Some professors say students struggle with reading and critical thinking. This center at UM tackles a more complicated truth ...Middle East

There’s a complaint that Liz Norell often hears from faculty at the University of Mississippi: Students are not doing the course readings.

Is it true? And if so, what should professors be doing to help students?  

“We’ve been talking about this issue for as long as I’ve been in higher ed, and that’s almost 20-something years,” said Norell, an associate director of instructional support at the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. “It’s obviously much more complex than just a simple solution or answer. But I think we’re all trying to figure out how to reach our students in this time when everything feels so hard.” 

Norell provides resources, professional development and other services to help faculty improve their teaching. Her role at the center aims to promote innovative teaching practices, improve student success and create more inclusive learning environments. 

When these professors’ broad theories about college students’ reading habits became too critical, Norell spoke with students.

Last spring, she surveyed 155 students about their reading habits. That semester, Norell also created a student focus group to gather more input for her research. Students shared with her three common reasons why they didn’t complete reading assignments. 

First, some instructors didn’t talk about the readings in class, which students said  made the assignments seem pointless. Some students said they felt unsure of how to apply the information they read on exams or in class discussions. Other students said the assigned readings for different classes within the same major or field of study were too similar. 

Rethinking the types of supplemental materials faculty assign could help their students, Norell said. Reading assignments should be relevant or purposeful to students’ lives. 

“My students tell me all the time, ‘Why do I need to read this? Why should I care about this?’” Norell said. “If I can’t answer that question as an instructor, or if my answer is ‘Because I told you to,’ then I’m not motivating students to learn.” 

Creating ‘aha moments’ in the classroom 

When assistant professor Corbit Franks began teaching athletic training, he considered himself a traditionalist.  

Franks, who is also a clinical education coordinator of athletic training, was adamant about assigning coursework that included lengthy peer-reviewed journal articles and multiple textbook chapters. He also insisted students write papers and do critical analyses of the class readings. 

Since Franks began working with Norell and her team at the center, he adjusted his teaching style and syllabi to accommodate what he sees as a decline in students’ willingness to read and engage with supplemental class work.  His new approach often involves providing “a thoughtful explanation” of why the course readings are useful for future clinicians and healthcare professionals. 

If students come to class prepared to discuss supplemental readings such as research and peer-reviewed journal articles from the National Athletic Trainers Association Position Statement website, their knowledge of the profession, the human body and themselves will improve, he said. That effort can also help students pass their board certification exam. 

“When you look at most of the professions that these students are getting into, the biggest thing that they need is the ability to critically think and build upon one complex thought off of another,” Franks said. 

Franks said he tries to create “aha moments,” in class through reading discussion. It helps students see beyond the class and semester. The discussions can also help them engage with their future patients, clients and or athletes, he said. 

He also allows his students autonomy to design coursework such as questions for quizzes and exams, which helps him understand if they have a grasp on the reading assignments. 

Franks also redesigned his assignments around the skills he wants students to learn. 

“When it comes to certain projects, I allow them to do videos, podcasts or find other creative ways to show off their personality,” Franks said. “It allows students to learn, think creatively and critically, plus relay the information in a way they understand. Plus, it creates a sense of equity in the classroom.” 

Franks said he no longer sees teaching as a one-way street, with the instructor as the “authority figure ruling with an iron fist.” Instead, he said, his approach is a constant dialogue with his students.

“When you enter a classroom, you enter into a kind of a contractual agreement or mutual respect between student and instructor that you both are there for the betterment of the greater good,” Franks said. “It makes them feel comfortable to share and express their needs, thoughts or ask for help. It is effective for their overall success which is why I began teaching in the first place.” 

Getting back to the principles of teaching 

In October, Norell presented her first set of preliminary data on students’ reading habits to faculty in a small workshop titled “When and Why Do Students Read for Class?” She highlighted the disconnect she found between students’ motivation to read and what they are asked to do or learn for the course. 

Of students who responded to Norell’s survey, 55% reported a high motivation to complete their assignments, but less than 46% said they felt engaged with the course material.  Less than 44% said they felt well supported in their efforts to learn. The qualitative results also indicated that students don’t feel the assigned reading is useful or connected to their class performance.

Caris Miller, a senior studying integrated marketing, said she is the type of student who reads and completes all of her assigned readings for her classes. But if professors don’t use the textbooks students bought for class, students may feel less obligated to do the readings required for the course, she said. 

“Professors don’t understand that we also have four other classes we’re juggling, so having eight required textbooks that we don’t need, but you have us buy, just feels like a waste of our resources,” Miller said. “A lot of us here are also on loans or student scholarships. We have to be smart about everything, including our money.” 

Norell also asked faculty members to reflect on their own reading habits. It opened discussion around a point often overlooked on the issue: Students’ and adults’ ability to read and focus for long periods of time has decreased. 

A 2021 Gallup poll results released in 2022 indicated U.S. adults are reading about two or three fewer books than they did between 2002 and 2016. The numbers are lower for college graduates, according to Gallup. They read an average of about six fewer books in 2021 than they did between 2002 and 2016.

“There’s an opportunity for us all to think about reading like practice, such as building muscle or a yoga practice where you’re investing time to do it.” 

Norell said she is recruiting other colleges and universities to assist with her research project. Gathering student input from other institutions across the country will help paint a national picture of the trends and patterns in students’ reading choices, she said. 

That input can also help better understand faculty members’ perceptions of the issue. 

“I believe that learning happens when we are in environments where we feel psychologically safe, where we feel like we belong, and where we feel like people care about us,” Norell said. “And that’s all relational.” 

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