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What Are They?
Long a staple in academic endeavors, the type of reading that takes place in a course is what Cull (2011) refers to as “a sustained and in-depth... contemplative cognitive activity.” Readings from one or more textbooks, online sources, or content written within the learning management system all fall into this category.
Why Use Them?
In all its forms, reading serves to inform students with baseline knowledge, helping them reach the initial levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (remember and understand) before moving on to higher levels such as analysis or evaluation. Reading is a great vehicle to deliver complex concepts, but it is participation in the learning activities that come after reading where students would begin to apply the concepts, analyze them, etc.
Best Ways to Use Them?
Ideally, you will want your students to be engaged while reading! You can design later activities based upon the reading, such as a discussion forum calling for an analysis of a case study or a private journal post that asks students to share their “muddiest point.” Alternatively, your students will also benefit if you provide small suggestions for remembering and thinking about what they read. Inviting students to jot down a 1-minute reflection or complete a compare and contrast analysis on specific points, for example, can go a long way toward bringing students to think critically about the reading.
Planning for Reading Activities
Make readings count. If you are using a textbook, consider whether students will need to read every chapter, or whether you must adjust the sequence of chapters to better support course goals. If you want to use only certain chapters from books, consult with an Albertsons Library librarian regarding delivery formats that comply with fair use and copyright restrictions.
Why Students Don't Do the Reading
When students in an online class fall behind on assigned reading, they find it very difficult to catch up. It's important to think about the reasons why students are not reading and develop strategies that support students to be successful in this area. Here are some common reasons why students don't do the reading:
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If you would like to explore additional suggestions for getting students to engage with the reading, take a look at the following (extensive) list of interactive learning techniques by Kevin Yee of the University of Central Florida (the list of actions that students can take begins with No. 31): Interactive Techniques.
Designing for Reading Activities
If you are writing your own text within the learning management system, best practice suggests that you organize the text into appropriate chunks, or sections, and then add headings. This approach is conducive to learning most any time you are writing, but especially so in an online course. Research shows that Web users scan more than they read (Nielsen, 1997).
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Writing for the Web: “Chunking” Text
- This slide presentation walks you through the steps you can take to make your content within the learning management system easier for students to read and retain; the presentation was created for Flinders University by the Helpful Partners consultancy.
Reading Strategies: Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently
- An article for the business world from the Mindtools.com site with good suggestions you can adapt to share with students.
- To increase accountability, have students share their reading questions with you.
References
Azar, B. (2010). Sink or Swim. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/11/skim.aspx
Cull, B. (2011). Reading revolutions: Online digital text and implications for reading in academe. First Monday, 16(6). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/3340/2985
Helpful Partners. (2009). "Chunking" Text. [Slide presentation] Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/helpful/chunking-text-1493495
Mindtools. (n.d.) Reading strategies: Reading efficiently by reading intelligently. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/rdstratg.html
Nielsen Norman Group. (1997, October 1). How users read on the web. Retrieved from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/
University of Victoria. (2010). Designing reading assignments and activities. [PDF] Retrieved from http://distance.uvic.ca/pdfs/teams/Designing-Reading-Assignments.pdf
Yee, K. (n.d.). Interactive techniques. [PDF] Retrieved from http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/teachingandlearningresources/coursedesign/assessment/content/101_tips.pdf
Example Reading Activities
Example 1
Reading Prompt from HLTHST 101 Medical Terminology Course at Boise State University
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Note: Use the answer key at the end of the book to check your answers.
Example 2
Reading Prompt from UF100 Intellectual Foundations Course at Boise State University
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In Protagoras, it appears that Socrates changes his mind about whether virtue can be taught. What makes him change his mind? Is this change of opinion consistent with the views he shares in Meno, or is he just a "flip-flopper"?
Example 3
Reading Prompt from UF100 Intellectual Foundations Course at Boise State University
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As you read through Locke's essay, pay attention to the assumptions Locke makes about young people's ability to learn and the ideal conditions for this learning to take place. Which of his ideas do you agree with? Which seem impractical or undesirable to you?
Example 4
Reading Prompt that Draws on Students' Prior Knowledge of the Subject
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Follow these instructions for Creating Diagrams or Concept Maps With Google Docs and create a concept map. Begin your concept map with an Academic Dishonesty shape in the center. Add factors, subtopics, facts or examples on lines that radiate from the center. Save your concept map as a jpeg file, and paste it in a Word document for later reference.
Example 5
Reading Prompt to Build Good Reading Habits
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[add instructor guidance establishing reading relevance here]
Assigned Reading
Library permalink
__text, Chapter ##
Title of linked web page article
Resources
To get the most out of your reading, the strategies on reading and writing at the college level in this interactive, multimedia text may be helpful: The Word on College Reading and Writing.