Center for Teaching and Learning

Resources to help students develop reading skills

A. Student-facing resources

• “College Reading in 5” (video by Student Academic Center at Indiana University)
• “Research Burger- Understanding the structure of written research reports” (infographics by Suzy Styles, 2022)
• “How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal Article” (article by Frederique Laubepin, 2013)
• ”How To Do Your PSYC 100 Readings” (article from Queens College)

B. Faculty-facing resources

• “Up to 80% of uni students don’t read their assigned readings. Here are 6 helpful tips for teachers” (article by Sandris Zeivots, 2021)
  • 4 reasons why students don’t read as you’d like them to:
    • unpreparedness due to language deficits
    • time constraints
    • lack of motivation
    • underestimating the importance of the readings.
  • 6 tips:
    • Students participate in pre-class activities online. Learning management systems and collaborative tools – such as quizzes, polls and collaborative apps – offer multiple interactive options. Invite students to practise different approaches, including unfamiliar reading strategies.
    • Offer clear expectations and strategies on what, how and why to read. For example, should I skim, review the text or look for best practice? Sometimes a discussion early on is enough.
    • Gradually introduce technical terms and cognitive load. Don’t assume students know all specific terms from the start.
    • Invite students to apply the readings to real-life experience, assignments or projects. Activities with clear longer-term agendas not only engage students but also allow educators to observe how students grasp new information.
    • Gradually increase informed learning concepts and strategies to help students develop critical and creative academic skills.
    • Provide a safe space for students to clarify confusing aspects. Weekly reading groups, talking circles or other collaborations enable students to share and ask genuine questions. These conversations can encourage students to tackle complex content.
• ”How can I support undergraduates to read academic journal articles?” (poster by Dr. Lauran Doak, 2020)
• Teach C.R.E.A.T.E. (articles by Sally Hoskins, 2007-2017)
  • 5 step process to reading primary literature:
    • Consider
    • Read
    • Elucidate the hypotheses
    • Analyze and interpret the data
    • Think of the next Experiment
• “How to make students read?” (article by Alexandra Mihai, 2022)
• “Reverse-Engineering an Article: A Small Group Activity” (article by Jonathan Wilson, 2022)
• “Reading and connecting: using social annotation in online classes” (article by , 2020)
  • For example, using annotation tools like Perusall or Hypothesis.
• “Preparing students for class: How to get 80% of students reading the textbook before class” (article by Cynthia Heiner, Amanda Banet, and Carl Wieman, 2014)
• “Reading Quizzes Improve Exam Scores for Community College Students” (article by Pamela Pape-Lindstrom, Sarah Eddy, and Scott Freeman, 2018)
• “Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips” (by Eric Hobson, 2004)
• “11 Strategies for Getting Students to Read What’s Assigned” (from The Teaching Professor, 2010)
• “Solve a Teaching Problem › Students Don't Keep Up With Reading” (by the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation)
• “Why University Students Don't Read: What Professors Can Do To Increase Compliance” (article by Mary Hoeft, 2012)
• “Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Position Statement on the Role of Reading in College Writing Classrooms” (from the Conference on College Composition and Communication, 2021)
• “Fostering Deep Reading” (infographic by Jenae Cohn)
• “We Been Knowin': Toward an Antiracist Language & Literacy Education” (video by April Baker-Bell, 2020)
• ”Getting Students to Read” (by Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 2020)

• A Writer’s Guide to Mindful Reading (book by Ellen Carillo, 2017)
  • In particular, the “Introduction,” pp. 5-15.