MUSE - A Spartan Scholar from the Start: Reading Course Materials
Reading Course Materials
Effective and timely reading of course materials is a very important
part of the learning process and academic success. Listed below are
some tips and reminders to assist you in this area.
- Keep up to date on your class reading.
- Be sure you have read the required assignments before class so
you get more out of the classroom lecture and discussions.
- Get to know your course text. Review the table of contents to
get an idea of what the focus of the text is. Also see if there
are glossaries, answers to exercises, and other reference materials
that will help you in learning the course material.
- Before reading, skim the chapter to see what the purpose is.
Read the first few paragraphs and the last few paragraphs, as well
as the headings in the chapter before reading the entire chapter.
- If using a highlighter, don’t highlight everything, but
only the important points—key concepts, facts and ideas.
- Don’t ignore the pictures, diagrams, charts and items in
the margins—they are there to help you understand the written
text better.
- Read for comprehension, not just to get to the end of the chapter.
Stop every few pages to ask yourself if you are understanding what
you are reading. If you are not, slow down, remove distractions
and see if you need to go back to review prior chapters, class notes
or other reference materials to improve your understanding. Write
down questions to ask in class or during your professor’s
office hours.
- Take notes while you are reading the key concepts and facts.
- Review the highlights of your texts regularly, rather than just
before an exam.
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