmatic structure, local and international partnerships, and challenges and successes of implementing our program of scaffolded HIPs. Throughout, we also share key feedback of those students who completed most or all of the full suite of scaffolded experiences.