Library:Faculty Information Literacy Toolkit/Reading
Reading
In the spring of 2013, learning and assessment librarians from the UBC Library met with groups of first year students to ask them about their experience and understanding of research as their first term of studies drew to a close. The conversations between the students and librarians revealed quite a lot about how students approach research at the beginning of their academic careers.
There are five fundamental elements to the research skills students need to learn in order to succeed in first year and beyond. This video introduces the element of reading information.
Reading here refers to the comprehension of individual resources. It is important for students to develop the skills to avoid reading word-for-word, to move beyond the abstract, and to use techniques such as scanning, highlighting, notetaking.
Tips to Address Reading in Research Assignments
Reading for Research
Word-for-word reading of material is often a barrier in the research process; some students have not yet learned how to use scanning practices to select resources. This may cause students to limit their reading to abstracts and overviews, as they are overwhelmed with the content they believe they must review. To assist students in learning effective "research reading" skills:
- Provide examples and practice with scanning and extracting pertinent information from scholarly articles.
- Provide students with examples of how to read, mark up, and extract information from these articles - show them how YOU do it, and they can model their own work on your example.
- Instruct students to have questions in mind as they read, firmly rooted in their narrowed topic, so that they can recognize potential answers as they read.
Grading Preliminary Research
Requiring research notes, an annotated bibliography or research portfolio, or a rough draft can encourage students to begin the research process earlier, and to consider all stages of it equally important, encouraging students to engage in the reading process in a meaningful way, rather than racing to their final product.
While this can be time intensive, alternate forms of grading and review, such as peer review or presentation, can minimize the administrative time while providing students important and timely feedback.