Editor's Note

General education at most colleges and universities has common goals that focus on the specific types of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that undergraduates should develop as they complete their educational programs. In order to better understand if undergraduates are reaching our expectations, it is crucial to conduct assessments of student learning. The first article, by Willis Jones, examines the assessment practices and challenges faced by administrators at private, four-year historically black colleges and universities in their general education programs. The majority of institutions in this study used nationally standardized and institutionally designed tests. The largest challenge faced by administrators was getting students motivated to take assessment seriously.

The second article focuses on assessing study abroad programs by applying the "SLEPT" framework through learning communities. María Tajes and Jaime Ortiz explore the learning outcomes student attain through their participation in short-term study abroad programs. They find that participating students demonstrated enhanced global literacy and an increased awareness of the United States that enabled them to more critically analyze global issues.

The third article, by Jacqueline DeBrew, examines how baccalaureate nursing students view the relationship between their liberal education and their nursing practice. This research study also investigated the meaning that nursing students hold in relation to their general education. Graduates of the nursing programs perceived that their liberal education enhanced their personal and professional lives. Students reported gains in their ability to think globally and believed that their interpersonal and critical-thinking skills improved.

In the fourth article, Jodi Brookins-Fisher, Irene O'Boyle, and Lana Ivanitskaya discuss the purpose of health education. The authors present an in-depth case study of how faculty members developed and implemented a multidisciplinary Healthy Lifestyles course into their general education program at a Midwestern university. This new course satisfied multiple general education goals including examining different perspectives on concepts of health and wellness, evaluating one's own health, and understanding the health challenges faced by American society.

This issue concludes with a book review by Benjamin Brauer. He examines twenty-first-century skills and how they apply in our educational system today. I hope that you find this collection of articles meaningful as you consider potential revisions in your own general education initiatives.