Academic reading - a growing need for training in higher education?

Abstract

Universities and university colleges face a complex challenge: students read less and lack reading skills. When we welcomed a new cohort of bachelor’s students, we were faced with this very challenge — how to receive students who lack the reading skills that are central to higher education. In this article we want to share our experiences developing and running a workshop on academic reading for first-year students. We will share our thoughts on the planning process prior to the workshop, the lessons and experiences we took away afterward, as well as some general observations and reflections on the issue of “academic reading.” In summary, we find that there is a need and a desire among students for better instruction and practice in academic reading and in how to make use of scholarly literature for learning.