A Note from the Editors

Abstract

We are excited to present this year’s first issue of the Journal of College Reading and Learning, which contains four articles covering a broad range of issues of interest to JCRL readers. We hope they will all provide new perspectives, insights, and inspiration for your practice. In the first article of this issue, “Tutoring in Higher Education during COVID-19: Lessons from a Private University’s Transition to Remote Learning,” John Van Maaren, Magdalene Jensen and Anna Foster discuss the impact of Covid-19 on curricular aspects of student learning. Specifically, the authors seek to discover the efficacy of remote tutoring programs to mitigate the adverse effects of online learning. Using one private institution of higher learning as the backdrop for this study, the authors describe how a three-format peer tutoring service switched from in-person to remote as part of the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just like faculty, peer tutors had to adjust their approaches to fit the Zoom environment. Except for one technology barrier specific to math, the authors were encouraged by the results. While they realize the study was done on a small scale, the authors are hopeful that future studies related to remote teaching and learning will include a focus on training opportunities that could help overcome the challenges of this learning environment. Then, in “Inquiry-Based Learning in the Context of aCommon Read Program Encourages Desired Learning Outcomes in First-Year Writing Courses,” authors Leah M.Van Vaerenewyck, Sara Clark, and Alison Pasinella discuss ideas for integrating an institution’s common read text into first-year writing courses. They share their experience of using inquiry-based assignments to help students achieve learning outcomes for common read programs as well as Writing Program Administrators’ outcomes for first-year writing. They found their approach to be successful and encourage institutional support for faculty attempting to coordinate common read goals with existing course goals. Alongside our three feature articles, we are please to share a forum article, “Dyslexia Fonts: What Postsecondary Instructors Need to Know.” In this article, author Omer Ari seeks to shatter some myths by providing insight that might lead to meaningful support for a specific segment of the student population. Ari dispels the notion surrounding the idea that dyslexia fonts will aid student learning, offers specifics about the true effects of dyslexia on students in secondary and post-secondary education, and provides evidence-based guidance for teaching college students with dyslexia. The author hopes that enlightened educators will reject faddish solutions and opt for approaches that better align with student needs. JOURNAL OF COLLEGE READING AND LEARNING 2022, VOL. 52, NO. 1, 1–2 https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2022.2033527