We often hear faculty complain that students are not reading the course material. Studies consistently report low rates of reading compliance across disciplines, with students citing time pressures, unclear purpose, perceived irrelevance, and weak accountability structures as reasons for skipping assigned materials (Hoeft, 2012; Brost & Bradley, 2006; Sharma, 2013). Even when students acknowledge the importance of reading, they frequently view it as optional or disconnected from course expectations (Gorzycki et al., 2020). One study has suggested that only 20–30 percent of students have completed course reading assignments in preparation for class meetings (Hobson, 2004). As a result, instructors face challenges in designing learning environments that meaningfully support higher-level learning.
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I really enjoyed reading this article. I especially enjoy Steven White’s suggestion about how he engaged his students with their reading assignments using AI.