Why should we identify critical reading strategies?

“Reading is fundamental“—you may recall hearing this phrase as a child.  A series of somewhat cheesy television ads emphasizes this point, such as this one featuring basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal:

However, as college students, reading can often seem less like fun and more like work.  The purpose of it changes.  Instead of reading for enjoyment, we read for information, for deeper understanding, and for challenging what we thought we knew.

“Reading” in this course doesn’t only mean the act of putting letters together to make words, and words together to make sentences.  “Reading,” now, means a set of skills we can practice and deepen, to make our college experience both easier and more meaningful.

This module will help you become familiar with steps you can take to better understand any assigned college reading.