In recent years, we have seen an explosion in the use of electronic devices such as tablets and smart phones amongst students at post-secondary institutions. These devices are popular and continue to improve with each passing generation of technology. However, research shows that reading in print still has advantages over online reading, such as improved engagement with lengthy texts, concentration and comprehension.
Given this knowledge, how can classroom activities change to help students read successfully when so many of their texts are available online? How should we advise instructors to help build comprehension and critical reading in the classroom?
Digital access to a variety of academic and popular material is changing how we teach and how our students can learn. Courses rely on a combination of print and digital media, sources that are freely available on the internet, and paid-access material from online library databases. Students must be able to engage with all of these sources.
How a teacher “presents” the task of reading may itself limit or extend good reading practice in the students. If our goal is to cultivate our students’ ability to critically read sources, we need to understand how students access and read digital media and online readings. What do they read online and how well? How can we advise our students to use technology more effectively? Can we help our students make informed choices about whether to read online or in print? What about other factors that impact on students, such as access/affordability or technical competence? With so many options and technologies available to us as teachers, we encounter new challenges. In addition to promoting critical reading skills, often we identify further goals, such as having our students connect meaningfully with disciplinary knowledges, or opening up learning environments.
In this session we explore these questions, and share from our professional teaching practices in areas of writing support, information literacy, and teaching with technology – offering strategies from in the classroom, as well as outside, online and beyond. We offer participants an opportunity to engage in discovery and discussion of the impact of online reading on student learning. In our session, we will provide opportunities to share new research, participate in activity-based learning, and discuss the application of teaching methods to address student reading.