It is common in college courses to test students on the required readings for that course. With a rise in online education it is often the case that students are required to provide evidence of reading the material. However, there is little empirical research stating the best written means to assess that students read the materials. This study…

Reemphasizes the connection between reading and writing and the benefits of reading activities as assignments in the composition class. Suggests situations where readings in the composition class can facilitate reader-writer interaction. (RL)

An Indiana professor of business used the British magazine "The Economist" as required reading in courses on international business in order to introduce a global and humanistic element. "The Economist" is a 100-plus page news weekly of economics and finance with a principal goal of increasing understanding of the critical…

Reviews eight reading-across-the-curriculum textbooks, showing that four treat academic discourse only in its generic form, while four go beyond that level to look at the audience, purpose, and genre specific to particular disciplines. (RBW)

Notes that English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers have been carefully nurturing student ability to produce language, while neglecting the receptive side of learning. Proposes that increased amounts of reading should be assigned at all levels of ESL programs. Suggests ways to restructure programs and to teach reading and vocabulary…

Asserts that all students should know that African Americans make up an integral part of U.S. history. Reviews two books, "In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture," by Kwame Anthony Appiah and "Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation," by Gerald Early (ed.). (CFR)

A study compared the results of a 1986 survey on the opinions of preservice teachers with those of a survey conducted in 1984 by William Bennett (at that time chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities). Bennett's survey asked respondents to list 30 works that students should be expected to read before high school graduation.…

Examines the role of the teacher in enhancing students' reading comprehension. Finds that the teacher is a more significant factor in the comprehension of lengthy natural texts than is the ease of the text itself. (MG)

Describes how a college professor incorporates "commonplace books" into his courses, with reading and writing the focal practices in curriculum studies classrooms. He defines commonplace books as collecting places for various writings related to the courses. The books represent fragments of a variety of experiences in a variety of…

The correlative features of assigned reading and in-class performance were evaluated for 75 students enrolled in psychology classes in two community colleges in Maryland. Four tests and a final examination were used to measure in-class performance as a function of rates of reading and times of attendance. Control for content was attempted by…

Presented are more than 275 articles on 19 topics which can be arranged into readers on selected topics at the request of any educator. Assembled by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, Poynter Readers are compilations of articles that relate to a particular institution, e.g., law, or to several institutions that affect the lives of American…