Editor's Note

Most college students begin their education by taking their general education courses. These initial courses set the stage for students' learning experiences and ultimately impact students' satisfaction with their education. Research has shown that "students who talk about substantive matters with faculty and peers, are challenged to perform at high levels, and receive frequent feedback on their performance typically get better grades, are more satisfied with college, and are more likely to persist" (Kuh, 2007, p. 4). In this quarterly issue, Trina Yearwood and I conducted research on the success of black commuter students in college using the National Survey of Student Engagement. In this research study, "Understanding What Influences Successful Black Commuter Students' Engagement in College," we find that students who reported interacting with faculty often were significantly more engaged with their college experience than students who did not report interacting with faculty often. In addition, we find that students who participated in co-curricular activities reported significantly more engagement in college than students who did not participate in such co-curricular activities. This study begins to address the gap in research examining black commuter students' experiences within an urban university setting.

Historical perspectives about general education are very important. James Beasley, in his article "The Journal of General Education and an Institutional Return to Rhetoric," examines the types of articles published in this journal beginning in the 1940s. His critical analysis reveals that the editorial board over time increased a broad awareness in rhetorical study. Another historical study was conducted by Kevin Zayed. In his article "Reform in the General Education Movement: The Case of Michigan State College, 1938-1952," Zayed closely examines changes in general education. He finds that a mixture of factors including national discussions and local implementation influenced revisions of the method and content of general education. In addition, Zayed finds that being transparent about these changes and sharing information with the public were vital to gaining support for such changes.

We conclude this quarterly issue with two book reviews. In the first review, Rosemary Parmigiani evaluates the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. In the second review, David Tate critiques the book Creating the Opportunity to Learn. We encourage our colleagues to share their experiences with general education reform and assessment so that others might learn about successful strategies that seem to make a difference in our students' lives.