Engaging My Students in Their Reading
In his IDEA Center Paper, Eric Hobson reviews research on student completion of assigned reading. Hobson concludes that a "consistent pattern of research findings has established compliance with course reading at 20-30% for any given day and assignment." Many faculty prepare lectures with the expectation that students have not done the reading; for others - and especially for faculty wishing to use class time to expand on rather than introduce ideas - a successful class depends on students having done the work.
Suggested Resources for Getting Students to Complete the Reading:
- Getting students to read: 14 Tips (IDEA Paper 40)
- Just-in-Time Teaching
- JiTT Warm-ups (scroll down to "warmups" from Just-in-Time teaching resources page)
- Low-stakes quizzes
- Quizzes on Blackboard
- Giving quizzes with Respondus
Resources for Assisting Students in Reading Well:
- Strategies for Teaching Critical Reading (Peirce, 2006)
- Using Textbooks Effectively and Getting Students to Read Them (Boyd)
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