What you’ll learn to do: identify and evaluate active reading strategies

The recommended amount of time college students should devote to studying outside of class is two–three hours per credit hour each week. In other words, a student enrolled in 15 credit hours should spend 30–45 hours per week studying to increase his or her chances of performing well in the classes. Much of that time will be devoted to reading. In fact, the path to a college degree means hundreds and hundreds of hours reading. This section will help you use those hours most productively by introducing strategies for active reading, which will help streamline your learning process. In the next couple of pages, you will learn some tips to maximize your reading efficiency and go over the reading-process loop so you have a better sense of what to do before, while, and after you read.