LEDstudio Blog

Engaging Students with Academic Reading

Reading is fundamental to the learning process. Yet, there is increasing concern that students are not engaging with assigned readings (McMurtrie, B. 2024; Stripling, J. 2024). When students don’t engage with assigned readings, they miss critical information, their classroom participation is limited, and their academic performance and peer learning suffer.

Some barriers to reading are:

• Perceived irrelevance of the material
• Low reading endurance
• Time constraints
• Difficulty concentrating due to constant digital stimulation
• Lack of accountability
• Feeling unprepared to tackle the readings

This document will explore various tips, tools, and strategies to address these barriers and enhance student engagement with course readings.

Chunking Readings and Managing Time

Students’ exposure to social media has influenced their focus and reading habits, leading them to favor short, fragmented texts (McMurtrie, B. 2024). To address this, instructors can break down lengthy readings into smaller, more manageable sections. Also, clearly communicating the estimated time required for each reading upfront can help students understand the time commitment.

A work load estimator can help to get a rough estimate of the time it takes students to do their course work each week.

The Pomodoro Technique, which involves alternating 25-minute focused work sessions with short breaks, can be an effective strategy for chunking readings. For example, a 30-page journal article could be divided into three Pomodoro sessions. Instructors can introduce this technique in the syllabus or when contextualizing the readings as a suggested study method.

Providing students with templates to log their focused reading sessions can encourage reflection on their productivity patterns. A few successful sessions can increase motivation for future focused reading and help build endurance. Reflecting on unproductive sessions can help students identify areas for improvement.

Social Reading and Annotation

While chunking helps manage the workload, social interaction can boost motivation and combat procrastination. Procrastination is a common student struggle, serving as an emotional coping mechanism to avoid the discomfort associated with reading (Botsman, 2021). Research has shown that collaborative learning can elicit well-being, contentment, and excitement (Clark & Dumas, 2015). It can prevent procrastination by establishing a regular routine, making reading more consistent and accountable. This can be likened to having a workout buddy. Reading partners can transform solitary studying into a collaborative, supportive learning journey.

Collaborative annotation provides opportunities for students to engage with the material together, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility (Bruff, D. n.d). These activities can also help students gain multiple perspectives that they might miss when reading in isolation.

• Platforms such as Perusall, Harmonize, and social annotation features in learning management systems (LMS) or Google Docs can effectively facilitate this process.
• Chatbots can also serve as study buddies. For instance, ChatGPT can be prompted to take on the role of a curious student, allowing the individual to explain what they have learned and then answer questions and follow-ups from the chatbot. Emerging AI tools that allow students to “read with” their favorite celebrity or expert can add an engaging dimension for many readers.

Communicate the Purpose of Readings

The current educational landscape is becoming increasingly transactional (McMurtrie, 2024) and explaining to students the purpose and relevance of the readings builds trust and transparency. It shows the students’ instructor’s intent and interest in choosing the readings and that the reading assignments are purposeful, not busywork (MacPhail, 2019).

• State the purpose/reason/relevance of the reading
• Link the reading to course outcomes
• Explain how the given reading builds on previous knowledge/or previous readings.
• Provide clear distinction between required, supplementary, supporting, and optional reads.
• Layout your expectations of using generative AI with readings. Caution them of hallucinations and inaccurate responses when using AI.

Suggest Reading and Learning Strategies

Sometimes students are not prepared to learn effectively and suggesting reading and learning strategies can help (Perin & Holschuh, 2019; Zakrajsek, 2024).

• Communicate to students that simply reading and rereading can create a false sense of learning.
• Traditional engagement methods like highlighting and underlining primarily help with recognizing content but not necessarily recalling it.
• Recommend techniques for retrieval practice, elaboration and reflection.
• Suggest time management techniques (The Pomodoro Technique)
• Initiate/Communicate workshops on reading. For example: Reading Process Workshop

Offer Multimodal Formats

Providing students with choices and content in multiple formats (e.g., doc, pdf, webpage) and modalities (e.g., audiobooks, articles, infographics, videos, podcasts, case studies) can offer a sense of autonomy and make reading assignments more approachable. This approach aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and has been shown to improve engagement and learning outcomes.

Several tools can support this approach:

• Microsoft Immersive Reader: This free tool, integrated into various Microsoft applications, adapts the visual appearance of texts and can translate them into over 40 languages, making it particularly beneficial for students whose first language is not English.
• NotebookLM’s Audio Overview feature: This feature transforms reading documents into engaging audio discussions. See Example
• 11Elevenlabs: Available for free on iOS devices, this tool turns any text content into an audio experience.
• Interactive eBooks/Smartbooks can transform passive reading into active learning and contribute to the social aspect of reading motivation in a multimodal way. However, rising textbook prices can discourage students from purchasing course materials, potentially leading to incomplete readings and hindering academic success.
• OER materials offer a valuable alternative. They can be customized to align with the course content, making them more relevant. Involving students in creating OER materials can also improve the connection between the assigned readings and learners’ preexisting knowledge. Instructors can ask students to create various materials to pair with given readings, such as: perspectives, examples, diagrams, infographics, concept maps, podcasts, and videos illustrating key concepts. This strategy allows students to visualize and internalize the readings.

Conclusion

Ultimately, instead of merely assigning reading tasks, instructors should create opportunities for students to actively engage with the material. By implementing instructional strategies based on learning science and pedagogy and by modeling, reasoning, and discourse, educators can help students engage with the readings.

References

Alonso, J. (2024, September 25). How much do students really read? Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/academics/2024/09/25/students-turn-ai-do-their-assigned-readings-them

Botsman, R. (2021, October 11). How can we overcome procrastination? LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-can-we-overcome-procrastination-rachel-botsman

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., III, & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Harvard University Press.

Bruff, D. (n.d.). The paradox of textbooks. Derek Bruff. https://derekbruff.kit.com/posts/the-paradox-of-textbooks

Clark, I., & Dumas, G. (2015). Toward a neural basis for peer-interaction: What makes peer-learning tick? Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 28. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00028

MacPhail, T. (2019, January 27). Are you assigning too much reading? Or just too much boring reading? The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www-chronicle-com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/article/are-you-assigning-too-much-reading-or-just-too-much-boring-reading/

McMurtrie, B. (2024, May 9). Is this the end of reading? Students are coming to college less able and less willing to read. Professors are stymied. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www-chronicle-com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/article/is-this-the-end-of-reading

Mihai, A. (2022, October 24). How to make students read? The Educationalist. Retrieved from https://educationalist.substack.com/p/how-to-make-students-read

Nagle, C., & Vitez, K. (2020). Fixing the broken textbook market (2nd ed.). U.S. PIRG Education Fund. (Excerpt from the Executive Summary)

O’Grady, K. L. (2024, July 10). How to get your students to read: Four ways to hit the reset button and inspire students to read course texts. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-get-your-students-to-read

Perin, D., & Holschuh, J. P. (2019). Teaching Academically Underprepared Postsecondary Students. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 363-393. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18821114

Stripling, J. (2024, September 10). Is reading over for Gen Z students? What happens when students come to college less willing and able to do the work? The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/podcast/college-matters-from-the-chronicle/is-reading-over-for-gen-z-students

Zakrajsek, T. D. (2024). Essentials of the new science of learning: The power of learning in harmony with your brain (1st ed.). Routledge.

Categories active learning, article, community of inquiry, engagement, motivation