Students: Volume

Students:  Format

VOLUME:  INSTRUCTOR

 The VOLUME of required reading in my courses tends to be my students biggest problem. 

You are the expert at which your students need to read to be able to learn the required material for your courses.  You are also the one who has expectations about what students should gain from the reading.  If you have noticed that the amount of assigned readings is either (a) too overwhelming for too many students, (b) not providing enough specific learning for the time it takes to do the reading, or (c) tempting you to "strong arm" the assigned reading (aka, quizzes, etc.), then you may find some of these suggestions helpful.

1.  Carefully consider the content in each chapter.  While it is quick and easy to say, "read chapter 5," there may only be a few key points in a 38-page chapter that you feel would benefit your students.  A more strategically made assignment, "read pages 56-59, 63-68, and 71-75," would reduce the time it takes students to do the required reading, ensure that the assigned reading looked manageable to students, and allow students more time to synthesize the key points. 

2.  Make sure your reading assignments are valuable to students.  In other words, if you ask students to "read chapter 5" and then come to class and TELL them everything that is in chapter 5, then why did they need to read it independently?  Instead, consider having an activity planned for the class in which they take the information they got from the reading and manipulate it in some way - group work, sharing, demonstrating, discussion groups, question and answer groups, question the teacher sessions, etc. 

3.  Number 2 leads us directly to this point - students need a REASON to read chapter 5 - other than you saying to do so.  All you need is the word "and" and a verb.  The new directive would look like this:  "Read chapter 5 AND DEVELOP a timeline that highlights the major events that took place."  Now students are not reading PASSIVELY, but actively engaging with the print for a PURPOSE.  The next class meeting would provide students with opportunities to USE the timelines for some purpose that would further their learning and understanding of the content. 

4.  Are there ways to DIVIDE the reading among groups and then allow them to share in class with each person developing their own summary of the entire reading? 

No assigned reading is valuable unless students actually do the reading.  No passive reading is worth the time it takes to turn the page. 

Strategies for Managing Volume of Reading:

Each of these links provides instructors with direct experiences and practice with managing the volume of assigned reading within a course. 

• Ideas for Helping Students Manage Volume of Reading
• How to Reduce Assigned Reading
• Ensuring Academic Success
• Teaching College Students how to handle Book Volume

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