En el 9° seminario de la Encuesta Nacional de Compromiso Estudiantil CRUCh se destacó el efecto positivo de las 'prácticas de alto impacto' en la formación de pregrado - Consejo de Rectoras y Rectores de las Universidades Chilenas

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Under the title "High-impact practices: challenges of student engagement inside and outside the classroom", the activity sought to socialize the results of the 2024 application of the survey, in which 13 universities and approximately 7,000 students participated.

The seminar, held at Diego Portales University, analyzed the positive effect of high-impact internships (HIPs) on student learning and retention at the university. These internships include early professional experiences and student participation in various activities, such as volunteering, study groups, student exchanges, and collaboration on research projects, among others.

The Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCh) held the 9th Seminar “High Impact Practices: Challenges of Student Engagement Inside and Outside the Classroom” at Diego Portales University.

The event took place on Wednesday, December 10th, at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, where the 2024 report of the National Student Engagement Survey (ENCE) was presented. The survey aims to learn more about the characteristics of students in Chile in order to improve the university experience and learning outcomes. This survey has been conducted since 2017..

The day began with words from Danae de los Ríos, academic vice-rector of the UDP, who highlighted that "this meeting constitutes a valuable opportunity to reflect on student commitment and high-impact practices in the training process of graduates.".

Then Angélica Bosch, general secretary of CRUCh, spoke, emphasizing that the National Survey of Student Engagement (ENCE) has become "a benchmark for the higher education system, allowing us to understand how students experience university life and how different elements of that experience contribute to their educational commitment.".

Subsequently, an interview was presented with Dr. George D. Kuh, founder and director of the National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) and professor at Indiana University, internationally recognized for his work on high-impact practices. In his remarks, he emphasized that the implementation of HIPs (high-impact practices) has been a “profoundly enriching” process in the United States.

High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are undergraduate training opportunities closely and positively associated with student learning and retention. These practices share several characteristics: they demand considerable time and effort; they facilitate learning outside the classroom; they require meaningful interactions between professors and students; they encourage collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds and beliefs; and they provide frequent and substantive feedback. Among them are early professional internships and student participation in various activities, such as volunteering, study groups, student exchanges, and collaboration on research projects, among others.

Exhibitions

The day continued with the presentation by the rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Temuco, Marcela Momberg Alarcón, and the presentation of the ENCE 2024 Application Report, by Gonzalo Zapata Larraín, of the Interinstitutional Project Evaluation of Student Commitment and Quality Improvement, in which he detailed the procedure for carrying out the survey and its first results.

The seminar concluded with the panel “Faculty Development and Student Engagement,” in which the following participated: María Soledad González Ferrari, Deputy Director of the Teaching and Teaching Innovation Department of the Academic Vice-Rectorate of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Lorena González Otárola, Head of the Faculty Improvement Unit of the Academic Vice-Rectorate of the Metropolitan Technological University; Dr. Mónica Kaechele Obreque of the Center for Innovation in Learning, Teaching and Educational Technologies of the Academic Vice-Rectorate of the Catholic University of Temuco; and Isabel Ramos Moore, Director of Curriculum Development and Teaching of the Academic Vice-Rectorate of the Diego Portales University.

The conversation was moderated by Gonzalo Cifuentes Gómez, Director of Evaluation and Studies of the General Directorate of Institutional Quality Assurance of the Catholic University of Maule and was attended by the Superintendent of Higher Education, José Miguel Salazar.

ENCE 2024

According to the ENCE 2024 Results Report, the universe of the survey applied in the second semester of 2024 considered the entire population of undergraduate students admitted in the 2021 and 2024 admission cohorts, belonging to the following 13 CRUCH universities: Alberto Hurtado University, Catholic University of the Holy Conception, Catholic University of Maule, Catholic University of Temuco, University of Atacama, University of Chile, University of La Frontera, University of Los Andes, University of Playa Ancha, University of Santiago de Chile, University of Talca, University of Valparaíso, and Metropolitan Technological University.

The universe of undergraduate students from the universities included in the sample was estimated at 58,667 (35,512 from the 2024 admission cohort and 23,155 currently enrolled students from the 2021 admission cohort). Valid responses were obtained from 4,565 students in the 2024 cohort (first year) and 1,970 in the 2021 cohort (fourth year), for a total of 6,535 students who responded to the survey, representing a response rate of 11.14%.

It's worth mentioning that the university experience is a form of knowledge, forged from diverse experiences, observations, and feelings that develop and change throughout the educational process. It is expressed in varied narratives that reflect students' perceptions and interpretations of university life—some positive, others negative—but all of which influence their time at university. At the end of the questionnaire, ENCE includes the following question: '(Finally, please) Write three words (characteristics) that summarize or represent your experience at the UNIVERSITY.'.

Of the 6,535 students who answered the question, "Write three words (characteristics) that summarize or represent your experience at the UNIVERSITY," 250 words were reported as most frequently repeated (responses were grouped around key terms). Shorter words received between 18 and 30 mentions, and longer words between 270 and 1,175, as can be seen in the following figure: