Reading in College
What Should We Expect from Our Students?

We've spent a lot of time in the past two years discussing why and how our students should become better readers. We say they should be active and engaged readers, and we talk about some of the specific ways we can help them become so.

Although we have discussed what we want them to do when we assign them something to read, we haven't yet addressed the question of what we should be giving them to read. What is an appropriate reading assignment for a freshman? For a senior? What do we have the right to expect from our students? How much is enough? How much is too much? How difficult should the reading be? Is it fair to ask a freshman to read Joyce? Foucault? Lacan? An empirical research article? A primary source?

This isn't simply a matter of fairness, though. The bigger question is this: What are the ramifications of our reading assignments? The authors of the recently released Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses have put forward their opinions. Now is the time to put forward yours, as we bring this semester to an end and begin preparing for our next classes.

  • Led by: Dr. Jason Todd (QEP/English); Dr. Elizabeth Hammer (CAT/Psychology)
  • Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011
  • Time: 12:15 - 1:05 PM
  • Location: Library 501
  • Sponsor: QEP Office, CAT

Note: Lunch will be served.

To register: Please RSVP to Ms. Olivia Crum at ocrum@xula.edu.

Tags: QEP
Format: discussion
Event ID: 01118


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